Towards a New Space Articulation
The concept of this first edition of Craft Lab will address the transformative capacity of spaces that certain manifestations of contemporary craftsmanship can have, through a selection of creators whose works transcend individuality, seeking to connect with their surroundings.
One of the current trends in the field of contemporary craftsmanship is precisely this more experimental evolution in the way of conceiving projects, in which artisans are moving towards a more artistic and creative starting point. While, on the one hand, they preserve the tradition of the materials and techniques they master, at the same time they move away from traditional formats and formal repetition in search of a more personal, artistic, and contemporary expression. In parallel, more and more artists and designers are working with artisanal processes and materials, either self-produced or in collaboration with artisans.
This hybridization between craft, art, and design has driven their works to expand beyond the utilitarian or decorative object towards much more unique and complex expressions, both in their creation and formal proposal. In some cases, they also transcend individuality by establishing a dialogue with their environment, exploring their capacity to transform a space, an interior design, or an architecture, as well as to create a specific atmosphere. The artisans, studios, artists, and designers selected for the first edition of Craft Lab work from this perspective, or their work has great potential to bring singularity, virtuosity, expressiveness, and spatial richness to an environment.
Works
Collection of ceramic pieces made with stoneware mixed with stone and local clays from the Asturian area of Sillaso.
Wall piece and matching bench made of white earthenware tiles and a collage of blue, black, red, and green clays. Stainless steel frame and chestnut wood structure.
Chandelier composed of lampshades handcrafted with leaves and plant fibers, with an iron structure treated with oxide and LED light.
Kinetic fish and a family of furniture pieces made with dyed plant fibers, metal, and wood.
Handcrafted sensorial architecture made with Spanish Wooldreamers wool and cotton, featuring an iron structure and LED light.
Large tapestry made with natural elephant grass dyed in black, created by Bolgatanga weavers specialized in basketry techniques.
Set of textile light sculptures, both hanging and standing, handmade with natural raffia, featuring an iron structure and LED lighting.
Curated by
Tachy Mora is a journalist and exhibition curator specialized in design, architecture, and contemporary craftsmanship, as well as their intersections with other disciplines. She has been working as a cultural journalist since 1998, regularly contributing to the Sunday magazine of the newspaper El País since 2006. She has also written regularly or occasionally for media such as Neo2, Icon Design, Diseño Interior, Diario Design, Elle Decoration, Interiores, Visual, Citizen K, Experimenta, or the now-defunct Magazine of the newspaper El Mundo, among others.
In 2011 she published the book Artesanía Española de Vanguardia (Lunwerg) with the support of EOI-Fundesarte, which she later turned into an exhibition that toured Spain, the USA, Peru, Mexico, and Colombia between 2013 and 2016. She was also the curator (together with Javier Abio) of the exhibition Madtastic! Fresh Design From Madrid, which was shown in 2013 at the Instituto Cervantes in Milan, as well as the small exhibition Autoexpresiones for the Joya 2020 fair in Barcelona (now Contemporania), which brought together eight designers, artisans, and artists with very personal pieces.
Her two most recent curatorial projects have been, on the one hand, Scenarios of a Near Future, a foresight study on the design of the domestic environment that was on view from November 23, 2022, to March 19, 2023, at the Centre del Carme Cultura Contemporània, and was part of the World Design Capital Valencia 2022 program. On the occasion of this exhibition, she published her second book under the same title, which explores and reflects on the possible changes that housing and its equipment may undergo in the coming years.
On the other hand, the recent retrospective Héctor Serrano: El viaje entremedias. 25 años conectando, about the career of the 2024 National Design Award winner, which was shown at the Central de Diseño of Matadero Madrid from February 27 to April 27, 2025, as part of the Madrid Design Festival 2025 program.
