A design studio that specialises in beeswax has curated a London Design Competition exhibition revealing how residing timber can present supplies for design objects.
Wax Atelier is behind The Abney Impact, a treasure trove of objects and materials experiments made utilizing bio-based waxes, resins, oils, fibres and dyes, all sourced from unfelled timber.
The exhibition is on present at Wax Atelier’s fresh workshop area on the sting of Abney Park, a historic London cemetery that doubles as a woodland nature reserve.
Highlights embody lamps comprised of pine resin, wood-derived wax crayons and a collection of scented waxes created from completely different elements of orange timber.
Designer and Wax Atelier co-founder Lola Lely mentioned the setting was the start line for the present.
Situated in Stoke Newington, Abney Park first opened in 1840 as an arboretum. It as soon as contained 2,500 species of tree – greater than even Kew Gardens has immediately – together with a rosarium with over 1,000 kinds of rose.
“That was the inspiration,” Lely advised Dezeen throughout a tour of the present.
“In addition to oxygen, paper and wooden, a great deal of issues are derived from timber. We needed to create a retrospective of these issues.”
The present consists of experiments from Lely’s personal design studio and merchandise that she and Wax Atelier co-founder Yesenia Thibault-Picazo have produced collectively.
Nevertheless it additionally spotlights different designers and studios working with tree-based supplies, in an try to foster collaboration.
“All of us have a synergy by way of craft, experimentation and innovation, however usually we work in our personal bubbles,” mentioned Lely.
“We needed to create alternatives for dialogue. If individuals are working with the identical supplies, perhaps it could actually unlock one thing.”
Wax Atelier is exhibiting fragrant wax collections comprised of the orange tree’s flower, leaves, fruit and bark. The studio has additionally created a fresh model of its wax linen flowers, primarily based on roses.
A collaboration with designer Jacob Marks resulted within the pine-resin lamps, whereas CQ Studio is displaying the way it turns bio-resin into sequins.
The Forest Crayons had been developed by design studio Playfool utilizing waste lumber. Totally different kinds of wooden produce completely different colors, revealing the spectrum of shades that exist in nature.
A wall cupboard reveals experiments by Dutch potter Arjan Van Dal, investigating how wooden ash can be utilized to create a glass-effect glaze for porcelain.
Vietnamese vogue model Kilomet 109 is showcasing a spread of supplies it makes use of in its clothes, together with padding materials derived from Sharon fruit and buttons comprised of coconuts.
Different eye-catching reveals embody Jamie Quade‘s Grown Sundial, crafted from a fallen tree, and Lely’s Kabuto Lights, folded pendant lamps comprised of naturally dyed Japanese mulberry paper.
Based in 2017, Wax Atelier has its important studio in close by Walthamstow.
The Abney Impact is the primary exhibition that the studio has hosted in its fresh workshop area, Labs, which was gifted by Hackney Council and the custodians of Abney Park as an area for analysis and group engagement.
The exhibition is a part of the Dalston to Stokey Design District, one in every of a number of districts in London Design Competition.
The present programme features a collection of interactive occasions, together with a sundial-making workshop and a tour of Abney Park’s timber with an area ecologist.
“The showcase’s setting in Abney Park creates a way of curiosity, connecting objects and supplies with their pure environment in a manner that we hope feels each fresh and acquainted or unfamiliar,” mentioned Lely.
“By together with ecological walks and preserving pure components, the showcase ties design to environmental consciousness, emphasising the significance of harmonising design with nature and fostering a deeper appreciation for sustainability.”
Different London Design Competition occasions embody the Craft x Tech exhibition on the V&A displaying designers, together with Sabine Marcelis, who’ve collaborated with Japanese grasp artisans.
