It pops under your fingers, producing a subtle sensation of satisfaction. As it pops it emits strange sounds. Its cells are transparent and filled with air. Bubblewrap is a simple material, generally utilized to protect objects during shipping. It is also the focus of recent research conducted by the Danish designer residing in Milan Maria Walter Nielsen, with experience as a textile designer in the fashion sector, who has recently created a collection of wallcoverings for Fabscarte. Maria’s investigation of the material has led to a heterogeneous collection of works – objects, drawings, patterns and blankets, made with Lanificio Leo – gathered in a lively, playful exhibition curated by Paolo Giacomozzi at the Riviera space, Largo Gorani 4.
“Maria has relied on childhood memories, a voyage of imagination guided by the tactile sensation of bubblewrap,” the organizers explain. “A motif that can be deconstructed and reimagined in different ways. This has led her to create a series of designs and projects, triggering new interpretations.”
The designer has approached bubblewrap as a material for study, finding new patterns in spite of the uniformity of the substance. Thanks to her experience as a designer of prints and graphics in the fashion world, Maria Walter Nielsen knows how to use fabrics, and this knowledge has been applied in the textile collections for Lanificio Leo, which reiterate the stylized image of bubblewrap from a personal perspective.
This personal background also emerges in the drawings of objects packed with sheets of bubblewrap. Somewhat awkward and comical, these subjects seem to delicately express the fragility of life itself, which the wrapping material – the star of the show – is able to protect, with humor and imagination.
