Gathering elements sourced from nature, such as tree branches, rocks, mossy trunks, and slabs of stone, but not only, the designer triggers our perception. With concrete floors and walls and ceilings dressed in St. Leo’s Marble paint, these nature’s tokens appear in conversation with wooden plinths, mounds of soil and spices, and pigment-filled glass jars. Suspended with jute twine are branches made from chocolate. Moulded after real tree branches, these chocolate branches – following with form, colour, texture, hardness – appear like their original counterparts. They twirl and turn when passed by, akin to twigs and boughs moving with the wind.
While substances are viewed in everyday experiences as the primary constituent of reality, characterised by tangible properties like form, colour, and hardness, these attributes are not as straightforward as they appear. As the sensory experience – sight, smell, hearing, touch, and taste – contribute to our understanding of reality, The Real and Concrete installation involves all senses. From the visual layer; to the smell of chocolate, cinnamon, cardamom, and coffee; to ambient music; the tactility of the installation’s elements and St. Leo’s textural coverings, to the taste of chocolate.
It highlights the abstract nature of the underlying reality, and the role of sensory experience in its comprehension.
Exhibition presented by St. Leo in its gallery and showroom in Copenhagen during 3daysofdesign 2024, in collaboration with New York and Mexico City-based designer, Rafael Prieto, and Danish artisanal chocolate brand, Sv. Michelsen.
Elizabeth Heltoft