(...) And every time I left I carried with me

the image of my neighbourhood, which I’d show

and leave behind in the cities of the world.

He was like a traveller who carries

his neighbourhood with him. Or those

transplanted trees that bear fruit

only if they have their roots in the soil

in which they were born and grew.

Benito Quinquela Martín

my neighbourhood

collage as a driver of freedom Onlythefibreofcreationcanrecreateitsownlostlife.

Anais Nin

Merle Mandaat’s work is a collage in movement that seeks to convey fascination with different cultures that express themselves through the colour, textures

and materials that give them life.

Mandaat was born in Holland and lived a nomadic childhood together with her parents and seven siblings. From ages 7 to 18, her life was a constant journey during

which she passed through more than 15 countries and experienced allkindsofcultures.Today,herproductionreflectsthisprimaryexperiencethat

left a permanent mark on her.

Fromherearliestyears,shewasfascinatedbycreationandtheinfinitemixofthings.Mandaat made her own clothes and had the freedom (almost a dream) to dress

as she pleased. And this freedom led her to seek out her own style, which was nourished by everything she witnessed.

It was love that brought her to Chile and it was here that she found, almost by accident, this connection with the creative. Thus, almost without thinking, Mandaat entered the world of design, although always using an approach that was almost artisanal, where the production process plays a fundamental role in the creation.

Mandaat likes to experiment, always seeking a style from a place of comfort. Her creations are a ludic search, suggestive of the free and nomadic spirit that dominated

her childhood.

identidad

autenticidad

humor

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photography Andrés Figueroa

make-up Juan Ruiz

models Catalina Bravo / Rocío Mantilla

text Camila Villagrán

design Claudia Guerra

asistencia Lorena Iraguen

acknowledgements Restaurant Rapa Nui / Cristales Bohemia

mandaatchile

designo.mandaat

mmandaat

www.mandaat.cl