At wonnd, we like to think in cycles, not calendars. And with spring fading into summer, it feels like the right moment to embrace a shift—not just in season, but in perspective. This time of year brings a gentle kind of urgency: we all need a break to recharge our energies and gain new inspiration.
Nature doesn’t announce its transformation – it simply grows, everything is in motion, but nothing starts from zero. It finds form in what already exists. The same goes for how change happens in our social, cultural, economic, and creative contexts: quietly, continuously, and often without a clear starting point. The creative process, too.
In our kitchen – the heart of wonnd – we’ve curated a new selection of books to inspire fresh paths for reflection on this living process. How do we grow? How do we face change? How do we adapt meaningfully?
Some books observe nature as it is. Others explore how humans reinterpret it. Some challenge us to shift our point of view and expand our meaning. Together, they remind us that change is not just something we adapt to; it’s something we can prepare for – responding and anticipating change needs a proper strategy and a plan designed to meet our goals.
For the months ahead, we’re drawing inspiration from nature’s approach to change, not as disruption, but as organic unfolding. Life is a permanent change journey. Summer is a good moment to pause, observe, and rethink what we thought we already knew. To reinterpret. To act differently. Growth comes from within what already exists – shaped by time, touched by care, and transformed through strategy and creativity.
Here are a few of our current favourites that represent the five concepts for your summer reflection:
- the myth,
- the copy,
- the mistake,
- the creation,
- and the making.
Mitologías (Mythologies) / Roland Barthes
Siglo Veintiuno Editores, 1994 (Spanish)
The myth. A book that itself is a modern myth. This classic helps us decode culture and meaning – still relevant, still sharp. Thank you, Barthes, for all your books.
PLAGIE COPIE MANIPULE ROBE REESCRIBA ESTE LIBRO / Valeria Mata
Ediciones Comisura, 2024 (Spanish)
The copy. What is authenticity today? This playful, critical text questions authorship and originality in a world of constant reproduction. Her interdisciplinary work (you can explore it at https://valeriamata.com/) is super stimulating and makes us think that the social sciences still have so much to say (and increasingly so).
¡Qué desastre! (Failed it!) / Erik Kassels
Phaidon Press, 2016 (Spanish)
The mistake. This contemporary artist and designer stimulates us with his vision and creative provocation. He knows full well that mistake, the unexpected, the material itself, or chance, is a precious source of creativity and courage. Take a closer look at his work here https://www.erikkessels.com/
Bruno Munari / Fundación Juan March
Fundación Juan March, 2022 (Spanish)
The creation. We recovered this beautiful book from the retrospective we saw at the March Foundation in Madrid (https://www.march.es/en). This space is one of our favourite places in the city. And what can we say about Munari, this complete, comprehensive, interdisciplinary artist?
Geste/s, Génie du végétal / Yamina Benaï, Emmanuel Rubin
Beaux Arts, 2022 (French)
The making. This stimulating magazine (https://www.beauxarts.com/) reminds us of the joy of living. Every time we’re in France, we pick up an issue of this publication focused on craftsmanship and contemporary creation. A beautiful tribute to handmade processes and the hand intelligence. A reminder of the power of making.
And for those who want to delve deeper, we invite you to stop by, have a tea, coffee, or a refreshing seasonal fruit juice, flip through a few pages, and join us in this ever-evolving conversation.
Summer is here. The light has changed. Let’s grow together.
On our shelves, you’ll also find this season’s inspiration:
Gustav Klimt: The Complete Paintings / Tobias G. Natter
TASCHEN, 2012
A Garden Eden. Masterpieces of Botanical Illustration / Hans Walter Lack
TASCHEN, 2001
A Little History of the World / Ernst Gombrich
Yale University Press, 1934
The Book of Palms / Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius, Hans Walter Lack
TASCHEN, 2010
Atlas de botánica Argentina / Carla Lois
Ampersand Ediciones, 2021
Form + Zweck: Zeitschrift für Gestaltung / form+zweck – Verlag für Gestaltung *
Form + Zweck, 1991
* The publishing house form+zweck was founded by Angelika Petruschat in 1994. It provided a financial framework for the journal “form+zweck,” which evolved from an institutional journal into an independent project in 1990.
