MECCA x NGV Women in Design | Christien Meindertsma’s wool sculpture

A three-metre-tall lamb sculpture by Netherlands-based designer and innovator Christien Meindertsma is the focus of this year’s MECCA x NGV Women in Design Commission which opened last month at NGV International, Melbourne, on view until early 2025.

Meindertsma’s work First there was a mountain, 2024, repurposes hundreds of kilograms of wool, from a flock of more than two thousand sheep based in Rotterdam, that would have otherwise been discarded as waste. By using a groundbreaking robotic tool known as the Wobot to produce the Commission, Meindertsma proposes a potential solution for utilising this often-overlooked resource using innovative tools and technology.

Installation view, Christien Meindertsma’s First there was a mountain, 2024

Installation view, Christien Meindertsma’s First there was a mountain, 2024, for the MECCA x NGV Women in Design Commission, 3 October 2024 – February 2025 at NGV International, Melbourne. Photograph: Kate Shanasy. Courtesy the artist and NGV International, Melbourne

First there was a mountain takes the form of a newborn lamb, captured standing for the very first time, accompanied by Meindertsma’s new Wobot chair, both revealing the versatility of wool, and how the technology behind the Commission could potentially pave the way for sustainable, circular design in furniture and beyond. The felted wool produced by Meindertsma’s Wobot is an environmentally sustainable alternative to petroleum-based materials such as foam, rubber, plastic, polyester and polystyrene. Unlike traditional industrial felting processes, Meindertsma’s robotic needle-felting technique requires no water and can be combed out, enabling a completely circular material life cycle.

Meindertsma’s practice often uses design to conduct in-depth research into materials, uncovering their properties and the stories and industrial systems behind them. Focused on sustainability and the life cycle of products, Meindertsma’s work challenges us to rethink our consumption of materials, encouraging a deeper understanding of the connections between the objects we use and their impact on the world.

ngv.vic.gov.au

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