MARTA ARMENGOL
WE LOVE WOMEN
PHOTOS BY CLAIRE O'KEEFE
Marta Armengol, is an architect, based in Mallorca whose work expands across architecture, design,
installation and sculpture to experiment with space, objects and materials in a playful process of trial
and error. “For me, design is a tool that should provide solutions to problems or cover people's needs.
And if it can arouse emotions with its beauty too, then all the better. Function and beauty are implicit in the
word “design”. It is also closely related to expression, matter and form and can most certainly create a
social impact.
The same thing happens with fashion. Designers, in whatever discipline, have to work with our ideas
to move society forward, to offer innovation and solutions. Both worlds coexist in a context that is
changing in constant transformation and we should make sure those ideas coincide and are coherent
with the present moment. In order to design, you must observe and understand and that requires time
and dedication.
I don't see inspiration as something that happens merely by chance, but as something that requires persistence for it to appear. For me it is an amalgamation of many things that include what I may see or dream, but also what I read, or hear... at times it might be an idea, a concept, a text or a drawing, but other times it may be the shape, aesthetic, or a need or interest one is seeking. On each project inspiration appears spontaneously, intuitively and in different ways. And often, technique intervenes in the inspiration so the process itself is highly important. Intuition springs out of calmness, from observation so for me, calm is essential so as not to miss any ideas and in order to act upon them.
For me, beauty and functionalism go hand in hand. My mentality is very pragmatic at heart.
Undoubtedly beauty is essential, as design should provide a function whilst maintaining an aesthetic emotion. Objects define us and we are surrounded by them whether we use them or not, and when we don't use them they are still there, so they should be beautiful, stimulate emotions or be in harmony with their surroundings. Aesthetics are inherent in things, come from inside them, and perhaps therein
lies their mystery.
Simplicity or timelessness are two concepts I always keep in mind but which are hard to achieve. I
strive to create objects and spaces that won't become ugly as time passes by, whose beauty and
functionality are both equally everlasting. I believe that things that are well-made and good quality
age well and are durable. And that's applicable to fashion too.
Glass is a man-made material obtained by mixing silica with other bases, going through many stages
of manipulation. Its greatest peculiarity is transparency and its possibility to transport and reflect light or to allow us to see through it. Blown glass is achieved through a human-being's work with their
lungs and hands and therefore their imprint is inherent in the object's final shape – making it
subjective and unique. The technique becomes intuitive, which somehow manifests the divine in
everyone and therefore in the person who blows it into that particular object.
The expression of matter is something I have always been interested in and I always try to investigate
materials and delve deep inside them. I find it really interesting to deepen on the capacities of each
material and use it as a possibility or limitation when it comes to designing pieces or spaces
Nature is the purest art; the master supreme. It is inherent in us and is also what surrounds me here on
the island. I love to observe her and study her and I suppose this influences me when it comes to
designing. Nature is beautiful and awakens emotions, as I believe design should do too.”
TEXTS BY VICTORIA MACARTE