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      Artist Anouska Samms crafts “dysfunctional” pots from human hair

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      Artist Anouska Samms created pots from clay and donated human hair to playfully explore her family’s matrilineal relationship, which were recently on show as part of an exhibition in London.

      Called This Myth We Make, the exhibition by Samms included a collection of pots displayed on rugged wood and plaster plinths as well as an accompanying film and a large hanging tapestry.
      Samms created lopsided pots with human hairThe various pots are formed from lopsided shapes made out of coloured clay but are defined by the many strands of human hair that decorate them.
      Samms received the hair from a range of strangers from around the world including Mexico, Australia and Japan after inviting volunteers to offer up their hair through a call-out on her Instagram.
      She sourced the hair from strangers on InstagramThis was achieved during national lockdowns when people were cutting their hair at home as they could not access salons, according to the artist.

      “The combination of hair and clay and the different varieties of each that are used merge in an unusual way,” she told Dezeen.
      “This subverts the more traditional pots – particularly the hand-thrown ones – into what I think of as unstable vessels or dysfunctional containers. Using hair is also just a bit cheeky at times,” she added.
      The pots were presented as part of a London exhibitionAs well as hair from strangers, Samms used hair donated by her mother and grandmother, which she explained links to the meaning behind her work.
      This Myth We Make intends to playfully explore the matrilineal relationship between five generations of women in Samms’ family who all dyed their hair red as an intimate family tradition.

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      As a natural redhead herself, the artist described how she poetically continues the tradition without needing to dye her hair.
      “This body of work reflects a deeper unconscious – I would even call it an obsessive illustration of matrilineal connection – and the familial ‘myths’ we consciously or unconsciously adopt to communicate our love for others,” said Samms.
      This Myth We Make explored a hair-dyeing tradition in the artist’s familyIn line with this theme, the artist bleached and dyed the donated hair different shades of auburn, which was also used to form Big Mother – a large tapestry presented in the exhibition.
      Her design process involved tying the hair into bunches before it was coloured, after which she washed it in her own bathtub and eventually sewed or shaped it onto pots or into the tapestry.
      “Sometimes just preparing the hair alone took a couple of days,” reflected Samms.
      A tapestry and an accompanying film were also included in the showWhile the artist chose to incorporate hair into her pots in reference to her family’s unique tradition, she explained how she crafted the vessels from clay due to the material’s similar malleability and organicness.
      “There is also potential for disgust and bodily horror in the use of disembodied human hair – another humorous nod at the purity and absurdity of mother and daughter exchange,” concluded Samms.
      Clay was used for its malleabilityThe exhibition was curated by the V&A museum’s curator of digital design Natalie Kane while the show’s technical producer Greg Bradlaugh created the plinths from abandoned wood that he found and covered in white plaster.
      Other designs that are made from human hair include a textile by research studio Pareid that was created to measure urban pollution and a biodegradable stool by Oksana Bondar called Wiggly.
      The photography is by Benjamin Swanson.
      This Myth We Make took place at SET Studios in Lewisham, London, from 20 May to 1 June 2022. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.
      Project credits:
      Artist: Anouska SammsCurator: Natalie KaneTechnical Producer: Greg Bradlaugh

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      Bethan Laura Wood wraps boudoir in swirling marble-like pattern

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      A psychedelic print in summery shades adorns the walls, bedspread and furniture inside Summer Room, an installation at Milan design week by British designer Bethan Laura Wood.

      Wood created the site-specific installation inside the art gallery Nilufar Depot as a reference to Ornate, a furniture exhibition set inside a boudoir that she debuted at Milan design week 2021.
      Wood has installed Summer Room inside Nilufar Depot”Summer Room is a continuation of the solo show Ornate that I had in September,” Wood told Dezeen.
      “I wanted to show the Ornate project in a very different environment. I specifically picked colours and added in a lot of yellow and greens to kind of have this kind of sugar summery colour tone which is slightly different,” she said.
      The living room and bedroom are furnished in a psychedelic printThe living area is wrapped in Wood’s new design Endless Meisen – a looping repeat pattern made from high-resolution scans of bespoke Alpi Wood veneers.

