Lisbon-based practice THER presents a ‘Duality of Matter’ in their debut collection

Juxtaposing the materiality of wood and clay, and the natural earthy tones which lend the artefacts a demure sophistication, Duality of Matter, a debut collection by Lisbon-based designers Natasza Grzeskiewicz and Tomás Fernandes is an exploration of material, texture and form. The slightly askew designs offset the demureness of the material, lending the tables, stools, and chairs in the collection a whimsical quality. Conceived by the duo, Grzeskiewicz who is a ceramicist and Fernandes, who is a woodworker, the objects present a stark contrast, ultimately coming together as a whole because of the material palette. While the furniture designs in chestnut and acacia wood are a result of Fernandes’ masterful grasp of geometry, Grzeskiewicz’s clay stool designs and bowls depict the fluidness of clay in solid form.

The slightly off-kilter ratios of the chair designs in the collection could be attributed to Fernandes’ design process, where the natural edges of the wood are made manifest where possible, highlighting the inherent beauty of the material without too much treatment. His reverence for the natural qualities of wood is also evident in the treatments used for the wooden furniture, natural oils and waxes and a specialised technique for wood conservation called Yakisugi, a traditional Japanese method of charring the surface of the wood without burning it.

Similarly, for Grzeskiewicz, the idea is to highlight the individual characteristics of the clay she works with. As she mentions in a press release, “The silence of working with this material is one of the most appealing factors. It’s like I have been directed by the clay itself. Another fascinating part is to understand each clay as an individual. They have their own character, from sticky, to silky, to rough and brittle. Only once you get to know each type and genre, can you embrace the beauty of the material.”

Under their craftsmanship, the collection is a play on the soft and hard, on solid and fluid, on balance and imbalance. For instance, the design for the Oath stool, with three legs or the Askew chair whose legs reflect the natural edges of the wood used for it, or the coffee table with an uneven number of legs all play to the idea of imperfect balance. This is mirrored in the clay stools with their wobbly legs, that seem to almost fold under the weight of the sitter. Working with natural, local materials is integral to the designers, as they state, “Exploring national clays whose shades change with the depth of the excavation [and] local wooden species, which aren’t known in the furniture world like cedar, eucalyptus or acacia gave us an angle of creating with profound depth, while using our nearest resources, taking greater responsibility.”

They go on to mention that one of the creative values driving the practice is a sense of responsibility and respect for where the material they use comes from. This is evidenced in the naturalistic, minimal designs of the collection. Each enhances the inherent beauty of the material it is crafted with while adding a sense of playfulness to the unbalanced nature of the work.