PENADES

Aperitivo: Spanish Design in Conversation, is a 360º cultural project commissioned by the Spanish Ministry of Culture. The project was presented at the Museum Angewandte Kunst in Frankfurt within the framework of the World Design Capital.

The objective of the project was to introduce contemporary Spanish design to German audiences through a two-day programme of talks and encounters. The project combined a curatorial framework and selection of designers with a spatial installation, creating a scenario where design could be experienced not only through finished work but also through conversation and exchange.

In Spanish culture, aperitivo marks the transition from individual routine to collective gathering. More than a drink before a meal, it is a social ritual that creates the conditions for what follows. The project adopts this familiar moment as a curatorial framework, understanding design not as a discipline defined by solutions or finished objects, but as a catalyst capable of initiating dialogue and generating new perspectives. Rather than presenting definitive answers, Aperitivo seeks to stimulate curiosity and create the appetite through which ideas can emerge, circulate and evolve collectively.

This approach informed every aspect of the programme. Eight practitioners working across different scales and positions within contemporary Spanish design: Tomás Alonso, Inma Bermúdez, Idoia Cuesta, Sara Regal, Lucas Muñoz, Attua Aparicio, Miguel Leiro and El Último Grito, were invited to present their work through a simple format: no digital presentations, only physical materials, thirty minutes per designer and open conversations with the audience. The emphasis shifted from presentation to exchange, encouraging a more direct and tangible dialogue between designers and visitors.

The spatial installation extended these principles into the exhibition itself. Developed from the studio’s ongoing Stapleless project, it translated the joining logic of the stapleless stapler into an architectural system constructed entirely from paper. Instead of relying on adhesives or additional components, sheets of paper were folded and interlocked to create self-supporting structures through tension and friction. A large paper table became the setting for the conversations, while a paper wall defined an intimate environment around them. Conceived as a mono-material installation, the project addressed not only the practical requirements of a temporary event: ease of transport, rapid assembly and adaptability, but also its environmental impact. At the end of the programme, all 400 paper sheets were donated to the World Design Capital organisation to be reused in future workshops and public activities.