      This pattern was then used around the two-roomed interior to upholster bedding, cushions and also furniture such as the desk and shelving unit.
      The bedspread is covered in the same bold patternVisitors can wander from the living room through to the boudoir – the traditional term for a woman’s bedroom or private interior space, in another nod to the Ornate exhibition.
      “In here we wanted to play with what it looks like in a much more enclosed space, and with a much darker background behind aluminium so that it really kind of pops in a very different way,” she explained.
      New objects installed in the maximalist space include Temple Panda wall sconces, while a wiggly headboard above the bed is among previously featured items.

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      In the corner of the living room is a new piece called Trellis Column, a hanging light that Wood designed to recall the metal structures often found behind traditional lighting fittings.
      “When I visited factories like Venini or these old school glass houses, a lot of the armature behind the light fittings is something I’ve always found really beautiful,” she said.
      “I really wanted to make a project where the armature and the decoration were more in conversation rather than the decoration [alone].”
      Wood has displayed a hanging light called Trellis ColumnNilufar Gallery showcases existing and new pieces by 24 other designers selected by Nilufar’s gallerist Nina Yashar, who founded the centre in 1979.
      Other projects by Wood include an installation of giant canapé-shaped sculptures and a group exhibition that explores the friendships between designers.
      Photography is courtesy of Nilufar Gallery.
      Summer Room is part of Milan design week 2022, which takes place from 6 to 12 June 2022. See Dezeen Events Guide for information about the many other exhibitions, installations and talks taking place throughout the week.

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      Lee Broom presents Divine Inspiration lighting in theatrical Milan exhibition

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      British designer Lee Broom has unveiled his largest exhibition at Milan design week to date, showcasing six new lighting designs in a setting that echoes brutalist architecture and places of worship.

      As part of the exhibition, called Divine Inspiration, Broom has taken over an entire building in Milan’s Brera district and filled it with more than 100 lights.
      Across a series of rooms, the designer is presenting pieces that borrow from the monumental, ethereal quality of religious buildings and artefacts, particularly those designed in the mid-20th century.
      Divine Inspiration is Lee Broom’s largest-ever Milan exhibitionDesigns on show include Vesper, a geometric pendant design with its roots in modernist cathedral lighting, and Requiem, which takes the form of draped fabric.
      “I have always loved brutalist architecture, even as a child,” said Broom, reflecting on his early years growing up in Birmingham and visits to buildings such as the now-demolished Central Library by John Madin.

      The exhibition showcases six lighting designs in a church-like setting”I wanted this collection to be mainly inspired by that,” he told Dezeen. “But when I started researching, I discovered the places I was most drawn to were places of worship.”
      “This led me on a fascinating journey to researching cathedrals, temples and churches, from antiquity to mid-century to the present day,” he added.
      “I wanted to create a lighting collection that invoked that same sense of awe and mysticism as those buildings and their interiors.”
      The tile-like Pantheum light illuminates a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed urnThe exhibition starts in a relatively small room that Broom describes as being like a decompression chamber.
      At its centre is a large-scale stone urn designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, in a nod to the Unity Chapel built by the modernist architect in Illinois in 1908.
      Illuminating this space is the Pantheum wall light, which takes its cues from the coffered concrete ceiling of the Pantheon in Rome. Several of the lights are arranged like tiles, cast in Jesmonite and sandblasted to give a rough texture to their tiered forms.
      A six-metre-long pendant of fluted Hail lights is reflected in a mirror belowThe next room is a large hall, where Broom’s fluted aluminium Hail lights are arranged to create a six-metre-long hanging installation, positioned above a mirror to create the impression that the pendant stretches into infinity.
      “When you walk in, you see a 12-metre extension of this light,” said Broom. “The idea is to reference the idea of the rapture, of going up into the heavens.”
      The Altar pendants consist of illuminated tiles encased in sculpted oakA staircase leads up to a mezzanine showcasing the slender Altar pendants, which combine illuminated tubes with a smooth body of carved oak.
      These are organised around a contemporary altar, where a matching carved-oak font is framed by a large vertical disc of stainless steel.

