MaterialDistrict

Stitched

Code
ONA548
Country
Netherlands
Brand
Buro BELÉN

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- story by MaterialDistrict

This stitched material has a base of wooden textile and it is stitched to make it more flexible and strong. The material of the stitches can be made of cotton or silk, but are always biobased.

The basic material, the “wooden textile” is taken from the mulberry tree, the cambium. The basis for the ancient craft of tapa-making is the cambium of the paper mulberry tree, a thin layer of fibers between the bark and the wood of the tree. A tapa is a soft and flexible wooden cloth that Tongans use for rituals like weddings and funerals.

Original tapas have a fascinating beauty but lack the practical qualities needed for contemporary use. By stitching the material, it can be used as a flexible textile, such as a blanket or clothing item. This project was professionalized in 2014 under the name of Cambials.

Lenneke Langenhuijsen and Brecht Duijf from Buro Belén are materializers. By broadening and expanding the material qualities of spaces, objects and products,Belén creates tangible design for the future. Central to their approach are the intuitive, emotional and physical aspects of design, resulting in products and visions that show unexpected applications of material and colours, as well as revaluations of conventional techniques.

Belén works on material and colour concepts in the field of product design, interior design and exhibition design.They have been commissioned by Georg Jensen, Villa Noailles Hyères, Textiellab Tilburg, amongst others. Their work has been exhibited at Textile Museum Tilburg, Boijmans van Beuningen Rotterdam, Palazzo Clerici Milano.

Material Properties