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A research and design studio that uses plastic waste to create sculptural work.
Founded by architects Panos Sakkas and Foteini Setaki, dutch design studio The New Raw gives new life to discarded materials and plastic waste with the use of 100% circular, robotic manufacturing processes. Focusing on sustainable design, the practice explores the potential of polluting materials like plastic in product and furniture design. The studio’s growing body of work comprises everything from seating to public sculptures, furniture, and installations. All of the projects come to life in the firm’s in-house workshop, through a blend of hands-on craftsmanship and digital techniques. And the result? Plastic waste transforms into beautiful objects and meaningful products that are as sustainable and eco-conscious as they are creative.
The duo also explores materiality through organic, bold, and tactile designs. For example, The New Raw created the Comb series with seven interlocked pieces that recreate large brush strokes. Commissioned by the Gdynia 2022 Design Biennale, the 12 sqm wall sculpture adorns an industrial warehouse in Poland. The artwork uses recycled plastic sourced from discarded fishing and shipping ropes, in a nod to the city’s maritime traditions. At the same time, the curved forms reference mural and painting techniques.
To create Glyph for Eleusis 2023 European Capital of Culture, the studio worked with local school kids who donated waste material which then transformed into engravings onto the public furniture. Orykto is a series of stools designed as part of a six-month PCAI Tilos Artist Residency. Organic and sculptural, the stools recreate primitive shapes from repurposed aluminum cans. Finally, Stratum references geological layering. The 18m-long multi-functional piece of furniture serves as a seat and working desk as well as a leaning table. Turning and folding, the winding Stratum re-imagines rock formations in a 3D sculpture made from plastic waste. Photography © The New Raw.
