‘Places are poetic. They grow and change, influenced and inspired by the bodies inhabiting them.
Because of this, our work is interactive. It is made to approach, touch, shaped by the nature and the forces engaging with it.
Actions change our sculptures, trigging light, sounds, echos. Rain, wind, sunlight, and each unpredictable interaction creates a new landscape of performative responses.
In this way, we make the works, but they are completed by the community and the nature they come into contact with.
This creates a symbiosis between art and its environment.’
Because of this, our work is interactive. It is made to approach, touch, shaped by the nature and the forces engaging with it.
Actions change our sculptures, trigging light, sounds, echos. Rain, wind, sunlight, and each unpredictable interaction creates a new landscape of performative responses.
In this way, we make the works, but they are completed by the community and the nature they come into contact with.
This creates a symbiosis between art and its environment.’
STUDIO︎
Maetherea {Matter + Ethereal} is a multidisciplinary practice based in London, founded in 2018 and directed by Cristina Morbi and operating internationally at the intersection of Landscape Architecture and Public Art. Our studio combines time-based design with natural and artificial phenomena to create spaces that evolve over time. Our projects are guided by ecological principles, considering the relationships among all living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment.
We draw inspiration from a multidisciplinary perspective, merging rituals with perception and interactive installations triggered by nature. These rituals are developed through community engagement processes, manifesting as event and performances that foster deeper connections to the space. In this way, we create performative environments where the landscape acts as a theatre and nature plays the role of the actor. By proposing the fourth dimension of time as a crucial element in the public realm, we design time-based iconic structures and art installations that foster interaction between humans and nature, continuously adapting to new scenarios.
Our installations and Landscape architecture serve as ecological and phenological devices, becoming tools for exploring and engaging with the environment. We believe that urban spaces and public art should not be viewed as a series of isolated objects, but rather as a choreography of performances that intertwine sculptural perception with experiential design. In this way, we focus on the narrative: uncovering the story behind a place and discovering new and creative ways to celebrate it.
We draw inspiration from a multidisciplinary perspective, merging rituals with perception and interactive installations triggered by nature. These rituals are developed through community engagement processes, manifesting as event and performances that foster deeper connections to the space. In this way, we create performative environments where the landscape acts as a theatre and nature plays the role of the actor. By proposing the fourth dimension of time as a crucial element in the public realm, we design time-based iconic structures and art installations that foster interaction between humans and nature, continuously adapting to new scenarios.
Our installations and Landscape architecture serve as ecological and phenological devices, becoming tools for exploring and engaging with the environment. We believe that urban spaces and public art should not be viewed as a series of isolated objects, but rather as a choreography of performances that intertwine sculptural perception with experiential design. In this way, we focus on the narrative: uncovering the story behind a place and discovering new and creative ways to celebrate it.
PEOPLE︎
Cristina Morbi - Director
Morbi is a London based Landscape Architect, Designer and Researcher working for the Public Realm and Art Commissions, focusing on Site-Specific Landscape Architecture, Environmental Design and Public Art.
She affiliates with Universities London and Milan, as a Lecturer at the Bartlett School of Architecture UCL, leading Architecture Unit 7 MEng, and since 2018 she has been Visiting Professor MSc Politecnico di Milano School of Design, and London Metropolitan University - School of Art Architecture and Design.
Exploring performative processes and phenology in Landscape Architecture, she founded in 2018 Maetherea, a Studio Manifesto bringing together design, art and research, working on the poetic aspect of unpredictability and performative landscapes.
Her research and work bring together phenomenologic landscapes through time-based design, working on the relationship between natural and artificial agents and questioning the life-span of design gestures, how they shape the landscape, sculptural features and installations. Her research focuses on the matter as a performative agent, that grow, change and dissolve, working on ‘Design Phenology’ - Time become an instrument to explore and design the landscape: ‘We believe that Landscape Architecture is not made as sequence of objects but rather a coreography of performances’
Morbi is a London based Landscape Architect, Designer and Researcher working for the Public Realm and Art Commissions, focusing on Site-Specific Landscape Architecture, Environmental Design and Public Art.
