Made In Situ is an exhibition consisting of three collections designed by Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance, presented by Contributions Design in collaboration with Demisch Danant, a New York-based gallery. French designer Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance and NYC gallery Demisch Danant presented a selection of works from Made In Situ, a project based in Paris and Lisbon that promotes a practice rooted in a specific territory unique to Noé, exploring its materials, artisans, and craftsmanship. Made In Situ is a collection of cross-disciplinary works that examine the relationship between people and places, as well as nature, emotion, and materiality. Duchaufour-Lawrance has spent five years living and working between Lisbon and Paris, developing these site-specific collections alongside local artisans and craftspeople. His collections are a testament to the time he has spent truly discovering a place, its people, and its history. On view at the Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance show were the works from the Barro Negro, Bronze & Beeswax, and Chêne & Liège collections.

I was most drawn to the Chêne & Liège collection due to its unique material properties; it is the only Made In Situ collection that was produced in France. This project is based on the properties of the cork oak, an endemic and emblematic tree of the ‘massif des Maures’ nature reserve. The bark of this species is naturally fire-resistant and helps protect the tree from the wild fires that frequently occur in the area. However, when covered in soot, the bark can cause the tree to die if it is not removed. “Chêne & Liège” aims to embody this dual identity by combining the burnt cork oak wood salvaged from the flames with the healthy bark still harvested by one of the last specialist companies in the Var. The project involves a team consisting of a lumberjack, a cork harvester, a woodworker, and a craftsman. Both the healthy bark and the wood salvaged from the flames combine to form a unique collection.