Maldive Tray 1960

Bruno Munari designed these trays using a simple sheet of metal, likely sometime in the mid to late 20th century. Munari was deeply invested in how design could be incorporated into everyday life. Munari was associated with the Futurist movement in Italy, which was known for its embrace of technology and its focus on the modern world. But these trays show that he wanted to move beyond simply celebrating technology to explore how design could make mass-produced goods elegant and useful. The trays' simple forms, with their folded corners and clean lines, show the influence of Japanese origami, and the title "Maldive" suggests an interest in exotic, distant places, as international travel and design became more accessible. To understand Munari's tray fully, we would want to know more about the manufacturing processes used to create it. We can also consider its place in the history of design, and the ways in which designers like Munari sought to make art accessible to everyone.