Fernando Laposse: Sisal Sanctum

Sisal Sanctum, an installation commissioned by citizenM by London-based designer Fernando Laposse, the London Design Festival 2018 has been generously donated to Bow Arts Trust. Now based at Royal Albert Wharf, the work shines a light on sisal and the people that are sustained by its production.
“Sisal Sanctum” creates a sensorial and tactile landscape using raw sisal, a natural fibre harvested from a species of Agave cactus found in the South of Mexico. The installations original purpose was to provide a shelter from the urban landscape of East London, where visitors can relax in comfort. Within its new home at RAW it will have a similar impact albeit in a different urban landscape surrounded by an emerging community and the Royal Docks.
Visitors are protected by a colossal hairy guardian. The sisal guardian stands at the front of the installation inviting curious passers-by to enjoy the Sanctum. The sisal guardian is on view 24/7 as it is housed looking out over the dock.
Fernando Laposse is a passionate believer in helping local communities, using sustainable materials and rare techniques to create designs that are charged with significance. Once one of the biggest industries in Mexico, sisal represented a main source of employment for the Mayan communities of the Yucatan peninsula but, with the invention of nylon, its production dramatically decreased leaving entire communities unemployed.
As part of Bow Arts Trust and Notting Hill Housings LFA programme at RAW, Sisal Sanctum will be open alongside RAW Labs opening hours every Saturday across June.