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      A grand installation of the extruded aluminium Vesper lights takes over the next space.
      Here, Broom’s team designed a stained-glass decal informed by mid-century designs and applied it over the windows. The brushed silver and gold-coloured lights are suspended in front, arranged both vertically and horizontally.
      “It’s a dramatic, ecclesiastical moment but it’s uplifting because of the colours and the amount of natural light,” said Broom. “You get to see all the different angles of these lights. They’re like brutalist sculptures with these modern, illuminated connections.”
      Dozens of Vesper lights are installed in front of windows with a stained-glass effectThe penultimate room is a basement featuring Chant, a light inspired by glass blocks, while the final room showcases the four different forms of the Requiem light.
      Unlike his other products, Broom makes each Requiem light himself by hand. The process involves dipping fabric into plaster and sculpting it around illuminated rings, tubes or spheres.
      “The process reminds me of draping fabric on a tailor’s dummy,” said Broom, who studied fashion design at Central Saint Martins before becoming a product designer.
      The Chant lights take their cues from glass blocksRequiem comes in four versions and Broom will make a limited edition of 15 for each.
      “I’ve been in business for 15 years and things have grown rapidly,” Broom explained. “So I thought for this piece it would be really nice to get back to basics.”
      “I really wanted to get my hands dirty and actually get my hands physically on the pieces,” he added. “The idea was to make them look like pieces of draped fabric with light sculptures inside them. But they’re actually solid plaster.”
      The final room features the four limited-edition Requiem lightsBroom has created many extravagant Milan exhibitions in the past, including the celestial Observatory in 2018, the carousel-style Time Machine in 2017 and the Salone del Automobile delivery van in 2016.
      The designer hopes that the Divine Inspiration exhibition – and the soothing soundtrack that plays throughout – will provide visitors with a calming, ethereal experience.
      The Requiem lights look like draped fabric. Photo by Arthur WoodcroftAlthough he doesn’t describe himself as a religious person, Broom believes that places of worship have a uniquely powerful ability to provoke introspection and reverence.
      “The key thing is to take people on an emotional journey,” he said. “I don’t see why design can’t evoke some of the same emotions we feel from art, architecture or theatre.”
      The photography is by Luke Hayes unless otherwise stated.
      Divine Inspiration is part of Milan design week 2022, which takes place from 6 to 12 June 2022. See our Milan design week 2022 guide on Dezeen Events Guide for information about the many other exhibitions, installations and talks taking place throughout the week.

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      Pyton Place exhibition shows how the Bauhaus influenced Norwegian design

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      Oslo-based collective Pyton showcased more than 50 examples of Norwegian art, design and craft at the Pyton Place exhibition during London Craft Week.

      Pyton Place set out to tell the story of how modernism impacted traditional craft practices created in Norway, and the objects that were produced as a result.
      The exhibition was organised like a homePresented in Cromwell Place from 11-15 May, the exhibition paired the distinctive pine furniture of mid-century Norwegian designer Edvin Helseth with objects and artworks by the likes of Sigve Knutson and Tron Meyer.
      According to Richard Øiestad and Are Blytt, the two Pyton members behind Pyton Place, the aim was to show that the modernist movement was not just a generic style, but also resulted in a range of diverse, highly crafted works.
      A “faux-Norwegian-cabin-style” wall system divides the space into zones”For us, this show is about artists and object makers working primarily with unique pieces,” they told Dezeen.

      “It is the relationship between their chosen materials and their intellectual concepts, and the connections all these have to the world around us.”
      Sculptural stools by Sigve Knutson, Julia K Persson and Sverre Gullesen were featuredThe exhibition references its setting – a Georgian apartment – by organising the objects in relation to the rooms they occupy. There are five zones: sleep, eat, lounge, work and arrive.
      This arrangement references the manifesto of Hannes Meyer, the second director of the Bauhaus school, which set out 12 motivations for how living spaces should be organised.
      Pine furniture by mid-century designer Edvin Helseth features throughoutThe Bauhaus played an important role in Norway’s adoption of modernism, Øiestad and Blytt explained.
      In the early 20th century, when the country had a strong social-democratic political stance, young Norwegian designers were attracted to the innovative spirit of the Bauhaus.

