Hornu, Belgium – Designers from Benetton’s communication research centre Fabrica have teamed up with staff from the Grand-Hornu Images cultural centre in Belgium to create 15 pieces of furniture, based on their favourite objects.
Technicians, craftsmen and office staff from Grand-Hornu Images worked with Fabrica’s creative and design teams during a week-long workshop. Staff described their favourite objects, including an 18th-century silver fork and a wooden aviary. The designs were then produced to reflect the aesthetic and emotional reasons that made the objects significant.
‘The main challenge of this project was to illustrate, through a unique and special exhibition, the beauty of the favourite objects of Grand-Hornu personnel,’ explains Sam Baron of Fabrica. ‘Design therefore becomes a way of uniting communities of people of different backgrounds, languages and ages.’
As explored in LS:N Global’s Conviviality Culture macro trend, face-to-face workshops and salons can help to create local, meaningful networks. Designers can use these events to create pieces that reflect the emotional investment made in them.