A giant lamb by Netherlands-based designer and innovator Christien Meindertsma, made using a pioneering new fabrication technology, is the focus of this year’s MECCA x NGV Women in Design Commission at NGV International.
Meindertsma’s work First there was a mountain 2024 repurposes hundreds of kilograms of wool, from a flock of more than two thousand sheep based in Rotterdam, that would have otherwise been discarded as waste. Meindertsma has worked with Netherlands-based machine developer Tools for Technology to pioneer a groundbreaking robotic tool known as the ‘Wobot’ to produce the Commission.

Bringing attention to the growing issue of waste in the global wool market, Meindertsma proposes a potential solution for utilising this often-overlooked resource using innovative tools and technology.
First there was a mountain takes the form of a newborn lamb, captured standing for the very first time, accompanied by Meindertsma’s new Wobot chair both revealing the versatility of wool, and how the technology behind the Commission could potentially pave the way for sustainable, circular design in furniture and beyond.

The felted wool produced by Meindertsma’s Wobot is an environmentally sustainable alternative to petroleum-based materials such as foam, rubber, plastic, polyester and polystyrene. Unlike traditional industrial felting processes, Meindertsma’s robotic needle-felting technique requires no water and can be combed out, enabling a completely circular material life cycle.
Meindertsma is internationally recognised for using design to conduct in-depth research into materials, uncovering their properties and the stories and industrial systems behind them. Focused on sustainability and the life cycle of products, Meindertsma’s work challenges us to rethink our consumption of materials, encouraging a deeper understanding of the connections between the objects we use and their impact on the world.

Over the past two decades, the visionary designer has produced textiles, and furniture works exploring wide-ranging subjects such as animal by-products, household and textile waste, and forestry.
The 2024 MECCA x NGV Women in Design Commission is on display from 3 October 2024 – February 2025 at NGV International, St Kilda Road, Melbourne. Free entry. Further information is available via the NGV website: NGV.MELBOURNE