Materiality is everything. The way things feel, perform, and react loom large in our world as tactile animals beholden to the plethora of sensory experiences around us. Also innate is an inclination to push the boundaries of what is possible within these limits. “Layered Nature” by nendo for ALPI does just that exhibiting the capabilities of wood veneer in a site-specific installation, which fuses the ancient geometries of Italian palazzos with the simplicity of Japanese design.
The exhibition features two nendo veneer collections, Kasumi and Futae. Kasumi, meaning ‘mist’ in Japanese, features delicate shading created by an innovative technical process that actually combines two hues of veneer, yielding an extra level of depth. Futae is made up of two wood grains on different scales, giving it a distinctive tree-bark texture that is as dynamic as the source material. 
Each veneer comes in two tones: Kasumi Blue and Kasumi Grey; Futae White and Futae Grey. Grounded in nature, these color ways explore the possibilities within veneer. This blend of the organic and technical is set brilliantly in the ALPI showroom, fusing modern with ancient. Here, shape is based on a celebration of the material, allowing simplicity to show rather than explicitly tell.
“The pieces on display were not designed to be conventionally functional, but to emphasize the material itself. They showcase the eminent skill ALPI possesses in creating curves with wood veneer,” says nendo’s principal architect Oki Sato. “They intentionally incorporate shapes devoid of a clear way to use them, so as to shift the focus from function to emotion.”
This collaboration seems obvious given ALPI’s commitment to promoting the noble qualities of wood and nendo’s cerebral design approach. By uniting material, research, and experimentation, each brings experience to the project the other would may not have had otherwise.
To learn more about “Layered Nature” by nendo for ALPI, visit alpi.us.
Photography by Federico Cedrone.
