In a new series, we explore the Creative Duos living and working in Lisbon. Focusing on handcraft in its different forms, we hear from designers about collaborating in creative process and what sets Lisbon design scene apart. Our friends at Morgado do Quintão, wine producers with a penchant for art and design, joined us on the journey, sharing with us their bottles of wine for the conversation. Watch the video here.
First up, ceramics and woodwork duo Natasza and Tomás of Further Ther, accompanied by daughter Irene, welcomed us into their studio in Lisbon's Principe Real.
So firstly, can you talk us through what your creative process is working together and what your respective roles are?
Tomás:
The best way to explain it in a concise form would be, Natasza has a fine arts background and I have an engineering background, which we both kind of transfer into the design world. She's kind of the open heart, open idea concept side of it and I'm more the technical part of it. So she has an idea which could be plausible or not, and it’s the fusion of her idea to find a material which we agree with. But I think where we really agree on both sides is the material. We both choose a material for the common emotion we have with it, the common story.
It's also interesting to see that we have a fusion of very organic language and very square, architectural language. In the ceramics, you tend to understand that her vision is more or less organic, more related to how the material behaves. While with wood I tend to manipulate the material to a more certain degree. I cannot allow for it so much to be so free, right? I need a little bit of zero references.
So.. we kind of fuse one side that is open-ended and the other side that is a bit more closed-ended, and we meet in the middle in some sort of agreement.
"I know he will make it work at the end of the day. I know that he will find a way to meet the expectations of the vision of the object. So I can be free to create. He feels more free being very methodical."
This brings us to our next question.. how do you complement each other in the process? Is it this organic versus structured fusion?
Natasza:
Yeah, exactly. I would say that for me, it gives me freedom to express how I see the object in my head. Because I know he will make it work at the end of the day. I know that he will find a way to meet the expectations of the vision of the object. So I can be free to create, I can be deconstructing the whole piece, I can be playing around and be open to it. And probably because he knows at the end of the day I will make it in our aesthetic. He feels more free of being very methodical, while I feel free to just express and explore. At the end of the day, that is what we like.
What are the challenges that come with collaboration and how do you overcome it?
Natasza:
I think the hardest part is to meet the momentum of being inspired, the momentum of being motivated, to find the same mindset within the project. Because we are two individuals. So obviously, we're going to have moments of being inspired or uninspired, motivated or demotivated in different moments.
Sometimes when we have a project, it might be that one of us is more motivated to do it than the other. So that's the hardest part too, how to level this up.. how to meet, while we are so dispersed sometimes, how to meet in the common ground.
"Irene is very soft, rounded, much more flawless, tender. I think I've noticed that I am much more rounded in many senses in my work."
Our series is on Creative Duos, but we see actually that you are three (daughter Irene is with us in the studio).
We're curious, does Irene compliment the process? How has she evolved this creative process?
Natasza:
I see that I am much more open to see and observe the material in this way that it's... How to explain it? Irene is very soft, rounded, much more flawless, tender. I think I've noticed that I am much more rounded in many senses in my work. Also, I think experiencing the huge belly in front of you for nine months also gives you kind of round shapes around you. Probably also since Irene started to walk, you are so aware of the edges and the corners that we started to, even in furniture, round up.
Tomás:
It's quite a lot more, yeah. It also influenced quite a lot the woodworking. I think now we basically tend to round up or find thicker but more soft volumes. It's a different way of thinking when someone like this is wandering around the house and touching all the objects, moving and understanding them.. and also appreciating them. So this aesthetic influence is kind of the biggest emotional connection, I think in that sense.
That three-way of working is never easy, you know. Natasha knows best because she's spending quite a lot of time with her here in the ceramic workshop. Irene wants to pinch things, she wants to also do her own work and be involved. When we are in the wood workshop, we tend to also keep her entertained. And I think she ends up finding her own games and her own interest in machines and so on.
"We allow ourselves much more to fail now. That's a beautiful part of having a child, suddenly you are like, well, I failed.. She's failing all the time and she's fine with this, why would we not be?"
Natasza:
She's with us 24-7, so we have to make her part of our work and our practice. And I think it keeps you extremely creative, because you need to be creative to be inventing little games for her to be able to finish the piece.
And you need to be very open that you're going to face some failures that you might not finish when you wanted to finish. Some things might not work out as you wanted. And in general, I think that's a very beautiful part of design, that we allow ourselves much more to fail now than we used to before. And that's a beautiful part of having a child, that you suddenly are like, well, I failed, and that's fine. She's failing all the time and she's fine with this, why would we not be? So she was a great inspiration for us as well.
So Irene teaches you many new lessons?
Natasza:
All the time. For example, we're going for an exhibition now, and the piece which we will be exhibiting, she just grabbed a knife, a prototype of ours and she just scratched it. The entire seat of a chair was scratched and drawn on with pencil. We had to re-burn it, re-brush it, re-oil it, re-wax it. But it's okay. It's not the end of the world. Everything is manageable. What can we do? Okay, we will restore the piece.
I mean, we are human, all the end of the day. Plus, we make our stuff with our hands. So there is need to be a room for the scratches, for imperfections, for that something goes wrong. We make our pieces and we have faults. Our pieces reflect our faults. There is no chance to make it perfect and we don't even tend to make it perfect. We need these imperfections visible and even though always perfect.
What is exciting to you right now about Lisbon Design Week?
Tomás:
I think this international presence is so diverse and in all these different fields of design. We have people, even old friends that were expats at some point designing products for brands all over the world and they've reconnected back to Lisbon. Because of how international it's become and there's always something interesting going on. And changes all the time. We have all this foreign input, bringing these new ideas and establishing them with what locally exists in terms of craftsmanship, materials. I think it's part of the environment of the city. It's a city in constant change, in constant reconstruction.
Thank you to Natasza and Tomás for the time and wonderful conversation, and our friends and supporters at Morgado do Quintão for the wine shared.
Morgado do Quintão was conceived and nurtured by lovers of the creative arts, with a deep belief that engaging with the arts offers one of the most profound and satisfying experience. Their commitment to artistic creation spans across all disciplines, notably working with artists to illustrate their labels and placing art residencies at their quinta in the Algarve, recognizing their power to challenge, inspire, and transform. By intertwining work in the vineyard with the dynamic rhythms of the art world, Morgado do Quintão is a place where art and nature converge, inviting all who enter to partake in the timeless dialogue between the earth and the imagination.
Can you explain a little about Morgado do Quintão and its motivations? What's the story?
Filipe:
Morgado do Quintão, nestled where the Monchique mountains meet the Atlantic ocean amidst the Algarve's lush orange groves and olive orchards, is a family-owned vineyard estate with deep historical roots. It embodies a passion for the land, food, adventure and entertainment.
Founded in the 1800's by the Count of Silves, he initially planted vines in the red soil of the Algarve, laying the foundation for what would become one of the region's oldest vineyards. Over the years, the family has built upon this legacy, producing award-winning wines from indigenous grape varieties like Negra Mole and Crato Branco. This deep connection to the land and heritage is reflected in our commitment to organic and low-intervention winemaking practices, showcasing the unique terroir of the Algarve.
Visit their site to explore more.
