Matadero Madrid center for contemporary creation
Natural Connections
Free entrance
Natural Connections is a playful exploration of materiality and our connection to nature. Three design studios have created different pieces forming a collection that examines the relationship of people in public spaces with designs that encourage an encounter with the natural world.
The designers, Inma Bermúdez & Moritz Krefter, Jorge Penadés and Alvaro Catalán de Ocón worked with the wood of three sustainable species: red oak, maple and cherry, which make up 40% of the standing timber of the American hardwood forest, a vast and expanding resource that regenerates naturally. The result of this material exploration is embodied in the pieces installed in the main foyer of Matadero Madrid, which is open to the public.
A proposal by Matadero Madrid and La Fábrica, within the framework of Madrid Design Festival 2023, together with the American Hardwood Export Council.
Nube (Cloud), by Álvaro Catalán de Ocón
Inspired by the traditional wooden curtains of Mediterranean villages, Álvaro Catalán de Ocón interprets wood through lighting and creates a luminous cloud for the Matadero space. Small spheres and cylinders of red oak, cherry and maple wood form a kind of mesh that filters the light and creates an interesting play of light and shadow that envelops the visitor.
La manada perdida (The lost herd), by Inma Bermúdez and Moritz Krefter (Inma Bermúdez Studio)
The Matadero building inspired the design of The lost herd, a set of pieces that evoke a group of scattered animals. Arranged in the building's foyer, they look like benches or seats, but their design goes beyond furniture to incorporate aspects of imagination and play: the indefiniteness of their function is an invitation to the user to decide how he or she wants to relate to them. During production, the design was adapted to the available material to minimise waste. The finish given to the finished objects is minimal to show the texture of the wood of the tree from which they come.
Wrap, by Jorge Penadés
In his Wrap project, Jorge Penadés investigates a new application of wood based on the production process of cardboard tubes to develop a construction system rather than a piece of furniture. In response to the space, Penadés has used this innovative approach to configure a multifunctional tier and a low display shelf that demonstrate the strength, stability and aesthetics of the system.
