Alessi - Ballerina carillon

Ballerina is an elephantess who loves ballet. She dances together with her partner, a little mouse fascinated by her talent, twirling gracefully on a golden ball. Two romantic characters imagined by Marcel Wanders to give life to a poetic music box. The stage on which the two perform their dance number encloses the mechanism that produces the melody, for which Wanders chose Julius Fučík's Entrance of the Gladiators, the well-known tune that opens the circus performances worldwide. Produced in the Alessi factory in Crusinallo di Omegna, this is an object-sculpture to be collected, dedicated to true connoisseurs of the applied arts.

Marcel Wanders

Marcel Wanders was born in Boxtel in 1963, graduated from the Arnhem Art Institute and opened a studio in Amsterdam in 1995. He became famous in 1996 thanks to his iconic Knotted Chair, which integrates high-tech materials and "smart" production techniques.
He is a particularly prolific designer, as well as art director of more than 1,700 projects for private customer and prestigious brands such as Magis, Alessi, Flos and others. Considered by many to be an exception in the design world, the designer's mission is to "create an environment of love, live with passion and make our most exciting dreams come true." In his creations, Marcel often combines innovative materials with techniques by using references to specific historical styles and archetypes, in order to the user can easily get in touch with the product, enjoying it for a long time and, thereby creating a sustainable environment. Marcel's main goal is to bring a human touch back into design, accompanying it into what he defines the new age of design, in which designer, craftsman and user come together. In 2001 Marcel co-founded the design brand Moooi, for which he is also artistic director. Interior projects have become increasingly important in Marcel's work, undertaken because they allow for a true sensory experience for users.
Many of Marcel's designs have been selected for major design collections and exhibitions around the world, such as the Museums of Modern Art in New York and San Francisco, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, and the Boijmans van Beuningen Museum in Rotterdam.