Current Home

Interior design is all about comfort, beauty and safety – all of that adds up to ‘feeling at home’. But hasn’t it become a bit too cosy and controlled? Julián Jaramillo feels it’s time to spark off some excitement in the interior. His project reintroduces the thrill of fear into the living room by inviting nature back in. “Fear can stifle us,” he says. “But it can also provide a healthy perspective on reality, which we can never fully grasp or control. I am fascinated by the clarity of mind that comes with fear, I find it energising.” That’s exactly what he wants to achieve with his installations that seem to have a life of their own. A chandelier connected to a gas supply blows bubbles at its own will, bursting into indoor fireworks every now and then. And a wall reveals what is normally neatly covered up: a grid of electrical wires. They create random sparks that light up the room and eat away at the plaster. The unpredictable character of the events keep the fear alive, while the beauty remains – not in the objects, but in their untamed behaviour.