Licheni: materials, sustainability and the nature-man connect

At EDIT Napoli 2023, R+S introduced the Licheni project, which focuses on stone objects. The surfaces serve as both artifacts and natural substrates for plant microorganisms, resulting in the growth of other species. This designer-architect collaboration began in Matera in 2020 and centers on exploring the matrices and materials of a particular area as well as how they relate to contemporary design. R+S believes that the practice of design is a re-signifying process of materials and sustainability an approach that encourages harmony between man and nature. The vases are innovatively crafted from recycled stone material, already partially or fully covered with lichens from the Ecade di Martano’s (LE) unsold stocks.

A minimal amount of intervention is used to reduce energy and processing costs, as well as additional waste. The Licheni project hopes to bring attention to the relationship between man and nature, as well as the preservation of natural life, with lichens being bioindicators of air quality. By attempting to enhance the relationship between plant life and man’s work, R+S will transform the decorative action into a type of cooperation with the natural element. Through this project, they hope to offer insight into the Anthropocene era and the way it has affected the relationship between humans and nature.

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