Natural Connections: playful furniture for public spaces
Part of the Madrid Design Festival 2023 program, Natural Connections is an exhibition of three pieces of furniture for public spaces, designed to help people encounter and rediscover nature.
With the aim of connecting material and people in a playful, conscious and nature-focused way, the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) invited leading Spanish designers Inma Bermúdez and Moritz Krefter (Studio Inma Bermúdez), Jorge Penadés and Alvaro Catalán de Ocón to develop designs using American red oak, maple or cherry.
The exhibition was shown in conjunction with SLOW Spain: Slow furniture for fast change, AHEC’s other exhibition at the festival. SLOW Spain was a platform for the work of 17 students from design schools across Spain who were also mentored by the designers noted above.
'La Manada Perdida' utilised all grades of timber available. Photo: Uxío da Vila
Inspired by the Matadero building, previously a slaughterhouse, Inma Bermúdez and Moritz Krefter (Studio Inma Bermúdez) created La Manada Perdida (the lost herd), a set of pieces made of red oak, maple and cherry, that evoke a group of wandering animals which were arranged as a seating group.
Cherry veneer was used in the lengths and connecting joints that make up Jorge Penadés' Wrap. Photo: Uxío da Vila
In his project Wrap, Jorge Penadés investigates a new application of wood based on the cardboard tube production system. Instead of creating a traditional piece of furniture, the designer developed a structural system using two pieces of 0.7mm cherry veneer, glued and rolled in opposite directions to create a surprisingly resistant and versatile tubular structure. Complemented with a solid wood foot and a 360° ball joint, the system permits a range of configurations for seating and shelving.
Nube by Álvaro Catalán de Ocón employs ball and cylinder components that connect to create a mesh that filters light. Photo: Uxío da Vila
Taking inspiration from the traditional wooden blinds of Mediterranean towns, Álvaro Catalán de Ocón interprets wood through lighting and created an ‘electric cloud’ for the festival space. Titled Nube (cloud), Catalán has used a large-scale production process to create the small balls and cylinders made of red oak, cherry and maple which are assembled into a mesh that filters the light and causes an interesting play of light and shadow.
The work is on display until March 12, 2023 at Matadero Madrid at the Madrid Design Festival.