LOCALLY SOURCED WOOD
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METALS
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RAMMED EARTH
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MYCELIUM
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NATURAL FIBERS
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FOOD
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LANDSCAPES
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IS EVERYTHING A MATERIAL?
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CLAY
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STONE
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PLANTS
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GLASS
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VOLCANIC ROCK
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WHAT IS "MATERIAL?"
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Fibers
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MATERIAL RE-USE
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FABRIC
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PRINTED MATTER
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LOCALLY SOURCED WOOD ✦ METALS ✦ RAMMED EARTH ✦ MYCELIUM ✦ NATURAL FIBERS ✦ FOOD ✦ LANDSCAPES ✦ IS EVERYTHING A MATERIAL? ✦ CLAY ✦ STONE ✦ PLANTS ✦ GLASS ✦ VOLCANIC ROCK ✦ WHAT IS "MATERIAL?" ✦ Fibers ✦ MATERIAL RE-USE ✦ FABRIC ✦ PRINTED MATTER ✦
Based in Guatemala, Red Materia (“Material Network” in Spanish) unites practitioners across design, craft, research, and communities to create physical pieces and spaces that highlight our connections with nature.
Through this network, create publications, exhibitions, residencies, events, and workshops that connect our knowledge and experience with other experts, organizations, and regions. Ultimately, our goal is to adapt and promote both new (and ancient) natural materials and processes.
ROOTED IN GUATEMALA
Guatemala is famous for its tight-knit networks, for its entrepreneurial spirit, and for getting things done through the grapevine. However, at the same time it is also known for its exploitative mining and agriculture, for natural disasters that linger without repair, and for extractive tourism.
Red Materia leverages local networks, community, and critical thinkers who approach natural materials in positive ways, and who are working already towards sustainable change.
In Guatemala, land and creative practices are entangled, our particular context defines our material access, and we are consistently made very aware of how materials are sourced. Our desk comes from the artisan down the road, our plates formed from the clay in the riverbed across the valley, and our food is often from down the road. On the other hand, Guatemala is the original Banana Republic, and our everyday lives echo that historical foundation.
All this to say: this is the right place for you to connect with material sourcing, hands-on making, and learning from masters.
red Materia is a design research center with gardens, studios, and a residence.
VISIT
STAY
A residency program, exhibition space, and event center in the heart of La Antigua, Guatemala, that focuses on natural material exploration and design.
The residence offers 3 bedrooms with in-suite bathrooms that are available to rent both short-term and long-term. If you are not applying for our residency program, please check if the rooms are available or email us directly.
EXPLORE MATERIALS
This dynamic hub is a platform for cultural events, a hive of knowledge-sharing, an incubator for sustainable production techniques, and a launchpad for unique designs.
Material research now has a dedicated platform in La Antigua Guatemala.
01
EVENTS
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PUBLICATIONS
RESIDENCIES
EXHIBITIONS
WORKSHOPS
RESIDENCY PROGRAMS
GROUP TRIPS
& SPACES AVAILABLE FOR YOU TO HOST YOUR OWN EVENTS
PRINTED JOURNAL
ONLINE LIBRARY OF VIDEOS
DIGITAL KNOWLEDGE-SHARING
LINK MEMBERS TO RESOURCES
DESIGNERS AND ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE
COLLABORATIONS WITH LOCAL PARTNERS
GROUP RESIDENCIES FOCUSED ON A THEME OR MATERIAL
FUTURE CONNECTIONS TO INTERNATIONAL RESIDENCIES FOR LOCAL DESIGNERS AND RESEARCHERS
“It is a matter of deciding whether you are terrestrial or not, in order to regain orientation in today’s torn settings in society, politics, and ecology.”
-Jan Boelen & Michael Kaethler
RED MATERIA
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CASA MATERIA
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REVISTA MATERIA
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RED MATERIA ✦ CASA MATERIA ✦ REVISTA MATERIA ✦