Jorge Penadés Explores Wool Industry in Second Phase of Uprooted Project with Reversible Rug

Spanish designer Jorge Penadés has launched Uprooted V02, expanding his long-term investigation into Mediterranean industries by focusing on wool production. This phase follows Uprooted V01, an exhibition developed with Seetal Solanki at Espacio Gaviota, which examined waste from olive farming in Andalucía, a region producing over 20% of the world's olive oil. For V02, Penadés collaborated with cc-tapis to create a reversible rug using deadstock wool fibers, presented at Matter and Shape in Paris in March 2026. The rug, made in cc-tapis's Milanese laboratory, incorporates undyed wools with varied pile heights and yarn thicknesses to visually represent olive root textures, aiming to highlight Spain's status as the EU's largest wool producer amid declining global demand due to synthetic alternatives. In an interview, Penadés explained that the wool extension was not part of the original project but emerged from a holistic view of ecosystems, shifting focus from isolated olive tree waste to interconnected elements like sheep. He noted that his work has evolved from reusing materials, as in earlier projects like Structural Skin, to re-signifying waste by questioning cultural and economic value frameworks. Penadés plans to continue Uprooted as an open framework, exploring other territories and industries linked to olive oil culture. The project underscores themes of material sustainability and rural production landscapes.