To mark the launch of the Wood Chair program, organized by Onesta and the University of Navarra, the exhibition PERPETUUM MOBILE is coming to Madrid from October 6 to 25, 2022. The showcase is dedicated to private-use furniture designed by Enric Miralles and Benedetta Tagliabue for their home in Barcelona, updated and produced with the support of the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC).
The exhibition, which explores the power of design and sustainable materials from an inclusive perspective, is curated by the Fundació Enric Miralles in collaboration with the Talita Foundation.
It features nine pieces designed between 1992 and 1999, reproduced in sustainable American hardwoods and never before produced for sale. These dynamic and mobile furniture pieces and objects are faithful reproductions of the originals made from American wood, updated with technical and functional improvements. The reproduction was carried out by the carpentry workshop La Navarra in Madrid, based on drawings and documents from Miralles's private archive.
The nine pieces on display are Mistery (2020), Inestable (1993), Troncs (1998), Estudi (1993), Tropical (1994), Dolmen (1995), the Lelukaappi (1995) and Marisa (1992) bookcases, and the Japonès (1992) stool series. Notably, the Mister table is an unreleased piece created in 2020 following the discovery of previously unknown drawings by Enric Miralles.
The meticulous re-edition process was carried out under the direction of Benedetta Tagliabue and the EMBT studio. After an initial phase of analyzing and updating the original drawings, the pieces were created using new species of sustainable hardwoods, chosen directly by Tagliabue for their aesthetic, performance, and environmental credentials. This was done in close collaboration with AHEC, whose experts recommended the most appropriate sustainable American hardwoods to replace the originals. Red oak, maple, cherry, and tulipwood are the four American hardwood species used, donated to the project by wood specialist Onesta.
The exhibition is set within a recreation of the Barcelona home of architects Benedetta Tagliabue and Enric Miralles (1955–2000)—a former warehouse transformed into a loft where the couple studied and experimented with ideas they would later apply to many subsequent works, showcasing their unique way of designing and understanding architecture. It expresses a cohesive concept of a whole, spanning from the scale of architecture to that of the object, where the ceiling and floor are integral parts of the design. In fact, the floor reproduces a domestic route: the floor plan of the two architects' residence in Barcelona.
The architecture of Miralles and Tagliabue, defined by continuous exploration, analysis, and reinterpretation, is reflected in this transformable furniture, designed to adapt to the multiple, shifting scenarios of their large house-laboratory.
Despite the uniqueness of each piece, all the exhibited items reflect Miralles and Tagliabue's vision of a "house in motion"—a domestic space where no piece of furniture has a fixed place or a predetermined purpose, but can instead be moved or modified to meet the needs of the moment.
The exhibited furniture is accompanied by projects, drawings, and unpublished sketches from the creation process, along with a series of videos that tell the story of their development and demonstrate the ingenious movement mechanisms that Miralles incorporated into each piece.
At the center of the exhibition is a large canvas created to explore the performative and inclusive dimension of the origins of furniture.
Following years of collaboration with the Talita Foundation in Barcelona as its ambassador, Benedetta Tagliabue invited children to join the creative world of Benedetta Tagliabue – EMBT Architects and the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC).
To conceptualize and produce an exciting, vibrant artwork alongside studio members and the Fundació Enric Miralles, the children of the Talita Foundation played, laughed, and painted, exploring the ethics of furniture design through a dynamic and spontaneous workshop that led to a vibrant exchange of ideas and creativity.
Finally, artistic directors Arcadi Poch and Caterina Miralles Tagliabue encouraged learning and participation through an explosion of color and movement. This collaboration stands as a positive example of the power of design and sustainable materials to catalyze key community initiatives, bringing people together and celebrating a more inclusive future.
This article was written by Mili Sánchez Azcona. The translation is powered by AI.
