Mexican architect Javier Guzman Cervantes used steel bars and cinderblocks to put together a variety of furniture pieces for a show in Mexico City. For his research project Ex Soup, Cervantes gathered objects from construction sites and waste piles throughout the city to put together an exhibition that was on display at the Util design Gallery. Cervantes, Javier Guzman, has put together a collection of furniture pieces using repurposed building materials and remnants. In collaboration with Lugar Vivo, the Construcciones Domesticas exhibition features pieces like tables, chairs, lighting fixtures, and daybeds.
Cervantes expressed to Dezeen that the purpose of the project was to illuminate the environmental repercussions of waste in building, the shortage of options in affordable and long-lasting furniture, and the requirement for architects to liberate themselves from the “intellectual plane of design” and concentrate on fabrication.
According to Cervantes, who gave a tour of his creations in Mexico City, the project’s goals were to shed light on the environmental effects of waste in construction, the lack of options for reasonably priced, durable furniture, and the need for architects to break free from the “intellectual plane of design” and focus on fabrication. Cervantes also stated that we should look into alternative lifestyles and reorganize our homes to better reflect the financial and ecological conditions of the world today. Finally, he suggested that industrial environments and environmental degradation can serve as a source of new ideas and ideals. Ex Soup’s core philosophy is to take leftover parts and transform them into something aesthetically beautiful and useful for daily life, all the while highlighting energy efficiency and practical thinking.
A large portion of the collection was created by Cervantes’s use of tension.
Cervantes has been making furniture out of recycled or reclaimed materials since he was a teenager, but he did not decide to formalize the process until recently, when he opened Ex Soup in 2022. Most of the architect’s inspiration comes from his daily experiences, whether they occur while traveling or just out and about, as well as from materials that he either found on construction sites or was given to him by friends. Javier Guzman
Ex Soup is a reference to the artist’s preferred materials, which include molten metal and glass that were molded into various shapes during production. The artwork is meant to serve as a reminder of the quantity of trash in urban areas and the scarcity of high-quality furniture. Household Constructions projects are made up of a variety of different materials that are assembled into familiar forms; many of these were created without the use of adhesive, relying instead on the tension of the “ergonomic shapes” to keep them in place. This piece is a coffee table constructed from steel beams with a top surface made of recycled mirror and glass.
Ex Soup is a reference to the artist’s preferred materials, which include molten metal and glass that were molded into various shapes during production. The artwork is meant to serve as a reminder of the quantity of trash in urban areas and the scarcity of high-quality furniture. Household Constructions projects are made up of a variety of different materials that are assembled into familiar forms; many of these were created without the use of adhesive, relying instead on the tension of the “ergonomic shapes” to keep them in place. This piece is a coffee table constructed from steel beams with a top surface made of recycled mirror and glass.
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