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Imagery of breasts and beakers is combined in this fountain, designed by graduates Lolita Gomez and Blanca Algarra Sanchez based on the Korova Milk Bar from A Clockwork Orange and currently on display at Milan design week. More
Fashion brand COS added an installation of mirrored plinths and display stands draped in layers of transparent mesh to enhance and contrast the interiors of the historic Palazzo Menz in Bolzano, Italy. More
Valencia-based design practice Clap Studio has created The Sea, a temporary modular installation for a television studio that was informed by the ocean and made from gridded mesh boxes and illuminated spheres. More
Artist Mario García Torres has curated a new exhibition of ambiguous objects by designers including Hector Esrawe in a house in Mexico City. More
Dezeen promotion: the UK Timber Trade Federation is showcasing the winning entries of its Conversations about Climate Change design competition via a virtual exhibition and event series.The competition, which received more than 100 responses from around the world, called on entrants to create an installation that would provoke discussions about global warming while showcasing the environmental benefits of responsibly sourced, tropical hardwoods.
Top image: Joseph Pipal’s Carbon Print is one of the winning projects. Above: The Extraction pillar is by Julia and Julian Kashdan-Brown
“Responsibly forested timber is an essential part of the climate change solution; however, tropical forests have too often been undervalued and their forest land cleared for other uses,” said David Hopkins, CEO of the Timber Trade Federation (TTF).
“Our competition asked architects and designers to respond to tropical timber, think about the materials they usually work with and consider how the role of materials specified is vital for implementing change.”
Tree Whisperer are sound sculptures by Sheryl Ang and Yuta Nakayama
Selected by a panel of judges including Yinka Ilori and Julia Barfield of Marks Barfield Architects, the six winning “conversation pieces” are now on display at London’s Building Centre for the next three months (temporarily closed due to the lockdown restrictions) and via a virtual 360-degree tour.
Among them are a series of sound sculptures by Singaporean designers Sheryl Ang and Yuta Nakayama, which are shaped like various tree species and emit different “heartbeats” that their particular response to climate stress.
A simple teak column by UK-based Michael Westthorp shows today’s sea level as well as its projected rise by 2120, while Julia and Julian Kashdan-Brown took a pillar of sapele wood and drilled holes through its heart to visualise the impact of uncontrolled deforestation – “take too much, and the system will collapse”.
High Tide by Michael Westthorp shows the effects of sea-level rise
Meanwhile British furniture maker Joseph Pipal created a series of blocks reminiscent of gold bullion, made from meranti, sapele and iroko wood, each emblazoned with the amount of carbon they are able to sequester from the atmosphere and store.
“I’ve been uplifted, as a maker, by the simple realisation that using sustainably sourced wood can help with the climate crisis,” he said.
Design duo Jeremy Yu and Tomos Owen as well as architect Tom Wilson are also among the winners.
The Carbon Print project shows the amount of carbon that different tree species can sequester and store
All timber for the installations was sourced from countries that are currently working towards being licensed via the United Kingdom and European Union’s Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) initiative.
This sees countries commit to a Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) and an action plan for overhauling their legal, social, business and environmental infrastructure to combat illegal logging and timber trade as well as deforestation.
“This landmark shift in governance and procurement means that FLEGT-licensed timber is safe, responsible and legal,” Hopkins said.
Also among the winning projects was the Sapele Sound Pavilion by Jeremy Yu and Tomos Owen
Alongside the exhibition, Hopkins will be speaking to Dezeen’s founder and editor-in-chief Marcus Fairs as part of a live-streamed interview that will delve deeper into the environmental benefits of responsibility sourced timber, and how the materials specified today can have a positive impact on the world’s forests and climate change.
The talk is set to take place on Thursday 11 March at 3pm and will be broadcast exclusively on Dezeen.
Explore the virtual exhibition and discover more about the six winning installations made from VPA tropical hardwoods on the Building Centre’s website.
