DON NADIE

1m² / 1 second

1m² / 1 second is a sculptural series conceived by DON NADIE Studio that translates the deforestation of Ecuador’s tropical forest into a physical, measurable, and immediate experience. The work takes as its starting point the accelerated loss of natural forest in Ecuador and converts it into a unit of time and material presence, condensed into a system of sculptural pieces.

The series is composed of approximately 16 pieces arranged on a base-table, forming a silent constellation that occupies roughly one cubic meter. Each element reaches approximately one meter in height and is constructed from two components: a 3D-printed root-like base and an upper body made of structurally folded paper. Together, the pieces function as a metaphor for a disappearing forest — not through literal representation, but through accumulation, repetition, and loss measured in time.

The project does not seek to illustrate species or depict a specific landscape. Instead, its intention is to transform an abstract data point — deforestation — into a tangible experience that compels the viewer to pause, observe, and confront the real scale of the problem.

The tension between near-industrial precision and manual execution introduces an additional temporal dimension: each piece reveals the time required for its construction, in contrast with the speed at which the forest disappears.

Within the international context of Milano Design Week, 1m² / 1 second is presented as a critical reflection from contemporary design, capable of engaging with global conversations on sustainability, biodiversity loss, and the role of design in shaping cultural awareness.

studio link: www.donnadie.me