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      Many of those that left to study returned to become professors for a post-war generation of students. Among those students was Helseth, who combined his modernist learnings with carpentry skills taught by his family.
      “Helseth is a designer that all the members of Pyton have been fascinated with for a long time,” said Øiestad and Blytt, “due to his very modern and unique way of making modernist furniture in pinewood.”
      Artworks include a tapestry by textile artist Elisabeth Haarr”His furniture designs have a brutalist appearance, continued Øiestad and Blytt. “At the same time, they have a hint of refined Japanese wood craftsmanship; assembled with no glue or screws, they are held together with only wooden plugs or joints.”
      Helseth’s designs were featured throughout Pyton Place. They included a folding dining table, a modular shelving system, an elaborate desk and a simple tea trolley.
      Lina Viste Grønli’s All The Pens flanks a desk by Edvin HelsethTo complement these works, Øiestad and Blytt designed a “faux-Norwegian-cabin-style” wall system that helps to clearly divide the five different zones.
      They then added a range of sculptural and functional objects and artworks, both historic and contemporary, revealing the scope of creativity that Norway has produced over the past 100 years.
      Works by Henrik Ødegaard and Nebil Zaman dominate the entrance zoneHistoric pieces included a range of pewter objects by Gunnar Havstad, including a bottle described as “perfect in its shape and proportions”, and a tapestry by textile artist Elisabeth Haarr.
      “Elisabeth Haarr’s tapestry from 1973 is something that really bonds with us intellectually; a sharp work of art in itself, but at the same time a historical timepiece of feminist history within the Norwegian art scene,” said the curators.
      Oda Iselin Sønderland presents a watercolour painting, HespetreContemporary works on show included some pieces by Pyton members, including an aluminium television stand with an eye detail by Øiestad, a pair of graphical stools by Blytt and bird-inspired furniture pieces by Henrik Ødegaard.
      Other highlights include a mouth-shaped stool by ceramist Julia K Persson, a pen-covered curtain by artist Lina Viste Grønli and Oda Iselin Sønderland’s watercolour painting, Hespetre.
      “Oda Iselin Sønderland’s mystic motives blend elements of dreams with crafting,” said the curators. “Her works connect with growing up, youth culture, and the life circles through drawing.”
      A trolley by Edvin Helseth displays a tea set by John SkognesThe exhibition was supported by Norwegian Crafts and was one of the headline events during London Craft Week. Øiestad and Blytt hope that visitors left with “a lust for a less-generic-living”.
      “We hope this show could help people to remember that culture should be included in our daily lives,” they added.
      Pyton Place was staged as part of London Craft Week, which took place from 9-15 May 2022. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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      Galerie Philia presents design exhibition informed by Le Corbusier at Cité Radieuse

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      Galerie Philia has unveiled Héritages, an exhibition at the Le Corbusier-designed Cité Radieuse building featuring work by designers such as Rick Owens that respond to the Swiss-French architect’s theories of modernism.

      Héritages presents work by eight international designers and seven visual artists that reference the modernist theories pioneered by Le Corbusier, whose designs are known for their functionality and minimalism.
      A daybed by Arno Declercq features in the “resonances” room. Photo is by Maison Mounton NoirGalerie Philia joined forces with the Parisian arts magazine Eclipse to curate the exhibition at Le Corbusier’s iconic Cité Radieuse building in Marseille, which includes a range of both design and art.
      Spread across two rooms in an apartment, the exhibited designers respond to the theme of “resonances” with work that is heavily influenced by Le Corbusier’s theories, while the artists are guided by the theme of “dissonances” and present work that opposes the theories.
      Fabrice Hyber created an oil painting for the “dissonances” space. Photo is by Maison Mounton NoirIn the first room, a brutalist yellow chair by Italian designer Pietro Franceschini is displayed alongside other work, including a geometric bronze candlestick crafted with clean lines by Californian fashion designer Owens.

      “For the ‘resonances’ room, I selected sculptural designers that are deeply influenced by Le Corbusier,” Galerie Philia co-founder Ygaël Attali told Dezeen.
      “Le Corbusier’s theory, especially in his writings published in the 1920s, was provocative and militant both in his refusal of decoration without functionality, his industrial-inspired aesthetic, and his clear and marked difference between fine arts and design.”
      A brutalist yellow chair by Pietro Franceschini features. Photo is by LodoclickAlso featured in this space are pieces such as a chunky daybed by Belgian designer Arno Declercq crafted from patinated and raw steel with sheep’s wool.
      Contrastingly, the “dissonances” room includes pieces by artists that intend to question Le Corbusier’s theories. For example, artist Flora Temnouche created three abstract oil paintings featuring organic or curved forms with soft lines.

