Wave
Throughout history, humans have gradually distanced ourselves from our surroundings. Few question our origins, yet despite this, we now see ourselves as external observers of nature. As our impact on the environment grows, the need for nature has increased in parallel with this distancing. Today's urban environment lacks much of what provides us with natural relaxation and rejuvenation. Values that were once available in nature have now been rationalized away. These values must be met and take on new forms and expressions. One of the many impacts we have made on our planet is our architecture and the built environment. A clear difference between architecture and nature is scale. Nature's scale is enormous and unattainable in relation to architecture. A landscape that seems endless, the vastness of the sky, the mass of a cloud. These are things architecture cannot reach. Nature also possesses qualities that are difficult for architecture to imitate. The richness of textures, the organic randomness of a forest, the fragility of a flower. These values must be reinvented in architecture to meet the needs we currently lack.
A quality that architecture and the built environment possess but nature lacks is the ability to reinterpret, simplify, and combine. Nature is governed by systems that only have the ability to change over long periods of time. We humans can reorganize ourselves, think freely, and create without these constraints. This gives us a freedom that nature lacks. My idea is to create an environment with natural materials where nature has been simplified, scaled down, and designed in a way that its characteristics can be achieved and met. An environment where we can find peace and reflection, well-being and recovery in the same way as we can in nature.
Forbo's product Marmoleum is an excellent material that embodies these qualities. It not only originates from nature but also captures its essence in pattern, texture, and versatility. My idea is to reinterpret nature's scale and versatility with the qualities of this material to create a relaxing and soothing place for reflection and recovery where nature is not available. I have worked with combining Marmoleum's rich patterns and colors in various forms and scales. With interesting meetings and combinations, the ambition is to create a world of fantasy and calm, a place that can meet the diverse needs of many people throughout the day.
