In conjunction with a major retrospective on Gerrit Rietveld, the curator of Vitra Design Museum, Amelie Znidaric, has invited five of the most innovative designers working in the Netherlands to join a partner from the region in developing a design proposal.
For this project Studio Formafantasma has been paired with Mrs. Doris Wicki, one of the last people dedicated to the tradition of producing charcoal by the slow burning (5-7 days) of wood.
The activity, deeply rooted in Swiss tradition, was economically important when charcoal was produced as a metallurgical fuel, but was banned in the 20th century due to deforestation and CO2 emissions.
Despite the negative connotations, a few charcoal burners are still operating today.
The passing of time has, in fact, morphed this elaborate production process into a nostalgic ‘happening’, often relegated to festive folk events.
In other parts of the world charcoal burning is still a reality. In the Congo, for example, charcoal burning threatens the ‘Virunga National Park’, one of the nations biggest natural reserves.
Studio Formafantasma, whose previous work comments on the notion of tradition and nostalgia, draw inspiration from the tension between the dystopian connotation of charcoal, causing pollution and destruction, while also being employed in healthcare and water purification.
Historians have found evidence that carbon filtration was used by the ancient Egyptian’s while in Japan it is still common today to use a few, simple charcoal branches to purify tap water.
In collaboration with a glass blower and wood carver, the designers produced a series of jars and wooden ‘filters’.