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      “Le Corbusier’s theory almost denies a particular relationship with nature,” Temnouche told Dezeen. “My paintings show the inertia of the plant, diminished under the influence of humans.”
      “I was inspired by the idea of this meager relationship that persists despite everything in Le Corbusier’s work and theories.”
      Jojo Corväiá designed a table using volcanic clay. Photo is by Maison Mounton NoirOther works in this room range from an eclectic table by visual artist Jojo Corväiá crafted from volcanic clay and an ethereal, blown-glass light sculpture by Jérôme Pereira.
      “All of the works in one way or another are an answer to Le Corbusier’s theoretical and aesthetic heritage, either as a mark of resistance or a touching homage to his legacy,” concluded Attali.
      The exhibition intends to echo its location. Photo is by Maison Mounton NoirHéritages takes place until July at Le Corbusier’s modernist housing complex Cité Radieuse to coincide with the building’s 70th anniversary.
      Galerie Philia is an international contemporary design and art gallery with locations in Geneva, New York City and Singapore.
      Previous Galerie Philia exhibitions include a show that presented Latin American and European sculptural design and an exhibition of furniture by emerging Italian designers created in response to the work of Owens.
      The photography is by Lodoclick and Maison Mouton Noir.
      Héritages takes place at Kolektiv Cité Radieuse, Unité d’Habitation Le Corbusier, Marseille, France, until 2 July 2022. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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      Space Caviar creates “liquid landscape” inside Uzbekistan pavilion at Venice Art Biennale

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      Italian studio Space Caviar has constructed Dixit Algorizmi: The Garden of Knowledge, an indoor garden with reflective steel steps for the Uzbekistan pavilion at this year’s Venice Art Biennale.

      The installation at the Uzbekistan National Pavilion mirrors the interiors of the Quarta Tesa, an old shipbuilding warehouse at the Arsenale – one of the international contemporary art exhibition’s two main sites.
      Dixit Algorizmi: The Garden of Knowledge is the country’s first pavilion at the Venice Art BiennaleThe layout of the 500-square-metre garden is informed by the garden at the House of Wisdom, an academic centre in 9th-century Baghdad where medieval scholars, including the renowned Persian mathematician Muhammad al-Khwarizmi, studied.
      Visitors at the 59th Venice Art Biennale can walk across the shiny floor of the installation and sit on glossy steps around what resemble traditional water basins.
      Space Caviar drew on the forms of historic Islamic gardens”Gardens are very important in the tradition of Islam and the Arabic tradition in many parts of Central Asia,” said Joseph Grima, co-founder of architectural research studio Space Caviar.

      “While today we’re accustomed to thinking of buildings and enclosed spaces such as research labs and universities as the space for the production of knowledge, in the days of al-Khwarizmi, gardens were typically the points of encounters, of discussion,” Grima told Dezeen.
      The pavilion is inside the Venice ArsenaleSpace Caviar constructed the interiors of Uzbekistan’s first pavilion at the Biennale in Venice from pine wood and sheets of stainless steel, which Grima chose to create the illusion of water.
      The material choice also means that when the installation is dismantled at the end of the seven-month-long Biennale, the steel can be melted and turned back into metal sheets once again.
      Stainless steel covers the floor”Stainless steel was chosen to create the effect of walking on water — one of the perceptions that you have when you are inside the pavilion is that you are in a liquid landscape,” Grima explained.
      “This was one of the effects that we wanted to achieve with the pavilion, we wanted to create a landscape that was kind of a miracle, that suggested a dream more than a literal garden,” he added.
      “We see it as a technologically augmented landscape in that sense.”

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      Throughout the Venice Art Biennale, the Uzbekistan pavilion will host a program of workshops and public events on the history of technological development in art with digital artists such as Andrés Reisinger.
      Visitors will also be able to listen to Uzbek piano compositions against a backdrop of floral sculptures and hanging clouds of sea lavender by Berlin-based Studio Mary Lennox.
      The steel will be melted into sheets and reused when the pavilion is dismantled”We tried to transform our pavilion into an Islamic garden so that visitors could sit by the water, listen to various sounds, smell the air and enjoy the botanic installation,” said Gayane Umerova, executive director of the art and culture development foundation under the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
      “The Islamic garden is a place of rest and reflection par excellence, it provides means for contemplation through sensory experience – aromas, plants, water,” she told Dezeen.
      “Undulating waters and ambiguous lines together with plants and smooth surfaces offer a meditative yet contemporary attitude to the interior of the pavilion, bringing together traditions and new technologies,” she continued.
      Bunches of sea lavender hang from the ceilingGenoa-based Space Caviar was founded by Joseph Grima and Tamar Shafrir in 2013. The studio focuses on the intersection between design, technology, critical theory and the public space.
      Previous projects have included an algorithmic journalism machine that produces magazines on the fly and an exhibition at Biennale Interieur that explored how perspectives on the home have changed over time.
      Last year Grima took part in the Dezeen 15 virtual festival, where he proposed a new type of non-extractive architecture that conserves the earth’s resources.
      Photography is by Gerda Studio.
      Project credits:Curation: Space Caviar and Sheida GhomashchiCommissioner: Gayane Umerova
      Venice Art Biennale takes place from April 23 to November 27 in Venice. See Dezeen Events Guide for up-to-date details of architecture and design events around the world.

