©  2024
CARLA ALCALÀ BADIAS
BIO
Carla Alcalà Badias (Tàrrega, 1997) is an industrial designer and design researcher based between The Netherlands and Spain, with a particular interest in material research, object design and contemporary craft practices. Through a New Materialism perspective, her works envision future scenarios for vernacular knowledges. 

Her practice encompasses a broad spectrum of disciplines, whether developing commercial or self-initiated projects. Recently, she received the prestigious Bio Art and Design Award 2024. Throughout her career, she has worked for award-winning design studios such as MUT Design and Closca. Carla was awarded the Medialab Matadero 2022-23 research grant, and in 2023, she served as an artist-in-residence at Domaine de Boisbuchet (France), supported by Acción Cultural Española. Her projects have been exhibited at internationally recognized events such as Dutch Design Week and Valencia Design Fest, and have been featured in design and contemporary culture magazines such as DAMN Magazine.


EDUCATION
Master of Arts in Fine Art and Design (MA), Specialisation Social Design, Design Academy Eindhoven (NL), 2019-2021.
Bachelor in Industrial Design and Product Development, CEU Cardenal Herrera, Valencia (ES), Summa Cum Laude.
2019-21


2015-19

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Designer & Researcher, BAD Award Winner 2024. In collaboration with Laura Villanueva from NIOZ.
Product, space and furniture designer, MUT design, Valencia (ES).
Design Researcher (R+D), Biochar as a design material, Domaine de Boisbuchet (FR), Project funded by Acción Cultural Española (AC/E).
Design Research (R+D), Project Development within the Annual Program of Situated Research Residencies at Medialab Matadero (ES), Financially supported by Madrid Destino Culture Tourism and Business, S.A.
Production & development expert, workshop staff member, Domaine de Boisbuchet (FR).
Graphic Design and Art Direction, Internship, Closca Design, Valencia (ES).
Furniture and Product Design, Internship, Yonoh Studio, Valencia (ES).
Present

2021-23

2023


2022-23



2023

2019

2018


GRANTS & AWARDS
Art residency ai2, Organised by the Vice-Rectorate for Art, Science, Technology and Society (UPV) & CCCC Centre del Carme Cultura Contemporània.
Distributed Design Mobility Scheme Prize 2023-24.Co-funded by the EU.
Creative Exchange Residency for Craft Practitioners 2023-25 (WCCE). Co-funded by the EU.
Artistic residency at Domaine de Boisbuchet, Funded by Acción Cultural Española AC/E, May-July.
Research residency at Medialab Matadero, Madrid (ES). April 22-April 23, Funded by Madrid Destino Cultura Turismo y Negocio, S.A.
Academic grant at The New Centre for Research and Practice, 4 ECTS seminar.
Extraordinary End-of-career Award for the Best Academic Record in Engineering and Architecture 2019. CEU Cardenal Herrera University, Valencia.
2024


2024

2024

2023

2022-23


2022

2019

EXHIBITIONS
What is it like to be a synthetic organism? (solo) Centre del Carme Cultura Contemporània (CCCC).
Post-Carbon Alchemy, (group), Material  District Utrecht 2024.
Wet-Crypto Myths
(solo), La Hoja, Nave 0, Matadero Madrid.
Twisting & Twining (group), Mut Design Studio, València Design Fest 22.
Design Végétal (group), Domaine de Boisbuchet, France Design Week.
Private_Eye_Butler_Spy (group),ARCAM Architecture Centre Amsterdam, May - June.
Graduation Show 2021 Design Academy Eindhoven, Dutch Design Week 2021.
The Object is Absent (group), MU Space, Eindhoven (NL). Dutch Design Week 2020.
Soon

2024

2023

2022

2022

2022

2021

2021

TEACHING

Seient, Ofrena, mud brick workshop for Summer Bio Lab 2024.  Serra Segària, Alicante (ES).
Twisting and Twining, furniture design with rattan (MUT Design x Expormim). Domaine de Boisbuchet.
Reencantar a las bestias, 3-day participatory workshop part of Carla Alcalà’s research residency at Medialab Matadero. 
Data Streams, Prototyping with Arduino. Assisting Jesse Howard. Design Academy Eindhoven.
2024

