‘Redesigning the world.’ This is the theme with which the third edition of the Madrid Design Festival observes and analyzes the design universe, until 29 February.
Under the direction of Álvaro Matías, the festival program – 250 activities, 66 exhibitions, 12 installations and the participation of over 400 professionals – starts from a snapshot of the reality in which we live, indicating some of the most urgent problems society has to face in the immediate future, and then proposing possible solutions through the contribution of design, its functional aspects, its capacity to transform, its possible social and educational dimension, by way of new materials, sustainability and responsible consumption.
A world in an obligatory phase of redesign, analyzed by MDF20 without failing to consider new approaches, sites and institutions with which to generate a dialogue to stimulate the creation of a new design culture. Among the most exceptional voices on the international scene there is that of Patricia Urquiola, interpreted by Ana Dominguez Siemens who has curated an exhibition at the Fernán Gómez cultural center in Madrid on the Spanish designer recently named ‘Designer of the Decade,’ on view until 1 March.
Nature Morte Vivante – as the retrospective is titled – features works of industrial design, items made with craftsmanship, and others where the two factors are inseparably combined. A non-chronological tribute represented by ‘5 still lifes’ the explore recurring themes in the design thinking of Patricia Urquiola. Cosas trasparentes (transparent things), Viajes empáticos (voyages of empathy), Resistencias (resistences), Gender? What Gender?, Contaminaciones (contamination) narrate the interest in color, among other things, expressed through moments of rigor or exuberance, while the focus on sustainability can be seen in pieces created with recycled materials. Nature Morte Vivante concludes with a virtual reality project that explores the ‘emotions’ of objects, in a provocative approach that stimulates questions. After all, questions are the first steps towards finding solutions.