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      Studio Melina Romano gets creative with fibreboard at Casa Alma in São Paulo

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      Mossy gardens and curved elements made of medium-density fibreboard feature in an apartment-style exhibition space in São Paulo designed by Studio Melina Romano.

      Casa Alma was designed for the 2021 edition of Casacor, São Paulo’s annual festival of architecture and interior design. Studio Melina Romano, which is locally based, created the space in partnership with Brazilian brand Duratex, which is a top producer of medium-density fibreboard (MDF).
      Casa Alma is an apartment-style exhibition spaceThe exhibition was located in an event space that is part of the Allianz Parque soccer stadium.
      The goal for the 160-square-metre unit was to create a place where people could reconnect with their senses.
      Studio Melina Romano designed the project in three distinct zones”It brings as a concept the investigation of different perceptions and feelings of the visitors at each setting, from the smallest details to the atmosphere and experience provided by each space,” the team said.

      Rectangular in plan, the dwelling is composed of three distinct zones, each with its own “sensorial atmosphere”.
      The kitchen features an MDF cabinetry unit in a peachy colourSpaces are divided up by gauzy curtains, along with slatted partitions made of MDF.
      “I wanted to remove the rigid aspect of the surface and bring fluidity to the material so that the shapes would accompany the sense of the setting,” said designer Melina Romano.
      Spaces are divided up by gauzy curtainsThe unit also features landscaping along the edges that was created by Brazilian designer Aline Matsumoto. The gardens tie the three zones together and promote a light and relaxed atmosphere, the team said.
      The first of the three zones, titled Slowness, is the living room, where comfy furniture invites visitors to relax and contemplate.
      Slowness includes a rounded sofa by Guilherme WentzThe space has a rounded sofa by Guilherme Wentz, a swoopy lounge chair by Martin Aisler and an olive green arm chair by Zanine Caldas. There also is a collection of tables – in resin and plaster – designed by Romano in collaboration with Bravio Studios.
      Just off the living room, behind a white curtain, is a small home office. A scent was developed for space, which was envisioned as a mini atelier for a perfume maker.
      The home office was envisioned as a mini atelier for a perfume makerThe office is fitted with a custom curved desk designed by Romano and fabricated using MDF. The chair was also designed by Romano.
      Beyond the Slowness area, the visitor encounters a gourmet kitchen and dining room.

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      The space, called Soulful, features earthy materials and decor, such as a live-edge wooden table and bench from Arboreal and chairs from the +55 Brazilian Design Store. Overhead, an organic-shaped skylight brings in soft illumination.
      In the kitchen, the team created a MDF cabinetry unit in a peachy colour inspired by chestnuts and seeds.
      Curved elements define the spaceThe third zone is the Well-Being space, which holds a bedroom and bathroom. Its design was informed by the importance of good daily habits for mental and physical health.
      “The suite was created in this space, aiming for the reconnection of the resident with his self-knowledge, self-esteem and self-care,” the team said.
      An MDF armoire in the bedroom continues the project’s material themeThe bedroom features a queen bed with a Casa Pronta frame, a nightstand by Loja Theo and Novo Ambeinte, and another nightstand from Estar Móveis. Similar to other millwork in the apartment, the armoire was designed by Romano and made using MDF.
      The bathroom is fitted with a Romano-designed tub that was fabricated using waterproofed masonry – the same material used for the floor, walls and ceiling.
      The bathroom includes mossy elementsThe garden in this area makes itself more apparent, the team said, noting that it consists of moss, blackberry branches, garlic and other elements.
      Similar to the kitchen, a rounded skylight brings in soft light and contributes to the earthy atmosphere.
      Founded in 2007, Studio Melina Romano has completed a number of residential projects, including a São Paulo apartment featuring creamy brick walls, terracotta tiles and tropical plants.
      The photography is by Denilson Machado of MCA Estudio.

