Design Map · Eindhoven
The Place That Remains
Graduation project by Katla Björg Sigurjónsdóttir at Design Academy Eindhoven, 2026. Shown during Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven on Design Map, location F5.
‘The Place That Remains’ is a multisensory installation crafted from discarded Icelandic wool deemed unfit for industry. Carrying traces of landscapes and care systems from which the wool came, Katla Björg Sigurjónsdóttir presents her work in three states: felted, woven and untwisted. In-between raw fibre and finished form, the piece is accompanied by scent and a soundscape inviting visitors to redirect their attention toward their own senses. The work emerged from experiencing time alone on family land in rural Iceland, where a notion of longing and belonging surfaced simultaneously. A question arose: how do our perceptions shape emotional attachment to a place? Approaching the material unconventionally, the designer carries her work through intuition and joy, understanding craft as a form of self-knowledge and a tool for experimentation. Even if rooted in personal history, this is a space where anyone can experience a sense of connection. Acknowledging that feeling, often, comes before thinking.