We are pleased to announce that London-based designer Matteo Fogale will present his Julio Vilamajó Residency results at the exhibition Hilos Invisibles at the Aram Gallery as part of the London Design Festival 2018.  

Julio Vilamajó Residency is organised by the British Council, in collaboration with the School of Architecture, Design and Urbanism (FADU) at Universidad de la República, Montevideo, and Museo Casa Vilamajó and gives the opportunity for UK-based architects, designers and artists to travel to Uruguay to explore the work of modernist architect Julio Vilamajó (1894-1948).

During his residency, Matteo had an opportunity to investigate Vilamajó's original drawings at the Institute of History in University of Architecture, scan and document these rarely-seen sketches as well as interview Vilamajó scholars and visit his buildings in Uruguay and Argentina. The residency was based at the modernist house that Vilamajó built for his family in the 1930s, which is now the Museo Casa Vilamajó. To conclude his time in Uruguay, Matteo invited seven Uruguayan studios: Carolina Palombo Píriz, Claudio Sibille, Studio Claro, Menini-Nicola, Muar, Estudio Diario and Rafael Antía, to design pieces of furniture together, inspired by the highlights of the Vilamajó archive.

The Vilamajó-inspired works they have created include: Studio Claro’s family of lamps that pay tribute by the play of light in the architect’s buildings, Rafael Antía’s concrete coffee tables that respond to an enigmatic sketch of unknown function, and Muar’s elm-root dresser that nods to a 1944 commission Vilamajó undertook for Salvadoran sweet maker Confiteria La Americana. All of the products have been handmade in Uruguay using locally sourced materials and production methods – a key component (and challenge) of the project.

These new designs will be exhibited alongside Vilamajó’s original drawings at The Aram Gallery during London Design Festival as part of exhibition Hilos Invisibles. Translating as 'Invisible Threads', the exhibition tells the fascinating story of Julio Vilamajó Echaniz while showcasing a new generation of Uruguayan creative talent, giving an exciting snapshot of this emerging design nation.

Visiting information

Free admission
17 Sept – 27 Oct
Mon-Sat 10:00am-6:00pm, Thurs 10:00am-7:00pm, Sun closed

The Aram Gallery
110 Drury Lane
Covent Garden
London 
WC2B 5SG