Bendixen & Baruël — Forest Sphere, Little Blue.
ABOUT THE PROJECT:
Forest Sphere and Little Blue by Bendixen & Baruël explore the sculptural and architectural possibilities of wild branch structures through a set of forms crafted from stacked and connected spruce and ash, collected from the remnants of local deforestation. While some sections have been simply trimmed of extraneous appendages, others have been stripped of their bark; more closely resembling the processed timber found within contemporary interior environments. Interwoven with pigmented and bees wax treated cotton, branches are brought together to form artistic formations that portend to the larger spatial and architectural possibilities of these rudimentary natural building components.
Material and dimensions:
Forest Sphere.
Spruce, Bees Waxed Cotton, Pigment.
150 x 150 x 320 cm.
Little Blue.
Spruce, Ash, Bees Waxed Cotton, Pigment.
50 x 50 x 180 cm.
Year:
2025
PHOTOGRAPHY BY:
Benjamin Lund and Ole Akhøj
LONG DESCRIPTION:
Forest Sphere and Little Blue were first exhibited as part of Bendixen & Baruël’s solo exhibition Wild Interiors at Officinet. Rather than a traditional exhibition, the duo approached the space as a laboratory of processes, exploring and questioning way in which humans can better understand and connect with nature through our spaces and structures. Within this setting, Forest Sphere was a central piece. Reaching over 3m in height, six sections of spruce tree trunks create a rhythmic, totemic structure with branches protruding at varying lengths and frequencies. The longer branching structures are connected by blue pigmented cotton that, when treated with bees wax, curl and stiffen much like the semi-clenched formations of leaf foliage. The connecting textile additions create a dynamic colour play with the raw branches while forming a circular spatial volume, architectural in appearance. Little Blue reacts to this larger subject through the combination of an up-turned ash branch at its base, and a slimmer spruce top interspersed with textile additions with touches of blue pigmentation. Together, the two works evoke memories of interactions with fallen trees and growing branches, whilst offering insights into the possibility of their expanded use as architectural components during a time of growing societal need to form deeper connections to our natural world.
DESIGNER BIO:
Bendixen & Baruël.
Cecilie Bendixen.
Architect, born 1975.
Laura Baruël.
Designer, born 1975.
Surrounded by the forests, fields, animals and sea of the southern Danish island of Møn, the studio of architect Cecilie Bendixen and designer Laura Baruël acts as a hub for a practice in constant collaboration with nature. Together, Bendixen & Baruël explore the potential of raw bio-gene materials through immersive spatial designs and conceptual installations that encourage learning and connection. The dynamic qualities of textiles feature as a strong element throughout their body of work – a tensile yet flexible material that moves with the wind and encourages interaction through tactility. Textile is combined with structural materials – with an increasing fascination in the unique qualities of wild tree branches and living trees whose strong angles, curves and knots bring an unpredictability to their work while connecting each project with the environment in which it was sourced and constructed. Approaching the challenges of our time through a sense of joy and an openness to the natural world, the work of Bendixen & Baruël aims to understand and emphasise the fantastic features of nature and transform under-appreciated resources into rich and complex objects and spaces to be admired and enjoyed.
EDUCATION:
Laura Baruël.
2006: MA, Fashion Design, Royal Danish Academy, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Cecilie Bendixen.
2013: Ph.d., Architecture, Royal Danish Academy, Copenhagen, Denmark.
GRANTS & HONOURS:
2024: Project Grant, Beckett Foundation, Denmark.
2024: Project Grant, L. F. Foght’s Foundation, Denmark.
2024: Working Grant, Danish Arts Foundation, Denmark.
2024: Working Grant, Danmarks Nationalbank´s Anniversary Foundation, Denmark.
2023: Project Grant, Danish Arts Foundation, Denmark.
2022: Working Grant, Danish Arts Foundation, Denmark.
2014: Working Grant, Danmarks Nationalbank´s Anniversary Foundation, Denmark.
EXHIBITIONS:
2025: Solo Exhibition, Wilded Interiors, Officinet, Copenhagen, Denmark.
2024: Group Exhibition, The Thread of Your Thought, Galerie Maria Wettergren, Paris, France.
COMMISSIONS:
2025: Branched Tent, Middle Age Garden, Stege, Denmark.
2025: Black-spotted Bluebird Tent, Danish Arts Foundation, Stensved Primary School, Stensved, Denmark.
2024: Dynamic Textile Constructions, Danish Arts Foundation, Independent School Øster Egesborg, Mern, Denmark.
2024: Frimod, Institute of Childrens Culture, Hedegård Primary School, Ballerup, Denmark.
2024: Five Tents, Danish Arts Foundation, Kaerby Primary School, Aalborg, Denmark.
2021: Grass Cape, Vejen Art Museum, Vejen, Denmark.
2018: Völver, The Skibelund Tent, Vejen Art Museum, Vejen, Denmark.
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