The current exhibition at the Made In Situ studio in Lisbon features a series of handcrafted, ornamental stools. We hear from the gallery founder and designer Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
This is Monocle on Design Extra.
It's a short show to accompany our weekly program where we discuss everything from architecture and craft to furniture and fashion.
I'm Ailie Evans.
In northern Portugal, the Caretos festivities are an amalgamation of mysticism and ancient ritual, with participants often wearing hand carved masks and made by local artisans.
The craft involved in this folk tradition is a focus of a current exhibition in Lisbon at Made in Situ.
Here the exhibition Carretos features seven handcrafted ornamental stools fashioned from black alder.
To find out more, I caught up with the designer and Made in Situ founder, Noel du Chaffour.
Laurence.
It's the first time that I don't design anything.
I've been to a village and asking some artisans to do something with a very basic idea.
They are all doing some masks for Caritos ceremonies, which are actually ceremonies during the winter time in the north of Portugal.
More or less around the Carnival ceremonies.
It's about putting all the troubles out, being crazy a bit.
They are faces of devils, they are walking in the fire, running after each other.
All the village become totally crazy.
I was really impressed about the mask that I was seeing in the museum.
In small villages, I began to collect some.
We went first to a village where the festivities are very rooted.
And then we went to Lazarim where they are doing the mask in wood.
It's a very small village where they are doing also the ceremonies of the characters.