In their latest exhibition, the duo pushes the boundaries to demonstrate the broad possibilities of collaborative design.
Design is nothing less than a series of subtle choices that influence how we feel and perceive things. Through their collaborative work, designers Rita Nazareno and Gabby Lichauco create objects and spaces that convey a sense of balance, connecting seemingly opposing or disparate elements.
Good design is evident when a space feels inviting and draws you in to an object or room. Often this is achieved through the interplay of contrasting elements, such as sculptures and geometric shapes, modern pieces in vintage buildings, or color combinations at opposite ends of the spectrum.
That same sense of contrast is apparent in Nazareno and Richauco themselves: Nazareno is lively and bold, with a booming voice that fills a room; Richauco, on the other hand, is reserved but not afraid of a sarcastic joke. Their contrasting personalities combine to create lightness and laughter that smooths the design process and results in work that is cool, edgy, tactile, yet deeply rooted in local artisans, materials, and traditions.
The sense of power, partnership and creativity of these respected figures organically opens up the possibilities for collaborative design.
Know your individual practices
Nazareno and Richauco’s collaboration has produced some incredible results, but their individual journeys are just as fascinating.
Nazareno’s path to design took an unlikely route to Hollywood, where she won an Emmy Award before returning to Manila to work at her grandmother’s workshop, SC Vizcara. Zacharias 1925Since then, the company has been creating distinctive, hand-woven bags that have graced the prestigious showcases from Paris to Milan.
A dynamic speaker with master’s degrees from the San Francisco Art Institute and the London College of Fashion, Nazareno’s influence extends beyond design, as she frequently lectures on design at venues from the Watari Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo to Phnom Penh.
Complementing Nazareno’s fiber art, Richauco sculpts spaces and objects that challenge perception. As founder of a consultancy firm Open Studio Founder of creative platform Newfolk, Richauco’s multi-faceted approach has seen him recognised as one of Asia’s “Top 100 Designers” in a broadsheet book. Asian Design: The New WaveLichauco also exhibited at the 2017 Venice Biennale.
When he’s not reimagining spaces, Richauco teaches as an adjunct industrial design instructor at De La Salle College of Saint Benilde, and the global perspective he gained from his master’s degree in Milan infuses his professional work and mentoring of the next generation of designers.
The Nazareno-Richauco duo
“Everything else is based on our imagination and humor. It becomes a kind of formula when we come up with a collection, a concept or the design of a space. And it changes based on the direction we are working with the client,” explains Lichauco.
“What we do is serious work in terms of craftsmanship, technology and everything else. There’s complexity there, but there’s also playfulness. So there’s a fun, playful energy behind what we do, and I think that’s the goal.” After a moment of silence, Nazareno adds, “I don’t think I’ve ever been in a design meeting without laughter.”
Both of them have a sense of humor, and their light-heartedness helps them to enhance their ideas together.
SC Vizcarra’s design department, based out of Nazareno’s family-run factory, employs about 50 artisans, including weavers, seamstresses, carpenters and metal workers. Many of these artisans are from the next generation of artisans who are open to experimenting with design. “They always say, ‘Whatever you do, it’s going to be crazy and fun,'” Nazareno says.
The duo emphasizes that while playfulness is ever-present in their creative process, it doesn’t necessarily dictate the final aesthetic. “Some of our work has a really straightforward, streamlined aesthetic,” says Lichauco. “It’s just part of how we create design, and it doesn’t necessarily result in an aesthetic,” adds Nazareno.
Recently, the pair has expanded into designing schools and classrooms, and has been involved in the design of OB Montessori and Preziosa FarmThey are also involved in the creative direction of Manila Fame’s home division. Benilde Open.
“This isn’t just product design,” Nazareno says. “This is a multidisciplinary studio that we work in.”
read: Dreaming of creative change? These Benilde Open Programs empower innovators
Nazareno/Richauco works at JJ Acuña/Bespoke Studio
The latest proving ground for their creativity is currently running as a six-week exhibition from June 27 to August 8, 2024 at JJ Acuña’s “bespoke” Manila space.
They collaborated to some degree on all of their works, although some works are more influenced by one designer than the other.
The glass windows display Nazareno’s artworks, including Monolith Crumpled bench and lampJust debuting at Singapore Design Week’s Emerge, the bench’s leather-strapped seat matches the undulating pattern of the sturdy woven rattan that’s also featured in the woven overhang lamp.
Meanwhile, Lichauco’s “Hide and Seek” is a playful nod to nature’s secrets: a woven log, carefully carved to mimic tree rings, conceals half of a vibrant yellow side table, only revealed from a certain angle.
Adding an extra edge, a series of black and ivory bone china crumpled paper paintings hang on some of the walls of the space. Tracy AnguloIn The Night Before Christmas, the crowbar and hammer are recreated against a striking blue and gold background. The work creates tension and transforms the instruments of destruction into works of art.
Perhaps the highlight of the exhibition is Nazareno and Lichauco’s “Pipe Series.” The benches and lamps are handwoven from black, worn-in chair cane, transforming industrial shapes into something more “earthy.” Reminiscent of a stylized cactus, the lamps are adorned with glowing globes, contrasting with the practical yet whimsical benches, with their leather saddle seats and hidden compartments (“perfect for a stash or passport,” Nazareno jokes).
The pieces reflect the designers’ collaboration, born from the subtle contrast of yin and yang energies, and their continuing ethos of fusing traditional weaving techniques with the trajectory of contemporary design.
For inquiries regarding exhibiting at JJABespoke’s Manila space, please email us at [email protected].
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