PhD Work Showcased at Venice Design Biennial
2025-09-30
“Exhibitions have always played a significant role in my practice as a designer. I’ve participated in numerous exhibitions as part of my doctoral research – and I’m far from finished with exhibiting!” says Helga Halldórsdóttir.
“Exhibitions provide an excellent platform for gathering input from a broader audience and observing how people react to and engage with the objects. In a sense, the exhibition also serves as a laboratory – a space where I can study engagement in a lab-like setting over extended periods to advance my research. It has also become my main platform for publishing, as much of my work is best experienced in person and as a felt experience.”
The furry table
The furry table, titled Care, Comb, Connect… Learning to Care, encourages caring through action – or caring through combing – a concept Halldórsdóttir explores further in her doctoral thesis. The work is part of the exhibition Collectable, held in the Biennial’s main pavilion.
The artists draw inspiration from a familiar learning environment – the classroom – and reimagine a central object within it: the table. By engaging with materials, they shift the function of the object.
“By altering the materiality of the table and dressing it in fur, it can evoke a different kind of touch or gathering. The table needs to be cared for, combed, and connected with. Through caring by combing, a connection can be learned in a soft learning environment,” says Helga Halldórsdóttir.
Research Passion: How Humans Engage with Material Objects
Helga Halldórsdóttir is set to defend her doctoral thesis in early 2026.
“I’m in the final stages of completing it. The title is Care, Comb, Connect. I actually changed it quite recently, but this title truly captures what I want to present as part of my key findings – even though not all of the thesis is about combing,” she explains.
“My aim is to shed light on seemingly small and insignificant moments, demonstrating that they are, in fact, complex and full of meaning as acts of care. I want to explore new ways of living with and caring for our material possessions.”
How humans engage with material objects has become one of her research passions. The act of combing is one of her attempts to mirror and extract the affectionate relationships that pet owners have with their pets, and to infuse that into consumer-product relationships.
“I like to create objects that demand care and affection by design – such as the furry table. It likes to be petted and combed, allowing its user to connect with it in a new way,” concludes Helga Halldórsdóttir.
The Venice Design Biennial runs from 5 September to 2 November.
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