The “Autarchy” installation by Studio Formafantasma pays homage to the uncomplicated, the simple and the everyday.
Italian design duo Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin of Studio Formafantasma were inspired by the folk event “Cene di San Giuseppe” in Sicily, Italy for their “Autarchy” installation. The artwork proposes an autonomous way of producing goods and outlines a hypothetical scenario where a community embraces a serene lifestyle.
Suggesting the need for finding sustainable and uncomplicated solutions to production, the studio used biomaterials for the creation of the various objects forming the installation. A collection of functional and durable vessels and lamps are made using 70% flour, 20% agricultural waste and 10% natural limestone. The differences in colour palette are obtained through a selection of distinct vegetables, spices and roots that are dried, boiled or filtered for their natural dyes.
The installation further functions as an open-source project that shares and highlights the different steps in research, materials and production processes of each of the items created for “Autarchy”. The furniture features include a drying oven and mill, alluding to the manufacturing and drying techniques used in the project.
“Autarchy” was first created in 2009 and has been selected as one of the featured installations in the Seven Deadly Sins exhibition curated by Studio Makkink & Bey. It will be on display at the Centraal Museum in Utrecht, Netherlands until 18 May 2014.
