InnoRenew CoE, in collaboration with students of Visual Arts and Design at the Faculty of Education, University of Primorska, kindly invites you to the opening of the exhibition WOODWALL, which will take place on Tuesday, 27 May 2025, at 5:00 PM at Mala Loža in Koper. The exhibition will be displayed until 5 June 2025.

The exhibition WOODWALL presents the creative ideas of students, developed in collaboration with researchers from InnoRenew CoE. Students were challenged with the task of reusing wooden leftovers in the design of indoor wooden walls. They developed diverse wall concepts and presented them as 1 x 1 meter samples. In their design proposals, they combined science, visual art, design, and sustainability.

As part of the process students experimented with different wood treatment techniques such as pressing, sanding, and breaking. They took inspiration from optical illusions and various wood protection methods being developed by scientists in their laboratories using fungi and bacteria. The result is a collection of design ideas that showcase wood not merely as an industrial material, but as a natural one — highlighting processes found in nature, such as mushrooms growing on tree trunks, organically perforated surfaces, aged bark, and visible growth rings.

By using underutilized wood and wooden leftovers their wall concepts reflect the principles of the New European Bauhaus with focus on sustainability, aesthetics, and inclusion.

This exhibition is part of the Horizon Europe project WoodStock (GA #101181021), a broader research initiative reimagining the role of underused wood in sustainable architecture. It is one of the co-creation activities of the WoodStock Living Lab at InnoRenew CoE, which is a collaborative innovation environment where real-world experiments are conducted to address societal challenges and develop innovative solutions.

Visitors are invited to join the experiment by responding to an international survey on wood perception, available here: https://nettskjema.no/a/525863#/page/1

Learn more about the WoodStock project.

Production: Josip Dijanić

Project management: Špela Vrtovec, Lea Primožič

Curation and mentorship: Polonca Lovšin

Co-mentorship: Dragana Sapanjoš

Graphic design: Tinkara Pucer, Blažka Šifrar

Students: Ana Benedik, Jakob Bratušek, Iva Gjorgijevska, Neža Hajšek, Stefanie Kante, Isidora Petrov, Eric Pibernik, Svit Pregelj, Tinkara Pucer, Danaja Stević, Magdalena Strniša, Blažka Šifrar, Lan Špur, Ela Weber