Partnership content
This article was written by Dezeen for the Timber Trade Federation as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.
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Valencia studio MUT Design has designed five modular pavilions clad in scales made from leftover wood for a travelling exhibition in Spain.The pavilions will showcase work by 50 designers in five different sections to celebrate Valencia’s title of World Design Capital for 2022.
Each section – design and art, the circular economy, industry and craftsmanship, technology and the transformative economy – is housed within its own mini pavilion formed from two semi-cylinders.
Top image: the exhibition is broken down into five mini-pavilions. Above: each is formed from two semi-cylinders
These consist of four metre-high curved walls, which can be placed separately or together to create a labyrinth of winding corridors and secluded alcoves.
Inside, the units’ pinewood frame and construction are laid bare, while the convex exterior is clad in hundreds of small, overlapping wooden fins, adding up to around 220,000 across all five pavilions.
The units are arranged to form a labyrinth of corridors and alcoves
The wood was originally meant to be turned into the parade floats that are ceremonially burned as part of Valencia’s historic Fallas festival every March, but the event was cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Instead, the wood was used for this installation, which is on view as part of the Madrid Design Festival until 14 March before becoming a travelling exhibition.
The pinewood frame is left exposed inside the pavilions
“Here in Valencia, we have a lot of traditional wood ateliers that create works for the Fallas festival,” MUT Design co-founder Alberto Sánchez told Dezeen.
“But it was cancelled due to the pandemic and a lot of materials were left on the shelf. So we decided to collaborate with one of the ateliers to give a new life to the wood and create some work for the builders.”
The pavilions are clad in wooden scales
Each scale was handmade by local woodworker Manolo García and trimmed to three standard sizes of 14, 16 and 18 centimetres. These were then lined up and alternated to create a textured surface not dissimilar to tree bark.
“We wanted to bring together tradition and the avant-garde while recovering something that is really ours – deeply rooted in our city,” Sánchez explained.
In particular, the studio drew on natural textures found in the Albufera National Park just south of Valencia, as well as on the thatched roofs of traditional houses known as barracas.
Kengo Kuma designs tessellated Botanical Pavilion as “tridimensional puzzle”
Breaking each pavilion down into two semi-cylinders allows the individual units to be combined into “infinite compositions” that can be adapted to different spaces for the travelling exhibition.
“Because it is a travelling exhibition, we want to create one-of-a-kind experiences in each of the several places it will be visiting,” Sánchez added.
The units were also designed to be taken apart into separate pieces, which can be stacked for ease of transport.
Each scale was handmade by Manolo García
Contributors to the exhibition include designer Jaime Hayon, brands Andreu World and Expormim, and a number of emerging studios showing projects including self-ventilating graphene facades and homeware made from olive pits.
“We wanted to bring to Madrid a different selection of projects that are leading a silent transformation of society,” explained Xavi Calvo, director of World Design Capital Valencia 2022.
Displays are fixed to the inside of the pavilions
MUT Design has previously collaborated with Expormim to create a chair modelled on the shape of a flower petal and an outdoor rug made from braided ropes, which were exhibited at the products fair of Dezeen’s Virtual Design Festival.
Photography is by Ernesto Sampons.
Valencia Pavilion – The Future is Design is on view at the Fernán Gómez Cultural Centre as part of the Madrid Design Festival until 14 March 2021. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.
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Swedish architecture studio ASKA designed a set with terracotta colours, architectural shapes and real sand to create a sense of escapism for live interviews conducted during Stockholm Design Week.The backdrop was created for PR company Trendgruppen’s Design TV initiative, which was shown as a part of the Swedish capital’s annual design week.
The 15-minute daily live episodes were conceived as a way of reaching an audience that, due to the coronavirus pandemic, were unable to attend the fair this year.
A sculptural, terracotta-coloured sofa stands out against the peach background colour
Reflecting the fact the much of the audience may be stuck at home, ASKA aimed to envoke a sense of escapism for the Design TV viewers.
