2023 Loisaida Artist in Residence:

DARING Wood

by: Brianna N. Love

Brianna Love is a furniture, spatial, and material designer and researcher with a focus on sustainability. An avid fan of science fiction and horror film, narratives about other worlds provide her with a framework to think about the worlds in which her work could exist and the more sustainable and just future it is working towards. She draws inspiration from the natural environment, chemistry, and culture which guides her speculative approach to researching and designing the future of furniture and sustainable living. She currently pursuing a Master of Architecture and Master of Science in Real Estate Development at Columbia University. Her work has been featured in Interior Design Magazine and Architectural Digest.

Artist Statement: Design and art allow us to envision and experience new worlds. This belief guides my narrative and speculative driven practice to push our conventional understanding and expectations of the world we live in and of the worlds we dream. Working currently through furniture, small objects, and material research, design, and development I work to challenge the products we expect to see in the spaces we call home to enable everyone to see and feel how sustainability is a lifestyle practice without a singular unifying design aesthetic. In order for sustainability to take hold in our everyday lives people have to see themselves reflected aesthetically reflected in sustainability. The current aesthetics of sustainability are very white and cold, not reflective of the diversity and need for community to be truly and holistically sustainable. I design objects and materials that are aimed to fit into different aesthetics that create an opening for more people to see that their personal design aesthetic can not only fit but encourage sustainable habits by creating a more inclusive aesthetic of sustainability. Goal for the Residency: Brianna is interested in developing a material made from sawdust that is both compostable or recyclable, and safe to use around the house. Her plan is to create various household objects from this material and test its limits. Currently, sawdust is typically thrown away, mixed with epoxy to make MDF, which is not recyclable or very strong, or used in agriculture. While sawdust’s agricultural use is sustainable, trashing it or turning it into MDF is not ideal. Brianna’s goal is to explore material diversion and reapplication of a seemingly endless byproduct of woodworking. Many of the materials that currently exist are not the most sustainable options and have fixed end-of-life purposes that are generally just trash disposal. Diversion and reapplication are key to creating a more circular world.