Natural Material Studio
Photo: Sofie Bøgegren
In the exhibition Teenage Dreams, you can experience the installation Fluidity by Natural Material Studio.
With the installation Fluidity, Natural Material Studio explores the transformation teenagers undergo in this particular phase of their lives. Here, their often more fluid and unconventional approach to established societal norms is explored. In a spatial universe, the synergy that arises between dream and reality is staged and materialized. The fluid and the solid, the naive and the realistic, the safe and the experimental. The space functions as a fluid phase, symbolizing the borderland where new worldviews can emerge. Here, existing ideals, values, and approaches to society, our consumption, habits, economy, and systems can be tested and challenged.
The installation is made of nature-based materials, all developed and produced by Natural Material Studio. These materials are biodegradable and recyclable, allowing them to be transformed and altered over time. The semi-transparent bio-textiles and the cast bed of bio-based foam create a transformative space where the boundaries between inside and outside, dream and reality, are blurred. Here, a new design language emerges, offering a more nature-based approach to existing in the world, expanding our notions of the ephemeral and the enduring.
4 Questions
What is the inspiration behind the installation?
»The inspiration comes from our own work and approach to phenomena at Natural Material Studio. We are inspired by a fluid understanding of the world, where materials are in flux, and where we cultivate the impermanent.«
What can you specifically experience in the space?
»The ‘room’ is created through a spatial installation with our semi-transparent bio-textiles at about 3 meters high. Some of the textiles will hang in multiple layers to create different dimensions. Inside the installation, we work with a simple molding of our bio-foam with reference to the teenage bed. The entire installation is conceived as a cohesive work where everything can be interacted with and touched, and the molding can be sat and laid upon.«
What should you take away from a visit to the exhibition?
»We hope that the installation can spark new reflections and conversations about how space and its design affect us, and how it can have a transformative impact on how we approach the world.«
Which societal trends does the installation speak to?
»We are very inspired by recent movements in gender understanding with ‘genderfluidity’, and we wish with our work to facilitate ways in which we can approach architecture and art in the same manner. ‘The fluid’, we believe, will become an enormously important concept for our understanding of the world in the coming years, both within the built environment, but also within economics, politics, and culture.«
Photo: Johannes Berger
Who is Natural Material Studio?
Natural Material Studio is a Danish award-winning design company that aims to change our relationship with and understanding of materials. To achieve this, the studio operates from a sustainable and circular perspective, utilizing science, biology, technology, design, and art as building blocks to create a new normal in sustainable living. The studio was founded in 2019 by material and interaction designer Bonnie Hvillum.
With an interdisciplinary team in Copenhagen, the practice operates at the intersection of art, design, research, and architecture. Their work includes installations, furniture pieces, curation, material development, consulting, and commissions, all centered around their self-developed bio-based materials.
Today, the studio researches, designs, and produces its unique bio-based materials using artisanal production techniques and processes. Their materials and processes are employed in their custom works, exploring the relationship between art, science, and design, as well as in commissioned projects. Previous clients include Noma, Frama, Dinesen, Calvin Klein, and the City of Copenhagen, among others.
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