“Since we haven’t been able to travel for a while now we believe that the longing for exotic atmospheres is getting stronger – and we wanted to respond to this desire,” ASKA co-founder Polina Sandström told Dezeen.
“The choice of colour therefore goes in tones such as peach, beige and terracotta, and the soft forms are inspired by the organic curves found in the Mediterranean area.”
Linnea Legerfors and Polina Sandström of ASKA were interviewed by Stefan Nilsson for the live show
The set also featured architectural shapes and a curated selection of glass, steel and ceramic accessories, as well as a pile of sand to underline the travel theme.
The studio started the project by deciding on an angle and frame for the digital recording, and then designed and styled the setting from that one camera perspective.
A variety of different materials including steel and glass created visual interest
“By working with objects in different heights and placing details in different places – such as the sand pile, the folded fabrics and the vault backdrop – we were trying to create different focus points and thereby a more lively setting,” Sandström explained.
“While placing interior objects with different distances from the wall and working with shadows we wanted to add a sense of ‘depth’ to the picture.”
Architectural shapes were used to create a sense of stability
ASKA chose a rich peach background colour, as digital settings require a lot of artificial light which can make the backdrop disappear.
It also designed its own furniture, including a backdrop with vault-shaped openings, a coffee table and decorative pedestals to be used for the set. This was in an attempt to create a set design that would feel recognisable and safe.
Tom Dixon finds “more inventive ways of reaching people” by visiting Stockholm Design Week as a hologram
“We believe that being part of a very fast everyday rhythm while tangling unpredictable life scenarios has created a desire for stability and that people are drawn to a design language that is recognisable and familiar,” Sandström said.
“Fundamental architectural elements such as vaults and columns provide this sense of safety and stability. In this setting we chose to reuse some of these large scale elements and show them in a small-scale context, as interior decorations.”
Trendgruppen PR’s Karin Sköldberg interviewed by Stefan Nilsson
With the coronavirus having severely affected physical attendance at design fairs, a number of organisers and brands have turned to digital solutions, such as livestreamed interviews, to showcase their events and products.
Trendgruppen’s aim was for the Design TV broadcasts to share its design news with the media as well as architects, interior decorators and a design-interested audience.
“The fair was closed, and we couldn’t arrange any press meetings or VIP cocktails – like we usually do – due to the pandemic,” Trendgruppen CEO Karin Sköldberg said.
“The design companies had news to introduce, and we wanted to do something attractive, digital.”
Beckmans students create furniture for the work-from-home era
Though she thinks virtual talks will replace real-life conferences to some extent, Sköldberg still believes physical meetings will remain important.
“There will still be live meetings and conferences,” she said. “We are humans and need to meet, and see each other. There is a lack of interaction when you only meet virtually.”
Many other events have gone fully digital this year to reach people during the pandemic, including The World Around, while brands have also come up with innovative solutions – Tom Dixon’s eponymous founder attended Stockholm Design Week as a hologram.
As part of Dezeen’s Virtual Design Festival, we livestreamed numerous Screentime interviews and events.
Photography is by David Thunander.
Trendgruppen Design TV took place during Stockholm Design Week on 8 February – 12 February. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.
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A Fondazione Prada exhibition about Chinese export porcelain, designed by Dutch firm Tom Postma Design, was housed within three prefabricated timber volumes clad in velvet and real gold leaf.From January to September 2020, The Porcelain Room installation was staged in one large exhibition space in the OMA-designed Torre annexe.
The Porcelain Room has been shortlisted for this year’s Dezeen Award in the exhibition design category.
Above: two of the timber volumes were clad in velvet and one in gold leaf. Top image: the final, golden room housed 1,400 porcelain plates
Visitors passed through the walk-through volumes within it, tracing the history and legacy of Chinese porcelain in Europe and the Middle East.
