Botanica
Plart Foundation, 2011
The project Botanica was commissioned in 2010 by Plart1, an Italian foundation dedicated to scientific research and technological innovation in the recovery, restoration and conservation of works of art and design produced in plastic. Marco Petroni, the curator of the project, commissioned the studio to create their own personal interpretation of polymeric materials.
Botany, as a discipline, began with the earliest human efforts to identify edible, medicinal and poisonous plants, making it one of the oldest sciences. More than two centuries ago, plants also came to be categorized for their secretions, as a potential raw material.
The objects displayed in the Botanica collection are designed as if the oil – based era, in which we are living, never took place. Almost like historians, Formafantasma investigated the pre – Bakelite period, discovering unexpected textures, sensations and technical possibilities offered by natural polymers extracted from plants or animal – derivatives.
The designers researched and hunted for information, digging into the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, when scientists began experimenting with draining plants and animals in search for plasticity. Rosin2, Dammar3, Copal4 (a sub-fossil state of amber), Natural Rubber5, Shellac6 (a polymer extracted from insect excrement that colonizes trees) and Bois Durci7 (a nineteenth – century material composed of wood dust and animal blood), are among the materials investigated by the studio. The organic details and plant – like forms of the pieces emphasize the vegetal and animal origins of the resins, while the palette of colours is based on natural amber tones in combination with traditional materials such as wood, ceramic and metal. The natural textures and honey – like colours of the resins are reminiscent of twentieth – century Bakelite objects; however, the finish and details are somewhat archaic yet contemporary. In Botanica, plastics are used as precious details, in an attempt to develop a new post – industrial aesthetic. With Botanica, Formafantasma offers a new perspective on plasticity, reinterpreting centuries – old technology lost beneath the flawless surface of mass production.
