Moa Moa

Sometimes Philippe Starck’s designs appear at first to be something different than what they actually are. Take, for example, this gleaming claret-red, egg-shaped bakelite object with a short cord. At first sight, it appears to be a mouse, but this object cannot be used to control a computer. The speaker provides a hint, but its function only becomes clear when viewers pick up the egg and turn it over: Moa Moa is a portable radio, with buttons for the volume and tuning concealed beneath. Star designer Starck gives thoroughly familiar, everyday industrial products their own personality, both in form and name. He has often taken his inspiration from animals, with the most famous example being his juicer for Alessi, which is also in the museum’s collection. Like this ‘mouse’, the spider, with its long legs, looks as though it might be about to scuttle off.