The installation progressed in chronological order, showcasing porcelain pieces dating back to the arrival of the Portuguese in south China in the early 16th century, all the way up to the 19th century.
After passing through the first two rooms, the climactic highlight of the show was the final, gold-gilded room. Here, 1,400 of the approximately 1,700 porcelain pieces in the exhibition were suspended from the walls and ceiling.
Porcelain pieces were suspended from the walls and ceiling of the Golden Porcelain Room
This offered a modern reimagining of the porcelain rooms found in European palaces and aristocratic houses of the time, such as the Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin and the Santos Palace in Lisbon.
Then, China plates and other tableware pieces were used as decorative rather than functional items, arranged into lavish displays that covered most of the visible surfaces including the walls and sometimes even the ceiling like three-dimensional wallpaper.
The room was a modern interpretation of the royal and aristocratic porcelain rooms of the time
“These porcelain rooms were the first examples of people using objects designed for a purpose, usually dishes intended for the table, in a completely different way as pieces of a decorative puzzle,” said Jorge Welsh, who curated the exhibition alongside Luísa Vinhais.
“To bring the original concept into a contemporary context, we designed a dense, abstract pattern in which each piece of porcelain is used rather as if it were a pigment, chosen for its colour and shape, to create a kind of mural that engulfs the exhibition space.”
Black display cases housed rare made-to-order pieces in the first room
In contrast to this, the first two volumes were much more muted, covered inside and out in deep brown velvet.
The introductory room housed some of the first porcelain editions, which were made-to-order for Portuguese and Spanish clients in the 16th and 17th century.
Of the approximately 150 pieces of this type that remain in the world according to Welsh, 53 were displayed here, set against a deep black backdrop and illuminated by spotlights to allow their rarity to speak for itself.
The second room showcased tableware shaped like animals, vegetables and fruit
The second room took the form of a 12-metre long corridor, flanked by display cases on either side that contained later tableware designs, shaped like different animals, vegetables and fruit to cater to Western tastes.
This passageway led the way into the golden room, with a layout designed in collaboration Welsh and Vinhais, who also co-founded the Jorge Welsh Works of Art gallery.
The second room acted as a corridor leading into the last
Using cutouts of each of the hundreds of plates, they created a scale model of the room, which was then transferred into a digital drawing by Tom Postma Design.
“We checked every single plate and assigned it a unique code, indexing its display position, diameter, typology, the distance from the wall and other data,” Paride Piccinini, an architectural engineer at Tom Postma Design, told Dezeen.
“Then we attached a life-sized print out of the drawing to the walls in order to drill the supports in exactly the right positions.”
Welsh and Vinhais designed the pattern using a scale model
This allowed the team to develop an unobtrusive system of fixings and lighting that kept the overall design clean and minimal.
“This immersive environment needs effective lighting to able to reach all the pieces in all directions, without blinding the visitors or showing the source of light,” said Piccinini.
“This issue has been solved with a system of diffused and hidden spotlights, embedded into the walls, the ceiling, the floor and the glass balustrade system.”
Tom Postma Design developed the reuseable lighting and supports in the Golden Porcelain Room
The gold gilding, which took a group of artisans five days to apply to the interior and exterior of the volume leaf by leaf, mirrored the colours of the porcelain and reflected light onto the plates from behind.
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Aside from the smallest spotlights, the lighting system was developed from reused fixtures from Fondozione Prada’s existing supply. The whole installation was designed to be disassembled and used again.
Underneath the cladding, the installation consists of modular timber panels
“The installation is entirely built from timber, with modular panels that can be stored and reused for future exhibitions,” said Piccinini.
“The metallic supports for the plates, the lighting system, shelves and display cases can also be reused for a similar installation.”
Other projects nominated for Dezeen Awards include a memorial filled with items that belonged to victims of gun violence and ĒTER’s multi-sensory design for an exhibition about ASMR at ArkDes.
Photography is by Mark Niedermann.
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