2022

2022


2019

TALKS, PUBLICATIONS & PRESS
Proceso de creación de un lenguaje interbacteriano (printed issue), Interspecies Library.
Biochar
(online publication), Future Materials Bank (Jan van Eyck Academie).
Public presentation Wet-Crypto Myths and conversation with Ross McElwain, 26 May, Nave 0, Matadero.
Digital Home Myth-Making (article), In DAMN°82: Radical Domesticity.
Reencantar a las Bestias, interview, In Radio 3 (RTVE).
Death to algorithms, long live the witches! (article). Dutch Design Week 2021.
2024

2023

2023


2022

2022


2021

NON-FORMAL LEARNING
Ceramic 3D printing workshop with Jetclay, Espacio Open, Bilbao (ES), Selected through an open call.
Theoretical-practical seminar Daemon&Discord: Anatomy of the DAO, With Jay Springet & Ross McElwain, The New Centre for Research and Practice.
Workshop with Lex Pott. Domaine de Boisbuchet (FR).
Textile design project at Ziguinchor school, Senegal. Social design project Free Design Bank.
2023

2022-23


2018
2019


SOFTWARE
Rhino + Grasshopper | Solidworks
Autocad
Keyshot / V-Ray
Adobe Creative Suite
Stability AI / Midjourney
MS Office
*references available upon request*
MICROBIAL PROPHETESSES

Winner of the BAD Award 2024. More information coming soon.
BAD Award 2024
Exhibition, Research
Ongoing



POST-CARBON ALCHEMY

Inspired by the principles of traditional cob construction, this is a newly crafted material made primarily of biochar, along with a mixture of mud and straw. As the resulting pieces are unfired, they can be reintegrated into the soil once their purpose has been fulfilled.
Domaine de Boisbuchet
AC/E Cultura Residency
Product, Research
2023




GIRO BY MUT DESIGN

Pirographic curves through the magic of hand-tufting. GIRO’s design is based on a succession of mathematical curves which, thanks to a slight variation in their shapes, generate the optical illusion of a tube rolled up on itself.
Gan Rugs
Archiproduct Design Award
Product
2023




THE CULT OF A SMART ASSISTANT

In this speculative domestic environment, the smart speaker Alexa embodies a xenofeminist character inspired by the goddess Vesta, while its connected smart devices transform into ritual objects. These objects execute daily routines that infiltrate dysfunctional data into the cloud.
Design Academy Eindhoven
Graduation Project
Exhibition, Research
2021




TEULES I MAONS

A collection of functional sculptures made from vernacular recycled materials. The tiles and bricks (’teules i maons’) were recovered from demolition sites in different parts of the city.
Self-initiated
Product
2019




COCO BY MUT DESIGN

The starting point of the collection was Ames’s exceptional fabrics used in the manufacture of hammocks. We have developed a way of weaving in which by just modifying one thread in the weft, we managed to create different nuances of colour and levels of depth.
Ames Living
Product
2023





TWISTING & TWINING BY MUT

Summer workshop at Boisbuchet experimenting with rattan canes and leftovers provided by Expormim. We focused on rattan’s properties and explored all the different ways and possibilities to work with it, pushing it to its limits. 
Domaine de Boisbuchet

Education, Exhibition
2022



EC BLACK CERAMICS

Ongoing research project exploring the potential of reduced black ceramics for application in Microbial Electrochemical Tecnologies (METs).
Self-initiated
Medialab Matadero Grant
Research

2023



EC BLACK CERAMICS II 

Ongoing material research on the properties of reduced black ceramics.
Self-initiated
Supported by WCC and UPV
Research

2023



THE HOME,A MYTHOPOEIA

The Home, a Mythopoeia, explores the gendered aspect of smart home devices through a theater script co-written in conversation with the smart speaker Alexa and a critical analysis of the script. Featured in DAMNº82 SUMMER 2022.
Design Academy Eindhoven
MA thesis
Research, Publication

2021

carlalcala.design@gmail.com