'Organic Dwelling' - exhibition view; photo by Architonic
‘If we would like to survive as human beings we should live in the harmony of Nature’ suggests the renowned Dutch designer and trend forecaster Lidewij Edelkoort who has presented her recent project exploring the subject of biomimicry in contemporary design and architecture.
One of the highlights of last week’s Moscow Design Week, ‘ORGANIC DWELLING: biomimicry in design & architecture’ surveys’ how designers and architects have embraced a more organic language, welcoming technology while not letting go of our more primal instincts.’ The installation is held at the State Museum of Architecture MUAR and will remain on view until 30 November.
Beautiful Mess by Alejandro Ceron
More about the exhibition:
‘Animals construct their architecture based on their lifestyles, affected by geographic and climatic influences, and inspired by locally-available materials and perfected innate skills. Their habitats respect nature, are biodegradable, self-sufficient and integrate into the environment, expressing an organic state of being that simply comes naturally. Surprisingly however, this intuitive sixth sense is not always organic in shape, and can also lead to futuristic, ergonomic and aerodynamic dimensions.
‘The chair has been chosen as a textural and tactile structure from which to investigate the architectural themes of the exhibition: on show will be recent designs by Steven Banken (Netherlands), François Brument (France), Nacho Carbonell (Spain), Alejandro Ceron (Spain), Peter Donders (Belgium), Karin Frankenstein (Sweden), Studio Aisslinger (Germany), Studio Job (Belgium), Nendo (Japan) and Martin Vallin (Sweden) for Cappellini. These items will be displayed alongside nature films by the world-renowned documentary-maker David Attenborough (Britain).’
'Organic Dwelling' - exhibition view; photo by Architonic
'Organic Dwelling' - exhibition view; photo by Architonic
'Organic Dwelling' - exhibition view; photo by Architonic
'Organic Dwelling' - exhibition view; photo by Architonic
The show consists of 11 chairs which, accompanied by David Attenborough’s award-winning nature documentaries, illustrate nine architectural concepts inspired by nature:
MY HOME IS A NEST – ‘In a quest for lightness, we will turn to nesting for structure, protection and versatility.’
The Secret Clubhouse by Martin Vallin for Cappellini
MY HOME IS MY EARTH – The use of raw earth as a material will return to the fore after millennia as we channel our Ancient and pre-Historic heritage.’
Cow Dung Chai by Karin Frankenstein
MY HOME IS MY LANDSCAPE – ‘Taking advantage of existing natural infrastructures, our lifestyles will be arranged and organised around the landscape we live in.’
Chunky Beam Chai by Piet Hein Eek
MY HOME IS MY HIDE-OUT – ‘Nature’s art of blending into the background will teach us how to assimilate buildings into their environments and provide a refuge in which to hide away.’
Batoidea by Peter Donders
MY HOME IS MY COCOON – ‘Entirely encasing ourselves away from the world, the cocoon will become a symbolic unit within which to create an ephemeral atmosphere.’
Evolution by Nacho Carbonell
MY HOME IS MY HIVE – ‘Representing the power of unity in numbers, the hive is a structural metaphor that will teach us how to organise our lifestyles and the buildings that house them.’
Chair 72 by Francois Brument
MY HOME IS MY WEB – ‘The intimate zone of the web represents a reassuring safety net in our psyche, its biological matter containing ground-braking possibilities for the future of material development.’
NetWork by Werner Aisslinger
MY HOME IS MY ARMOUR – ‘Seeking safety in an area of continual aggression, the protection provided by armour is a psychological fortification as well as aesthetic design principle.’
Rock Sofa by Studio Job
MY HOME IS MY MASTERPIECE – ‘Our urge for decoration is a time-honoured need with roots in the natural world.’
Cabbage Chair by Nendo
For those who won’t make it to the Russian capital, let Lidewij Edelkoort take you on a guided tour of the exhibition in the video below:
to the Moscow Design Week website
