Matali Crasset (French, born 1965)
Philippe Starck (French, born 1949)
Manufactured by Thomson SA for Lexon (French, founded 1893)
Soundstation Radio Alarm Clock
INV-1898
Matali Crasset (French, born 1965)
Philippe Starck (French, born 1949)
Manufactured by Thomson SA for Lexon (French, founded 1893)1996/98
Soundstation Radio Alarm Clock
Matali Crasset (French, born 1965) Philippe Starck (French, born 1949) Manufactured by Thomson SA for Lexon (French, founded 1893) →design
Date
1996/98
Medium
ABS and rubber
Dimensions
9 × 16 × 11.2 cm (3 9/16 × 6 5/16 × 4 7/16 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Purchased with funds provided by the Architecture & Design Society
As audio technology has changed rapidly over the course of the 20th century, from records and radio to the MP3, many iconic designs for audio devices have captured the public’s imagination and embodied innovation. The Soundstation radio is one of designer Matali Crasset’s early projects, produced with Philippe Starck for Thompson Multimedia. The distinctive shape of this compact clock radio departs from conventional models, with a cone-shaped speaker intended to visualize a blast of sound while also recalling the nostalgic form of the gramophone horn. Crasset’s design follows many early innovators in the 1920s and 40s who helped popularize audio equipment for the individual consumer, such as architect and industrial designer Henry Glass’s distinctive designs for the Fada Radio Company.