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Ponder what earthly material this asteroid chair is made of

13-2-2024

Translation: machine translated

More and more designers are devoting themselves to material research, creating a new, innovative sector of recycling and upcycling. Ilaria Cavaglià is no exception. She makes furniture and lamps from waste. Join in the guessing game to find out what she recycles.

At the last exhibition of graduates from the Dutch Design Academy (DAE), the chair by Ilaria Cavaglià stood out from the crowd. Because it is difficult to categorise visually, but also because it is unclear what it is made of. Perhaps you can find out for yourself with the help of the following clues. The solution is given immediately afterwards.

Let's go!

The fabric you are looking for can be used as a protective layer for fragile objects. It provides a stable and padded barrier and helps to regulate the temperature in some places. It owes its characteristic shape to its stretchy interior. The material can usually be recycled. However, only if it is clean and free of foreign materials.

Riddle

Which object was given a second life?

Foam peanuts
17%
Corrugated board
62%
Bubble wrap
21%

The competition has ended.

Iaria Cavaglià wants to utilise the full potential of discarded materials and blur the boundaries between organic and synthetic materials.
Source: Pia Seidel

Resolution

Ilaria Cavagliàs used discarded bubble wrap, among other things, for her sculptural chair. It is part of the project "The Popping Sound of Bubble Wrap", in which the Italian artist, designer and engineer explores the potential of mouldable materials for casting objects. On the other hand, she examines the dilemma between the fascination with material culture and the environmental concerns that our material consumption entails.

In addition to bubble wrap, the designer also used polystyrene and newspaper. She processed the components in such a way as to create a tension between the organic-looking form and the artificial. This makes it difficult for viewers to recognise the objects. Is it really a chair? Or rather the remains of an asteroid? They are actually inspired by the grotto aesthetic, an artificial cave that is part of the Renaissance garden. But the idea for the strange shapes could just as easily have come from landscapes on alien planets.

This is the 14th "Guess what" episode where I don't tell you what things are made of right at the beginning so that you can join in the puzzling.

Header image: Pia Seidel

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Pia Seidel

Senior Editor

Pia.Seidel@digitecgalaxus.ch

Like a cheerleader, I love celebrating good design and bringing you closer to everything furniture- and interior design- related. I regularly curate simple yet sophisticated interior ideas, report on trends and interview creative minds about their work.

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