MADEINSITU

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Journal
/Sep
2023

Made In Situ at the villa Noailles

Echoing the inherent essence of the collections, the exhibition space is filled with noble and timeless materials, sounds, scents and images. The collections and works can be discovered, in situ, like authentic travel diaries, each one with its own distinctive features.

 

This exhibition marked a new chapter for Made In Situ: an exploration beyond the borders of Portugal. Made In Situ has its origins in the very definition of the Latin expression In Situ, a direct reference to the capacity of design to act as a vector, reconnecting us with our surroundings. The associated drawings, texts, photographs, and films play an important role in understanding the creative process; these artifacts become the recorded memory of the experiences generated by the project.

 

Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance’s creations are characterised by a distinctive focus on materials, a keen eye for detail, and a preference for organic forms. Throughout his career – and in every furniture piece or design object he has created – the French designer has always given pride of place to craftspeople, artistic professionals, and their working environments.

 

In Portugal, where he now lives, Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance has been strengthening this dialogue with regional craftsmanship ever since he founded Made In Situ in 2019. Born out of an exhibition space in Lisbon, this new chapter in his work establishes a series of interdisciplinary exchanges centred on people and their connections to their environment.

 

“I sensed that my creations were going to assert their own unique identity. In a way, I wanted them to originate from some other place – from the elements and from people. The design would then simply blend them together.” 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I sensed that my creations were going to assert their own unique identity. In a way, I wanted them to originate from some other place – from the elements and from people. The design would then simply blend them together." 

Made In Situ draws on an ecosystem. It advocates design that is rooted in a given region, that engages with people and materials, savoir-faire and imagination. The furniture and design objects in the collections on display are contextualised and more in tune, more intuitive, and thus more in touch with their surroundings.

 

“My approach has been inversed. The idea no longer creates the design; instead it’s the craftsperson’s skill – and more precisely their knowledge of the material they manipulate – that creates the design. Perhaps it’s the material itself that comes into play even before that. How can one be certain where the craftsperson’s work really begins… what if it was the material itself that initiated it?”

 

Made In Situ is committed to tangible design, working as closely as possible with materials, and drawing on the infinite range of techniques – both traditional and cutting-edge – that go into shaping them. As a result, each of the creations presented at the villa Noailles carries a story, the story of a tradition that is often centuries old, confronted with today’s problematics and vulnerable to tomorrow’s challenges.

This is design that is socially and environmentally aware: Made In Situ strives to create works with a clear conscience.

 

“Through this new way of working, I’m rediscovering some of the sensations I experienced as a sculptor during my formative years. The moment when the palm comes into contact with the material, as if the material was going to decide for itself what form it was going to take, as if I were just an intermediary between the material and the dream it carries within.”

 

Made In Situ currently comprises of five collections.

All are named after materials.

Barro Negro

Burnt Cork

Azulejos

Bronze & Beeswax

Oak & Cork

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