Apol Temesi

Textile creator

Sound absorption the artisan way

Apol uses Hungarian and regional wool scraps to develop acoustic absorber panels
Her panels are made with re-purposed wool
She considers continuous experimentation to be the most important element in her work

Apol Temesi graduated from Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design with an MA in Textile Design. When she was working on her thesis, she realised that as a designer, the choice of materials can be a form of expression in itself. In her doctoral research, she delved into the possibilities and trends of material development, because she wanted to know how we can improve our living conditions and solve ecological or social problems through design. She later developed her own technology, using Hungarian and regional wool scraps to develop acoustic absorbant panels. The advantage of her solution is that it simultaneously upcycles textile waste and develops a functional product from natural, renewable materials. SoundWool achieves circularity, functionality and high aesthetics at the same time. The product, which was awarded the BIG SEE Product Design Award 2022, is the result of a highly conscious design process, with each finished element being unique.

Interview

Why do you opt for wool?: The fabric has a power and a narrative that has long been a source of fascination and instinctive attraction. My increasingly immersive work with wool is an ongoing tactile experience and collaboration. Every day I wonder what more it can do, what more facets it can show me.
What makes your technique unique?: My technology incorporates all my years of experience as a designer and is responding to today's challenges. Waste-free thinking, circular material use, water and energy efficient technology and exploring new perspectives on material use across the textile and construction industries are all at play.
Do you think the field you work in is under threat?: Raw material-centric design is an emerging and growing approach to sustainable object design. I am hopeful about cross-disciplinary collaboration and knowledge sharing.
What do you think makes an object great?: An object being sensitive to the issues of the time, ethical, caring about the whole lifecycle, and the production process itself contributing to working with nature, across disciplines to restore the value of human labour.

Apol Temesi is a master artisan: she began her career in 2015 and she started teaching in 2015