A re-evaluation of our relationship to trees from a design perspective.
Cambio is a long-term design research project by design duo Formafantasma (Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin) that investigates the global timber industry: from forest ecosystems to the politics and economies shaping wood production. Commissioned by the Serpentine Galleries in London (2020), the project expands the role of design beyond form and aesthetics, positioning it as a critical tool for understanding material supply chains and their ecological implications.
“Cambio, from the medieval Latin cambium, ‘change, exchange’, is an ongoing investigation conducted by Formafantasma into the governance of the timber industry. The evolution of this form of commerce over time, and its tentacular expansion across the globe, has made it difficult to regulate. It grew out of the bioprospecting that took place throughout colonial territories during the nineteenth century, becoming one of the largest industries in the world both in terms of the revenue it generates and the impact it has on the planet’s biosphere” (Studio Formafantasma, 2020).
Exhibition and Online Platform
Cambio is a beautiful and thought-provoking exhibition that invites visitors to perceive trees not merely as resources, but as living entities whose growth rhythms reveal the tension between ecological time and human consumption. In addition to the physical exhibition, the design duo created a comprehensive online platform that presents their research outcomes and compiles an archive of documents, videos, books, and articles on the subject.
Voices from the Critics:
“Cambio is a masterclass in how design can become a form of environmental inquiry — poetic, investigative, and politically aware.” – Dezeen
“Formafantasma transform the exhibition format into a research platform that reconnects material, ecology, and ethics.” – Domus
Image Source: © 2020 Studio Formafantasma
