The Memphis movement burst onto the scene in 1981 when its designers made waves at the Milan Furniture Fair with irreverently bold, Pop-style designs that challenged Modernist notions of good taste and functionality. Created as a language that challenged the aesthetic of clean lines, the market appeal of the understated, and the usefulness of design coherence, Memphis rippled out to ceramics, glassware, furniture, interior design, and urban architecture, specifically building facades. The movement embraced the unexpected in design as well as the ubiquitous in life.
SlideshowFor Design Indaba, Edelkoort channeled a bit of Italian master Ettore Sotsass who declared that "Memphis is everywhere and for everyone." Edelkoort highlighted that Sottsass often referred to the movement itself as being "like a hard drug"—a phenomena that one could not take too much of. It remains to be seen what long term impact an overdose of Memphis elements, like colorfully patterned laminates, printed glass surfaces, loud celluloid, and sculptural neon tubes will have on design. Thirty years on, one can only be reminded of Memphis's unprecedented energy when discovering South Africa's design talent.