'Charcoal' by Studio Formafantasma at the Vitra Design Museum
DAE alumni Formafantasma (Italian designers Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin, graduated in 2009 from IM Masters), were invited by the curator of Vitra Design Museum. In conjunction with a major retrospective on Gerrit Rietveld, they are working with four other most innovative designers in the Netherlands to join a partner from the region in developing a design proposal.
For this project, Studio Formafantasma has been paired with Mrs. Doris Wicki, one of the last people dedicated to the tradition of producing charcoal by the slow burning (5-7 days) of wood. The activity, deeply rooted in Swiss tradition, was economically important when charcoal was produced as a metallurgical fuel, but was banned in the 20th century due to deforestation and CO2 emissions.
Despite the negative connotations, a few charcoal burners are still operating today. The passing of time has, in fact, morphed this elaborate production process into a nostalgic ‘happening’, often relegated to festive folk events.
Studio Formafantasma, whose previous work comments on the notion of tradition and nostalgia, draw inspiration from the tension between the dystopian connotation of charcoal, causing pollution and destruction, while also being employed in healthcare and water purification.
In collaboration with a glass blower and wood carver, the designers produced a series of jars and wooden ‘filters’.
Customized wooden pieces were left burning and deteriorating while the process was documented. The charred remains were further sculpted into a series of elements to be added to the jars. In addition a small glass bottle was blown into a hollow carbonized log: the resulting glass becoming opaque and textured where it came into contact with the charcoal, yet maintaining clarity in the rest of the body.
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