A dialogue on the boundaries between design and art.
“We run a company for the love of art, so we try to undertake as many initiatives as we can to ensure our brand and spaces reflect this passion.” – Elena Castaño-López, Art Director.
Moderated by Francesca Tur, Sancal hosted an inspiring conversation to reflect on the boundaries between unique artworks and industrial design objects.
To explore this fine intersection, Elena Castaño-López, Sancal’s Art Director, was joined by Alberto Sánchez and Eduardo Villalón from MUT Design, regular collaborators with Sancal, and Huaqian Zhang, an artist represented by Dilalica gallery, in a fascinating curatorial dialogue on how contemporary art and design intersect, creating new experiences and fresh ways to approach projects, enriching the current creative landscape.
Sancal’s holistic vision of design, combined with its sensitivity to artistic exploration, has fostered a work methodology that allows designers and artists the creative freedom to innovate. Alberto and Eduardo from MUT Design highlighted the brand’s boldness in embracing more sculptural and disruptive designs, such as the recently launched Canto collection, the sculptural Beetle acoustic panels, and the now-iconic Roll chair, all of which deviate from more conventional upholstered products.
For Sancal, industrial design is not limited to functionality; it focuses on the ability of design to transced the utilitarian. The aesthetic language employed borders on the artistic, encompassing everyting from shapes and silhouettes to the emotional experiences they evoke.
Traditionally, art has been seen as an unbound by functional constraints and centered on sensory and material experiences. In contrast, industrial design has focused on creating useful, easily reproducible objects with a clear commercial purpose. However, the boundaries between the two fields have blurred over time.
One of the key themes that emerged during the talk was the growing pressure on both designers and artists to continuously produce new, unseen ideas, always seeking innovation in tune with the “fast” pace of today’s society. The participants all agreed on the need to slow down the creative processes, to deepen and refine the ideas already conceived, making them more enduring.
In this context, the latest collaboration between Sancal and MUT Design, Canto Art Edition, was unveiled. This project transforms eight side tables from the Canto collection into true works of art. By applying the Chapa y Pintura technique, typically used in car body shops, these pieces blur the line between art and functionality, taking serial industrial design to a unique level of creative expression.
Sancal’s involvement in the fusion of art and design is not new. The brand has developed a special sensitivity towards collaboration with artists from various disciplines. Over the years, they have curated projects like Mujeres x Mujeres, a 2020 art exhibition in which five women artists portrayed different aspects of womanhood, reflecting themes of freedom, equality, and diversity, while questioning the role of women in the creative industry.
Also noteworthy is the Objetos Futura sculpture collection, created by Numero26 with a retro-futuristic approach full of humour and design to complement the Futura collection. Another innovative project was Transitient Madness, a performance at Fuorisalone that symbolised the chaotic and emotional creative process that defines Sancal’s product development, introducing the Zero fabric for the Next Stop collection, inspired by a Milanese metro station. The Fourth Dimension was a collaboration with artist Sammy Slabbinck, whose surrealist collages were animated through lenticular printing, accompanying the Enigma collection.
In addition to these projects, Sancal has integrated art into its headquarters with murals and lettering, creating a dynamic, artistic work environment that reflects the brand’s values. Artists like Ricardo Cavolo, Agostino Iacurci, Zosen, Seikon, and Marial were invited to transform the walls of their spaces.
The Canto collection, with its playful geometric forms, is already a sculptural piece in its own right. However, the artistic intervention in these tables, with the use of vibrant colours, invites us to question whether we are looking at furniture or sculpture. Perhaps both?
Lastly, Carolina Díez-Gascón, Art Director of SWAB, presented the programme of activities for the Contemporary Art Fair. After the talk, attendees animatedly discussed their impressions.
After the talk, attendees animatedly discussed their impressions.
The talk was part of the SWAB Talks programme.
Canto Art Edition will be on display at Sancal’s Barcelona showroom until 25th October, coinciding with Barcelona Design Week. If you would like to visit, please contact Carlos Cubiñá: [email protected] – +34 652 794 441
Showroom Sancal Barcelona (Fuego Camina Conmigo offices)
Carrer de Ca l’Alegre de Dalt, 55, Gràcia
08024 Barcelona
Special thanks:
Images: Marc Medina
Catering: The Cúrcuma Club
