We’re living in a year, 2021, that will be remembered as a monumental turning point — a global pause, exposing the fragilities of our complex global systems and structures. For many around the world, it’s challenging every part of us, thrusting us into the unknown and limiting our freedoms. It’s restricting our movements, forcing us to be more introspective, and think more deeply about our future and the world around us. It’s a glimpse into the harsh realities for our most vulnerable, and the implications for mental health that can arise when we’re forced to sit with an uncertain future so different from the clarity of our dreams. 

For those fortunate, the global pandemic provided us with the time and space to turn inward to the vast inner space of our thoughts and imaginations — a place increasingly neglected, amid a culture of hyper-performance. Now more than ever the words of French philosopher Blaise Pascal in Pensées #139 Diversion reverberate across the world as we rediscover the importance of self-reflection, “I have discovered that all the unhappiness of [humanity] arises from one single fact, that they cannot stay quietly in their own chamber”. 

With this philosophy in mind, Kilómetro Zero curated by Barcelona-based designer Sanna Völker invited object and furniture designers from across Spain to reflect on this unique time in history. They were encouraged to think deeply about their time spent in quarantine and connect with their immediate surroundings, allowing for deep contextual enquiry in a very visceral way. Völker mentioned, “In Spain, as lockdown started to ease, we were allowed to go for walks in our immediate neighbourhoods… we couldn't exceed the one-kilometre limit but we could stroll around our closest streets during a few restricted hours each day. This is the moment where many of us discovered workshops and artisans located just a few hundred meters away from our homes and studios.” 

Extending from Barcelona to Madrid, the designers were asked to materialise their experiences and impressions into a piece that turned a series of fixed constraints into unique opportunities. The designers were to produce their piece with the exclusive use of materials and collaborators found within one kilometre of their homes. Many of them discovered a hidden trail of local artisans only footsteps from their home. Julia Esqué, used scrap material sourced from a blacksmithing workshop to make welded aluminium vases, while Marta Ayala Herrera’s two-person bench was brought to life with a local wood workshop. Several of the objects deal with the loneliness of social distancing and the ways in which the pandemic has reminded us of the importance of self-reflection, community and collaboration. The exhibition was brought to life online, as a homage to the places and people that bring our cities to life.