Philippe Decelle’s Plasticarium – Vacheron Costantin

Belgian artist and engineer Philippe Decelle’s ‘Plasticarium’ is a collection of over 1000 plastic objects that he has been collecting for over three decades. Born out of a fascination for the plastic-heavy industrial design of the 1960s, the collection houses items dating from the years 1960-1973, from the iconic to the functional to the bizarre. Sleek one-piece moulded chairs sit alongside brightly colored inflatable furniture, plastic kitchen utensils, vintage electronics and works of art. In December 2015, after the size of his collection had outgrown his house, it was donated to the Art & Design Atomium Museum (ADAM) in Brussels where it now lives permanently.

Each year the Genevan watchmaker Vacheron Costantin releases an art book titled Collectors’ Island, and this is the first of three stories I shot for the this year’s project.

Many thanks to Studio Sibling for the invaluable creative direction and to Lara LoCalzo for her exceptional production work.