From 2021 to 2024, I collaborated with various industries in Germany’s Black Forest—ranging from a metal chain producer to a brewery and cosmetics brand and explored how the region’s entrepreneurial landscape brings new perspectives for contemporary designers.

In the courtyard of the Jewelry Museum Pforzheim, visitors are greeted by a ‘Solar Salon’ crafted by design studio buro Belén for the high-end hair and cosmetics brand La Biosthétique. The Northern Black Forest-based company and the emerging Amsterdam designers collaborate on the idea of transforming society from self-centred to suncentred.

The work unites different perspectives on living under the sun, driven by a common interest in personal care and a commitment to beauty.

Curator: Willem Schenk
Designers: buro Belén
Industry partner: La Biosthétique
Project: ORNAMENTA 2024
Photographers: Sander van Wettum & Karolina Sobel