This new series, Design bites, unveil the backstage of contemporary creation. Tackling various topics from personal designer processes to the position of Collectible design on the global design market; these bites offer different views to suit all tastes. Today we talk with Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance, founder of MADE IN SITU Gallery.

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COLLECTIBLE: What do you think collectible design brings compared to other more massively produced pieces? 

Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance: Each story is unique and embodied in resulting forms. Collectible design is about uniqueness and the link it creates between humans and objects, between the process of making and craftsmanship, which ultimately creates emotions.

“ Each piece of the BARRO NEGRO collection embodies treasures from Portugal: the mystical landscape of Serra do Caramulo, the idea of community and the Soenga”

C: How do you position your city in the global design market, what makes your city unique?

NDL: Lisbon, and on a broader scale Portugal as a country, are unique places. There is always a reminder of earth and sea. Its design scene actually lacks representation on the international scene. Nevertheless, I think it has exceptional craftsmanship. That is what Made In Situ is all about. The ultimate source of inspiration lies in the craftspeople we meet and the nature that surrounds us. It is also about understanding the challenges linked to the project’s environment, the material we use etc. Made in Situ aims at exploring and understanding our impact on our environment. We believe it is important to initiate a specific and individualised form of communication between design and craft: respect for the process and for the traditions consistently enriches the reflection around the design.

C: What have you been up to recently and what are you showing at COLLECTIBLE SALON? What are the next projects or exhibitions you wish to highlight?

NDL: We have been busy! Opening up Made in Situ Gallery in September 2020 and revealing the Barro Negro Collection, which is now presented on COLLECTIBLE SALON. It is an eponymous collection, connecting materiality to the senses, to earth and fire, to food, to smell, to touch and to light. Each piece of the collection embodies treasures from Portugal: the mystical landscape of Serra do Caramulo, the idea of community and the Soenga*.
Soenga* is a traditional firing technique, which gives the atypical marbling effect on some of the pieces.
Currently on display in Lisbon we also just revealed the second collection of Made in Situ: BURNT CORK. A tribute to Portuguese Cork, an ode to the resilience of material, of people, of process. This second collection is totally different in terms of forms as it is a furniture collection. However, it is deeply connected to our values and the way we worked with Portuguese materials and artisans.

C: Can you briefly describe your process and where do you find inspiration?

NDL: We started the Made in Situ project with the idea of a free exploration of Portugal and the discovery of craftsmanship in Europe. This journey regularly confronted us to breathtaking landscapes, rich in geological and biological patterns and shapes. It (re-) connected us to Nature, sharpened our instinct and emotions, vividly arousing the creative process. Most of my inspiration is rooted in nature as well as in the people I meet along the way. Sometimes I can start a project with no idea of what the final outcome will look like. I try and let my encounters take me there.

About MADE IN SITU Gallery 

MADE IN SITU is the manifestation of a creative dynamic of apperception, rooted in the treasures of a territory, its craftspeople and its systemic connections to nature - resulting in a cycle of seasons, each with its own story. “The designed pieces are the fruits of my adventures, explorations of geological and biological textures, patterns, materials and their related techniques. Above all, my stimulation comes from human knowledge and sensitivity, linking to and embedded in each specific place.” - NOÉ DUCHAUFOUR-LAWRANCE