She affiliates with Universities London and Milan, as a Lecturer at the Bartlett School of Architecture UCL, leading Architecture Unit 7 MEng, and since 2018 she has been Visiting Professor MSc Politecnico di Milano School of Design, and London Metropolitan University - School of Art Architecture and Design.
Exploring performative processes and phenology in Landscape Architecture, she founded in 2018 Maetherea, a Studio Manifesto bringing together design, art and research, working on the poetic aspect of unpredictability and performative landscapes.
Her research and work bring together phenomenologic landscapes through time-based design, working on the relationship between natural and artificial agents and questioning the life-span of design gestures, how they shape the landscape, sculptural features and installations. Her research focuses on the matter as a performative agent, that grow, change and dissolve, working on ‘Design Phenology’ - Time become an instrument to explore and design the landscape: ‘We believe that Landscape Architecture is not made as sequence of objects but rather a coreography of performances’
Collaborators
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Aurora Destro - Associate
Destro is an Architect registered in Italy and Visual Artist based in Milan, working on the themes of ephemerality, rituals and time-based design. Her research investigates the ephemeral aspect of space design, exploring the themes of light, nature, time and digital space. Destro collaborates as Associate at the studio, supporting on different aspect of the project. Aurora worked on key project of the studio, like the Iron reef, Sundial and Kaleidosteeple.
Aurora Destro - Associate
Destro is an Architect registered in Italy and Visual Artist based in Milan, working on the themes of ephemerality, rituals and time-based design. Her research investigates the ephemeral aspect of space design, exploring the themes of light, nature, time and digital space. Destro collaborates as Associate at the studio, supporting on different aspect of the project. Aurora worked on key project of the studio, like the Iron reef, Sundial and Kaleidosteeple.
Kristina Chan - Artist
Chan is a London based Artist and Print Maker. her works are a culmination and accumulation into site specific history to depict socio-cultural entropic narratives. They explore the correlation between architecture and sculptural landscapes of derelict and disused spaces. She is interested in sites where the intersection between function and intention have fallen into decline and disrepair, where untold histories recount themselves, in all their brevity, satire, beauty, and collapse. Kristina worked on key project of the studio, like Kochia Memoria, Amber Memorial, and Rosewind.
Chan is a London based Artist and Print Maker. her works are a culmination and accumulation into site specific history to depict socio-cultural entropic narratives. They explore the correlation between architecture and sculptural landscapes of derelict and disused spaces. She is interested in sites where the intersection between function and intention have fallen into decline and disrepair, where untold histories recount themselves, in all their brevity, satire, beauty, and collapse. Kristina worked on key project of the studio, like Kochia Memoria, Amber Memorial, and Rosewind.
Jean-Baptiste Roux - Head of Data and BD
Roux is a London based head of Database and Business development, working on strategies and benchmarking, unifying Art and Tech. He is the creator of the Database of Performances, developing the know-how and vision of Maetherea. Jean-Baptiste is trained in the Business School of UIBE, in France and China. He is passionate about the creative worlds and works on tech-art platforms, Artlogic and Aucart
Roux is a London based head of Database and Business development, working on strategies and benchmarking, unifying Art and Tech. He is the creator of the Database of Performances, developing the know-how and vision of Maetherea. Jean-Baptiste is trained in the Business School of UIBE, in France and China. He is passionate about the creative worlds and works on tech-art platforms, Artlogic and Aucart
Previously:
Davide Maruelli, Giorgia Mazzetti, Cristina Brena, Lola Artilles San-Juan, Beliz Gurmen, Alessandro Grossi, Gabriela Menghiris, Robert Stefanescu
Davide Maruelli, Giorgia Mazzetti, Cristina Brena, Lola Artilles San-Juan, Beliz Gurmen, Alessandro Grossi, Gabriela Menghiris, Robert Stefanescu