Studio Swine: Crafting the Future from What Remains
5th July - 17th July
130 Fenchurch Street, London EC3M 5LY, UK
Since founding Studio Swine in 2011, Azusa Murakami and Alexander Groves have carved out a singular space in contemporary design by blending poetic storytelling with deep research and a commitment to sustainability. Their work crosses disciplines and continents, creating sculptures, installations, and films that are as thought-provoking as they are visually arresting.
At the heart of their practice is a desire to rethink our relationship with materials - especially those discarded, forgotten, or polluting our planet. This new exhibition brings together four of Studio Swine’s most iconic projects, each an exploration of how waste can be reimagined as a source of inspiration and transformation.
Sea Chair (2012)
As concern over ocean plastic began to swell globally, Studio Swine took to the seas. Collaborating with local fishermen, they collected plastic debris floating in the ocean and melted it down onboard their boat, crafting it into sculptural stools. Sea Chair is both a meditation on marine pollution and a tribute to the resourcefulness of small communities. It reframes ocean plastic not just as waste, but as a powerful creative medium.
Can City (2013)
In the bustling streets of São Paulo, aluminium cans are more than rubbish; they’re a livelihood. Working alongside the city’s waste pickers (Catadores), Studio Swine built a mobile foundry fuelled by used cooking oil. Cans were collected, melted, and cast into bespoke furniture pieces. Can City celebrates street-level innovation, transforming the informal economy into an engine of sustainable design.
Hair Highway (2014)
A modern twist on the ancient Silk Road, Hair Highway investigates human hair as a renewable alternative to increasingly rare luxury materials. Studio Swine fused hair with natural resin to create richly textured surfaces reminiscent of tortoiseshell and lacquer. The results are breathtaking: a fusion of Qing Dynasty craftsmanship and Art Deco flair, pointing toward a future where elegance and ethics go hand in hand.
∞ Blue (2018)
Standing nearly nine metres tall, Infinity Blue is a monument to cyanobacteria - tiny organisms that once oxygenated the Earth’s atmosphere. Crafted from ceramic glazed with Cornish clay, the piece is adorned with mesmerising patterns inspired by coral and zebra stripes. Mist rings perfumed with primordial scents erupt from hidden vortex cannons, creating a multisensory experience that bridges science and the sublime.
Together, these four projects offer a powerful reflection on the possibilities of design in an age of climate crisis. They ask: what can we learn from the materials we discard? What futures might we craft from what remains?
Studio Swine: Crafting the Future from What Remains invites you to explore not just a series of objects, but a way of thinking - one rooted in care, curiosity, and the enduring belief that beauty can rise from the scraps of a broken world.
Seed130 is open to the public on Tuesday's, Thursday's and Saturdays from 12pm - 7pm, and will run until December 2025. Follow us on Instagram or sign up to our newsletter to stay up to date.