Born as a reaction to the late nineties, post-war cultural vacuum (their words) of Croatia, Numen/For Use is the 17 year- old collaboration of three industrial designers turned artists.

Now distinguished for a number of strands of work—including configured objects and theatrical scenography—their large-scale, site- specific installation projects have been particularly successful at transforming space. Using the kinds of materials that seem to emphasize impermanence—ropes, nets, plastic wrap and tape—the structures they make delight in such malleability. Take their String social sculpture from last year: when fully inflated, the internal rope system extends to perfect lines that can hold the weight of people. The resulting 3D grid both entangles and provides an aerial playground for visitors.While great effort by a team of people is needed to create such structures, there’s a simple elegance at work in their ideas, design, and execution, combined with a kind of thoughtful economy. While referencing post-industrial modernism, the inherent playfulness means these constructions work on multiple levels, including the popular. When one interacts with the work, it opens up interaction with others, transforming not only space but psychic atmosphere, and ultimately, even ourselves.