MECCA X NGV Women in Design Commission

Known for her game changing approach to design, Netherlands-based designer Christien Meindertsma asks us to imagine a new material future, enabled by creativity, ecological thinking, and new technology.

Over the past two decades, the designer has conducted in-depth research into materials – uncovering their properties and the stories and industrial systems behind them. Focused on sustainability and the life cycle of products, Meindertsma’s most recent research has resulted in a new groundbreaking fabrication method for 3D felting wool.

For the Commission presented at NGV International from 3 October 2024–February 2025, Meindertsma presents her most ambitious work to date; a giant lamb constructed from European wool that would have otherwise been discarded as waste. First there was a mountain, 2024, utilises a robotic tool known as the ‘Wobot’, developed in collaboration with Netherlands-based company Tools for Technology. Demonstrating the possibility of fabricating structural, three-dimensional objects using only wool this project revolutionises the repurposing of wool and highlights its vast potential for future applications.

As the first complex prototype fabricated by the Wobot, the giant lamb is joined by a chair made using the same innovative process, underscoring the vast potential for sustainable, circular design in furniture production and beyond. Both, are accompanied by a captivating film, created in collaboration with Dutch filmmaker Roel van Tour, which chronicles the thinking and journey behind the MECCA x NGV Women in Design Commission.

On a mission to recognise the work of female-identifying designers and architects from around the world, the MECCA x NGV Commission series invites these creatives to produce a new work for the NGV Collection. Through MECCA’s social change program, M-POWER, and the power of art and design, together, we aim to champion opportunities for women and girls towards an environment of equality.

The five year series is supported by MECCA M-POWER, a social change initiative that aims to champion equality and opportunity for women and girls, including elevating women in art and design.

The NGV warmly thanks MECCA for supporting the acquisition of these works.