Natural instinct: Exhibition presents designers working with nature’s DNA

Through the lens of product design, Earth Matters provides a barometer for future material innovation and resourcing – showcasing a generation of designers working with the environment rather than against it. 

‘The design world is evolving and re-inventing the way it is positioned,’ Fimmano tells LS:N Global. ‘The exhibition illustrates a long-term path for some designers to take and consider how they want to produce their work – whether it is about rearing their own materials, or looking for alternative ways to collaborate with nature in a respectful way. It’s a decision for designers for the future.’

Designed inside the striking Artipelag art museum, the exhibition fits expertly within its environment. Set against a tall window, revealing the snowy landscape of the Swedish Archipelago site outside Fabrica’s Hot & Cold ice sculptures, are just some of the thought-provoking pieces on display. Different narratives of material investigation are explored through a number of key site-specific sections throughout the exhibition, including work from pioneering designers such as Atelier NL, Studio FormaFantasma, and Maarten Kolk & Guus Kusters.

The exhibition opened during Stockholm Design Week 2015 and runs until 3 May 2015. For more on Stockholm Design Week, see our Inspire section. For more on Edelkoort’s previous exhibition in 2014, read our previous seed story.