Artist’s Palate: Michael Riedel’s alphabet soup

Michael Riedel’s alphabet soup
‘Scandia’ spoon, £8, by Kaj Franck, for Iittala, from Skandium. Charger, £85, by Jaune de Chrome. ‘Embassy’ champagne saucer, £12, by David Mellor. ‘Colombina’ placemat, £32, by Doriana and Massimiliano Fuksas, for Alessi. Dom Pérignon Vintage 2006 limited edition, £155, by Michael Riedel, from Harrods
(Image credit: John Short)

Given Michael Riedel’s punchy way with graphics and repeated forms, experiments in multiple media and the satellite acolytes and collaborators in his orbit, comparisons with Andy Warhol are inevitable. At his huge studio in Frankfurt he hosts a weekly communal dinner for artists, dancers, musicians, art collectors and designers, so his recipe is for a rewardingly fertile dinner party starter. ‘I like the idea of alphabet soup because, in my work, I use words in a way that have lost their original purpose,’ he says. ‘I’m producing text, but I’m not expecting anyone to read it. Eating alphabet soup is like putting words back into your mouth. It’s like reading backwards in a random order.’ 

Method
It must be a rainy day. If you look out of the window, no people should have passed by for at least 15 minutes.

Fall asleep again for half an hour. Make sure you ordered music the night before online and save it as something else.

Then go and collect enough water from the streets. The pound/euro exchange rate should be checked. After that, the spaghetti text can be thrown in the not so cold water.

Leave everything behind. Go out and avoid seeing any art event this day. Visit friends in Miami. Avoid plastic. Avoid plastic again.

Call someone to check the soup. After coming back, soup can be served along with two glasses of champagne. Invite eight people.

As originally featured in the November 2016 issue of Wallpaper* (W*212)

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