A century of design at FAD: from the Roaring Twenties to climate change and COVID-19

BarcelonaMaderas de Oriente cologne has made history as one of the icons of the Myrurgia house, with its distinctive stepped-profile bottle reminiscent of a ziggurat. It's a museum piece, with examples on display at the MNAC (National Art Museum of Catalonia) and the Museu del Disseny (Design Museum). Today, it would be very difficult to create a perfume again with this name, at a time when materials like mahogany and ivory, and colonialist undertones, raise serious concerns. On the other hand, Maderas de Oriente harks back to the optimism of the Roaring Twenties, a very different era from today, as can be seen until January 25th in the exhibition organized by FAD (Fostering Arts and Design) at the DHub (Digital Museum of Barcelona). Art Deco 1925-2025Design, a mirror of the decorative arts

The title itself reflects the great success of the curators, architect Pedro Azara and a committee of FAD members from different disciplines: instead of limiting themselves to an archaeological endeavor, they explore the values of decorative arts from a century ago and those of contemporary design. More specifically, the objects from a century ago correspond to a milestone in Catalan decorative arts: the participation of the Fomento de las Artes Decorativas (now FAD) in the 1925 International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris, the result of an appeal made by the organization's president, Santiago Marco. Arts Gazette"It was a very special moment because the professionals and members of the FAD (Fostering Arts and Design) carried out this initiative to present the creativity taking place in Catalonia in Paris, regardless of whether Spain had a regional pavilion," says FAD President Salvi Plaja. The exhibition was intended to be the star attraction, and he was invited "repeatedly," as Pedro Azara says, but Gaudí declined because he had participated in a 1910 Paris exhibition that had been a "resounding" failure.

Art Deco 1925-2025 It includes some 200 objects, both historical and contemporary, displayed on eight walkways reminiscent of a warehouse in an online shopping center, a work by architect Roger Badia. A century ago, one of the challenges was to industrialize production to democratize consumption, while at the same time it was common to superficially adopt the aesthetics of distant cultures and use exotic materials without questioning their origin. Now, as Azara points out, "we ask ourselves who produces, how and where, how we address the scarcity of natural resources, and how we correct the inequalities generated by the current system of production and consumption."

"The 'Guernica' of the decorative arts"

The historical objects represent the values of hedonism, exoticism, optimism and democratization, with works such as the Diana the Huntress tapestry by Tomàs Aymat, which was awarded at the Parisian exhibition a century ago, and the folding screen by Francesc Galí The Creation, which Azara defines as "the Gernica of the decorative arts." Also on display are two dresses by Tórtola Valencia and two previously unseen sketches of her jewelry collection, an Elna sewing machine, a pioneering electric coffee maker from the Solac brand dating back to 1932, and an advertising photograph for Josep Sala Campàs's Roca jewelry store from the same year. Designers have changed radically: the new luxury, globalization, awareness, and justice. Examples of slow and sustainable fashion; and the Notalo Kids moldable and modular children's seat., by Irene Segarra and Irene Martínez, made with Resolivar, a biomaterial made from olive pits and natural ingredients, is also on display. Lingerie pieces designed for women who choose not to have breast reconstruction after a mastectomy, by Bendita Gloria and Piso Cero, are also featured., by Daniel Cid + Leve for the Arrels Foundation, the pilot test of a low-threshold temporary housing.