Mexican designer Fernando Laposse has been named the winner of the distinguished Bentley Lighthouse Award at this evening's Dezeen Awards 2024 ceremony.
In this exclusive video produced by Dezeen in collaboration with Bentley, Laposse reflects on how his work in regenerating agriculture in Mexico is an integral part of his design process.
The Bentley Lighthouse Award recognises designers who are curious and courageous in their approach, creating work that positively impacts social and environmental sustainability, inclusivity or community empowerment.
Laposse collaborates with an Indigenous farming community in Tonaquixla, Mexico, to restore its farmland and create new job opportunities for the community through his designs.
"What we've been trying to do for the past decade is to regenerate the farmland around this village that was very heavily eroded during the 1990s," Laposse said in the video.
The designer also works with the world's largest seed bank to reintroduce heirloom corn varieties lost in the 1990s.
He repurposes the husks of the corn to create a new veneering material called Totomoxtle, which he then applies to his furniture surfaces.
"It's a project about restoring biodiversity," Laposse explained.
Laposse has also worked with the Tonaquixla community to address the issue of erosion by planting agave plants, a process he describes as "reforestation."
During the pruning process, Laposse uses the natural agave fibres, known as Sisal, to create a range of furniture, including his signature Pup Bench.
"I like to not lose the soul of the material," Laposse said. "It's about minimal intervention."
The 2024 jury praised Laposse for his studio's dedication to using "traditional, almost primitive making techniques" to create powerful contemporary designs that are "reinvigorating waning craft skills and materials, in turn boosting local ecosystems and supporting his local communities."
"I think a lot of the problems that we are facing with the climate crisis are actually human problems," Laposse explained.
"By rebalancing the system, by narrowing the inequality gap that we have, you can empower these communities to thrive, which has a domino effect in the wellbeing of the environments that they're living in."
The nominees competing with Laposse for the Bentley Lighthouse Award included Amsterdam-based design and material development firm Studio ThusThat, Dutch designer Christien Meindertsma, multidisciplinary design agency Faber Futures and US material innovation company Natural Fiber Welding.
Dezeen Awards 2024
Dezeen Awards celebrates the world's best architecture, interiors and design. Now in its seventh year, it has become the ultimate accolade for architects and designers across the globe. The annual awards are in partnership with Bentley Motors, as part of a wider collaboration that will see the brand work with Dezeen to support and inspire the next generation of design talent.
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