UNSEEN

Exploring hidden material and its potential.

What defines the value of a material? Why do some deserve to be seen, while others are meant to stay hidden?

Particleboard is usually covered, painted over, or discarded—reduced to a purely functional role. But what if we shift our perception? What if we treat it with the same attention as materials considered more valuable?

Industrial strapping, typically used for securing goods in transit, becomes both a structural and visual element—holding the material together while making its presence undeniable. Small incisions in the surface mimic the pressure of the straps, reinforcing the tension between function and form.

In another approach, selected areas of the particleboard are inlaid and colored, while the rest remains raw. The contrast highlights the material itself rather than concealing it. The technique, reminiscent of traditional inlays, challenges ideas of refinement and craftsmanship.

This project reconsiders material hierarchies—rethinking what is worth being seen, valued, and preserved.