Experimentadesign and Lisbon Gallery with Artworks and Galerie Vertbois 5 Present/ Common Sense

Common Sense explores ideas concerning everyday objects and utensils made out of a sustainable, millionyear-old material: stone. It is the result of a process that delves into themes associated with the relationship between design and natural materials and its subsequent role in contemporary society. Common Sense also calls for contemplation on the idea of simplicity, which is sometimes lost in times of great technological advances and formal and functional complexity.

Common Sense is part of First Stone, an ongoing experimental international research program developed by experimentadesign in partnership with Assimagra that explores the potential of Portuguese stone along with its associated industry and craftsmanship. Guta Moura Guedes, curator of the program, explains, “It is fundamental to review and redesign the relationship with some of the most ancient and sustainable materials we have available—and through design, bring their unique power, beauty, and characteristics into our daily lives.”

Common Sense was first presented at the Lina Bo Bardi Glass House in São Paulo in 2017. Using a vast array of Portuguese stones, a total of fourteen pieces were created by an extraordinary group of designers: Claudia Moreira Salles, Fernando Brízio, Fernando and Humberto Campana, Jasper Morrison, Michael Anastassiades, Miguel Vieira Baptista, and Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec.