Founded by Nitin Barchha and Disney Davis with their shared passion for design, the Mumbai-based practice ‘Material Immaterial’ indulges in the sheer joy of crafting and the process of experimenting with the character of materials.
With an inclination of designing objects that gravitate more towards art than functionality; their work refers to the taste for quirkier things in life. The duo confess their love for creating products that are not always utilitarian in nature, explaining that the notion of functionality sometimes dilutes their interest of making.
Fed up of the narrow window in this particular domain, the partners decided to pour their ideas into a mould and craft them, heedless of their bankability. Elimination of the ghost of economy from the process made their work a form of expression. The products come across as engaging visual and tactile objects that compel one to tinker with it, feel its texture and weigh it to wonder on the process that has made it.
Before Material Immaterial became a formal identity, we were doing things because we just wanted to do them and that urge of doing something had already superseded any sensibilities of marketing or sale-ability.
The influence of Peter Zumthor, Carlo Scarpa and John Pawson is evident in Material Immaterial’s work. There is a general emphasis on pushing the possibilities with the material at hand, and this engagement with the material leads research for the designers. It is de-stressing to witness the work culture of a liberal and intrinsic design process, detailed through drawings and process models.
The ‘Spaces’ collection is a fine example of an additive and reductive process that enables crafting of complex architectural objects. The pieces – each a variation of the theme assemble in an organic formation on the plate to generate multiple permutations and combinations in configuration.
‘Mirage’ captures the essential quality of light-and-shadow: the negative and the positive in a tribute to the works of Carlo Scarpa. The assortment (consisting of robust concrete handles), is characterised by crisp edges, reducing planes, and a set of ocular pieces.
‘Elements’ is a collection of micro-concrete cufflinks and earrings. With designs that are minimal and sharply defined in form, each pair is unique and each pair refers to the genesis of the idea. They acutely reflect the makers’ fascination with concrete, characterised by the material’s malleability, formal strength and signature finish.
True to its title, the ‘Organic’ series tests the flexibility of paper-maché to capacity with its fluid form, stretching the possibilities of the material at hand. The collection of lamps and furniture takes inspiration from earthy elements like flowers and mushrooms, revealing the natural colour and texture of paper pulp.
Over a period of time, the venture has developed products that are beginning to have a functional aspect to their personality. Yet, at the core of the work of Material Immaterial, there is a consistent desire to create non-objective things – things that have their own distinct identity that is disconnected from the limits of use. At the heart of it, the practice is driven by the elegance in simplicity – of both form and material. The joy of the design process is evident in its many manifestations ⊗
Founded by architects Nitin Barchha and Disney Davis in 2015, the Mumbai-based design practice MATERIAL IMMATERIAL STUDIO is responsible for creating objects of desire for architects and design-oriented individuals. It is built on the basic principles of bare beauty of materials, exploration of form of reduction and experimentation with techniques of creating. Beyond Material Immaterial Studio, Nitin and Disney also head ‘The White Room’ – a Mumbai-based architecture firm with a passion for exploring innovative ways of approaching fundamental problems of space, proportion, light and materials.
