I like to see objects as living organisms, imagining them coming alive and being able to surprise you with their behavior. I want to create objects with my hands, then I can give them my personality. I turn them into communicative objects that can arouse one’s sensations and imagination. – Nacho Carbonell
Spanish artist Nacho Carbonell’s enchanting designs engage viewers through light and touch, existing somewhere between familiar design object and subconscious creature. For this Forest series, artificial rocks and crystalline structures nourish tree-like forms that glow from within plaster-encrusted nets. These “trees” grew out of his Light Mesh series, pushing the organic forms from his “cocoons” into a more representational design. Carbonell uses a variety of netting in different colors, providing each piece with a distinct mood. The series includes table lamps, chandeliers, wall lamps, and several glowing, tree-sized sculptures. Carbonell lives in Eindhoven in The Netherlands, and has exhibited in the US, Europe, Russia, India, Japan, and Israel. He has been awarded the Spanish-based INJUVE Award for Young Creation, the Grand Prix Group Seb Design Award at Design PARADE (DP02) international design festival, the 2009 Design of the Year nomination by the Design Museum London, and the Designer of the Future award at Design Miami/ Basel.