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      Bethany Williams: Alternative Systems opens at the Design Museum

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      An exhibition highlighting London-based designer Bethany Williams’ waste-combating, social-driven vision for the fashion industry has opened at the Design Museum.

      Exhibited in the atrium of London’s Design Museum, Bethany Williams: Alternative Systems is a celebration of Williams’ work which explores and responds to social issues through the use of community-led enrichment initiatives.
      Bethany Williams: Alternative Systems is a free display in the atrium of the Design MuseumA number of key works by the designer were exhibited across the four walls of the atrium’s balcony gallery, which is free to entry.
      Mannequins are displayed among textiles samples, photography and raw waste materials in efforts to highlight the studio’s commitment to sustainable fashion.
      The display was chosen to be shown in a free entry space in the museum”I decided to organise the display thematically rather than by collection,” said Design Museum’s head of curatorial and interpretation Priya Khanchandani.

      “It opens with a section about the studio specifically and then there’s a part about creative process, intellectual references and the way in which they propose alternative infrastructures of working, followed by a section about reuse and another about community collaborations,” she told Dezeen.
      “Bethany’s work not only tackles the question of the environmental impact of design, but it also has an amazing social purpose.”
      The exhibition design was completed by EditWilliams is a fashion designer, humanitarian and artist. She graduated from Brighton University with a degree in Critical Fine Art before receiving a master’s from the London College of Fashion in Menswear.
      She launched her namesake brand in 2017 and has strived to spotlight and respond to social and environmental issues, her works see her partnering with local grassroots programs and manufacturing collections using waste materials.
      Garments are exhibited alongside research, drawings and materialsA section of the display exhibits Willliams’ work as part of the Emergency Designer Network. The initiative is a collaboration between herself and designers Phoebe English, Cozette McCreery and Holly Fulton.
      The group of creatives, with their textile manufacturing knowledge and teams of volunteers, produced 12,000 scrubs, 100,000 masks and 4,000 gowns for frontline healthcare workers during the peak of the coronavirus pandemic.

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      Waste from packaging tape sourced from Rimini, Italy was handwoven and constructed into functional items and garments as part of Williams’s Autumn Winter 2018 collection, which was on display.
      “I felt it was very important to show not just the finished garments, which you would see in a retail fashion context; being a museum display I wanted to add other layers of information,” explained Khanchandani.
      Williams’ work merges streetwear and craft”There are process materials like drawings and sketches, and also source material,” said Khanchandani. “For instance, a jacket made of waste newspaper is shown alongside some of the waste material, the Liverpool Echo, which is dangling next to the garment.”
      “You’re able to see the journey of the objects from inception, to finished product.”
      Williams has collaborated with San Patrignano, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation programmeEach season, the fashion studio collaborates with different local charities and grassroots programs and donates a percentage of its profits to its causes.
      “With our work, we hope to continue to reach new audiences, encourage inclusivity and positive change for the fashion industry,” said Williams. “The Design Museum continues to be aligned with this via the exhibitions curated, including their Waste Age exhibition, which we featured in last year.”
      “We are so proud to showcase our new exhibition: Bethany Williams: Alternative Systems, a celebration of the new way of working proposed for the fashion industry by the studio’s work.”
      Dresses and corsetry feature boning constructed from waste materialsThe opening of Bethany Williams: Alternative Systems was timed to coincide with Williams’ Autumn Winter 2022 collection, titled The Hands that Heal Us, which was presented at the museum.
      The collection included a cactus leather jacket, and garments made from recycled and organic-based denim with detachable metal hardware that aid the recycling process at the end of its life.
      A skeleton suit was informed by a 19th-century children’s playsuitIn 2016, Williams graduated from London College of Fashion and showed her MA graduate collection in the university’s show as part of London Fashion Week.
      Last year’s Waste Age exhibition at the Design Museum, which featured Williams’ work, explored how design has contributed to the increasing throwaway culture and how people can create an alternative circular economy that doesn’t exploit the planet.
      Photography is by Felix Speller.
      Bethany Williams: Alternative Systems is on display at the Design Museum from 22 February 2022. See Dezeen Events Guide for all the latest architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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