The craft of the panel beater becomes the bridge between industry and art, transforming a manufactured product into 12 unique pieces.
Sancal and the Valencian studio MUT, led by Alberto Sánchez and Eduardo Villalón, reinvent the Canto tables in a limited-edition series that challenges the boundaries between design and art.
CANTO Art Editionstems from a reflection: Where is the line between design and art? Does that line even exist during the creative process? In this collection, MUT explores that blurred boundary by artistically intervening in a functional piece, transforming an everyday object—a table—into 12 unique works.
The title Chapa y Pintura (Bodywork and Paint) references the process that occurs in a car repair workshop, where metal, paint, and sanding restore the sheen of a car’s bodywork. The same process is applied to this limited edition, with the designers using this manual technique on each piece, making each one unique.
Although the process is traditionally an act of repair—restoring something damaged or imperfect to its original state—in this special edition, the designers reverse that approach. The Canto tables, originally flawless, are transformed by the designers to reveal the essence of their construction and materials. Made from lacquered MDF, they now undergo a meticulous process where layers of colour are exposed by sanding the surface, revealing the raw material beneath. The result is a visually striking piece that combines industrial strength with a psychedelic aesthetic.
Behind every work, there’s always a story, and in the case of the CANTO Art Edition, it’s rooted in Eduardo and Alberto’s youth, when they visited the Villalón car repair shop. It’s fascinating how those memories become not only a source of inspiration but also the starting point for experimenting with existing techniques to create new aesthetics.
Chapa y Pintura reminds us that design can be deeply personal—an intentional act that transcends functionality, connecting the industrial with the emotional, the past with the present. It’s also a testament to the creative maturity of the Valencian designers, as they explore more personal forms of expression through artistic creation. With the Bruto project, they delve into more experimental work, producing pieces in very limited editions.
For Sancal, this is an exciting way to break the mould once again, inviting the public to reconsider the boundaries of design, connecting it with art and a craft that seems to have little to do with artistry.
If you’re interested in more information about acquiring one of these pieces, please fill out this form and we will contact you.
