Extremaduran and Ibero-American Museum of Contemporary Art (MEIAC)

About the exhibition

The MEIAC in Badajoz is hosting the travelling exhibition ‘FSWD: Identity and Territory’ from today, part of the From Spain With Design project of the Spanish Network of Design Associations (READ). The exhibition is made up of more than a hundred pieces, which focus on Spanish design with international projection and its role as an agent of change towards more responsible and sustainable social and economic models.

The FSWD exhibition, created and produced by READ with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Sport of the Government of Spain and the Xunta de Galicia, has been organised on this occasion by the Extremadura and Ibero-American Museum of Contemporary Art (MEIAC) with the collaboration of the Association of Designers of Extremadura (DIEX).

The exhibition opened in October 2021 at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Santiago de Compostela, being conceived as a travelling exhibition to bring the proposal to the entire national territory. Throughout 2022, it has also been shown at the University of Aveiro (Portugal), the Museum of Science and Water in Murcia and the Palau de les Comunicacions in Valencia.

A sample of the power of Spanish and Extremadura design
The exhibition includes design projects from different areas – graphic design, industrial design, product design, interior design and service design – which stand out for their quality, for their projection in the national and international market and for being a model of synergy between professional or design studio and companies, for providing coherent responses and for adding value. The works are organized around five thematic axes: ‘Identity and territory’, ‘Intersections’, ‘Internationalization’, ‘Sustainability’ and ‘Complicities’.

Examples of Identity and Territory are “Baleas” by Jon Abad –which tells us about the sea and the Basque memory- or “Val de Barco” by the Galician Tomás Alonso –a reinterpretation of artisanal work made with granite from Vincios and chestnut wood from Lalín-. Intersecciones appeals to the fact that design increasingly crosses more areas and connects various professional activities. In this block we see works by Pep Carrió, Idoia Cuesta or Martín Azúa. From the rise of Spanish professionals with an international projection comes Internacionalización, which includes designs by Patricia Urquiola, Mormedi, Luzifer, Leblume, DIARADESIGN and Javier Jaén. Design can and should have a positive impact on our environment and our way of life. Here we have Sostenibilidad, with some experimental projects such as the chair made with ropes and fishing nets by Amalia Puga or the “Cultivo Desterrado” by Rafa Monge. Designing with people’s well-being in mind and taking on challenges in a more responsible way gives rise to the Complicities axis. For example, the interventions by Arauna Studio / Rai Pinto designed to improve the experience of children in hospitals or the glasses for the blind by Alegre Design, which convert the surrounding 3D space into intuitive sounds.

In addition, each itinerary reinforces the representation of local professionals and studios. In the case of Badajoz, six pieces by professionals, companies and Extremaduran studios are incorporated into the exhibition, in which both artisanal conception and manufacturing as well as the most avant-garde designs have a place.

In this itinerary we will discover the ceramics of Terracota Mérida and Carlos Sagrado, the sustainable children’s fashion of Garrules Studio, the proposal for Buche and Gran Buche wines by the studio specialising in label design Eva Arias Graphic Studio, the redesign of poetry books by Estudio Ponce Contreras, the overflowing creativity of the Galferdexign sunglasses collection by José Fernández Gallego and the design project by Studio Eduardo G.I. Ltd. for the gastronomic products of Finca La Barca.

Curated and coordinated by Uqui Permui (DAG), Ángel Martínez (ADCV), Gloria Escribano (DIMAD) and Juan Lázaro (Cuenca Diseña), the exhibition has had the collaboration of members of the associations that make up READ and is a vigorous example of open, generous and participatory work to which the participating design professionals and the production companies have enthusiastically joined.