Materials ranging from wood and coiled metal to old tripods and motorcycle headlights were used to craft the pieces on display in the Peso y Presencia exhibition at Madrid Design Festival.

Peso y Presencia, which is Spanish for Weight and Presence, brought together furniture and objects from a group of architects, designers and artists who work with diverse materials.

The exhibition was curated by architect Yaiza Camacho of local studio Moneo Brock and is on display at Space to Be, the firm's Madrid gallery space.

"At a time defined by overproduction, the exhibition advocates for a slower, more conscious way of making, offering a critical perspective on how ideas are produced, represented, and perceived," said Camacho.

Among the pieces is a lighting and table series by architects Marta Ochoa and Elena Rocabert, characterised by lacquered pieces of wood arranged in abstract formations influenced by wild animals.

The two lights were crowned with handmade lampshades made of white linen, while the table was topped with a circular sheet of transparent glass.

Jesús Meseguer is another architect whose work features in the show.

Using music stands, tripods and second-hand parts including old motorcycle headlights and car radios, Meseguer designed a spindly speaker and floor lamp called Tuning.

"In English, 'tuning' refers to adjustment – a term commonly used to describe the modification and customisation of vehicles," explained Camacho.

"From this idea of readjustment, previously used stage structures were reassembled, detached from their original function," she added.

Designer Inés Miño Izquierdo presented her delicate "chimney" table lamp carved from Japanese walnut, alongside a shard-like shoehorn made from a thin sliver of the same wood.

Various other applications of timber feature throughout the exhibition, including an asymmetric bench by architect Ismael López made of pieces of pine wood constructed using "artisanal techniques".

Informed by rocking chairs, the furniture tilts to one side so that only four of its six legs are touching the ground at one time.

"Its silhouette invites movement and play, gently oscillating between the functional and the sculptural," noted Camacho.

Two works by designer Miguel Leiro are also on show. Spring Bench is a seat formed from a strikingly coiled piece of metal, which Leiro created as both a public bench and a bike rack.

Contrastingly, the designer is presenting a subtle coat rack made from ash wood, arranged to mimic a real tree.

Smaller-scale pieces are among the various other offerings in the exhibition, from artist Andrea Moreno's lumpy ceramic water fountain to a textile-draped table lamp by jewellery designer Rubén Gómez and interior designer Omar Miranda.

"Peso y Presencia invites us to think about design through both material and gaze," said Camacho.

"Through the weight with which an idea takes form and the presence with which that form asks us to pause."

Madrid Design Festival will take place across Spain's capital until 8 March.

Previous iterations of the city-wide event include an exhibition by Jorge Penadés showing how the discarded roots of olive trees could be turned into design objects, and an installation of woven lamps made from discarded plastic bottles by Álvaro Catalán de Ocón.

The photography is by Pablo Gómez-Ogando.

Peso y Presencia takes place from 3 to 24 February 2026 at Space to Be, Calle de Benigno Soto, 14 28002 Madrid, Spain. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world. 

Project credits:

Curator: Yaiza Camacho
Participating designers: Marta Ochoa and Elena Rocabert, Jesús Meseguer and Reparto, Eric Primo, Inés Miño Izquierdo, Ismael López, ESTO Estudio, Fun Furniture for Friends, Miguel Leiro, Sudor, Sofía Milans, Miguel Lantero, Clara Álvarez, Guille del Paso, Andrea Moreno, Guillermo Gutiérrez and La Cuarta Piel