Captured by: an author's gaze on the contemporary outdoors

Fast unveils Captured By, a creative project that gathers fresh perspectives and visions for experiencing life in the open air. Through a collaboration with a diverse group of talents, including nine photographers and an illustrator, Fast prompts a deeper reflection on what "outdoor" truly means and how we engage with it through design. The outcome is a collection of personal and unrestricted interpretations, which explore the idea of external spaces beyond their function, creating a balance between locations, memories and perceptions.

With Captured By, Fast offers a fresh narrative for its products. A simple chair turns into a silent companion, a measure of time, a presence inhabiting real or interior landscapes. This narrative is guided by the visions of diverse talents. There are no imposed directions, no confined interpretations — only a sincere, personal exchange between creativity and design. The result is a collection of images that reveal the object in a more intimate dimension: a presence that inhabits spaces, accompanies gestures, and naturally integrates into the everyday landscape.

Among the works, the shots by photographers Claudia Zalla and José Limbert present two distinct ways of engaging with the same armchair, Roè, designed by Fast's creative directors Francesco Meda and David Lopez Quincoces. Distinguished by its fluid, seamless silhouette, Roè is designed to adapt to various settings and evolve over time. It is an essential seating piece that can be customised with fabrics and padding, perfectly expressing the inherent versatility of outdoor living.

Claudia Zalla chose a rugged, coastal landscape, and waited for the sun to set – that magical moment when shadows lengthen and colours deepen, without yet losing their vibrancy. Her images convey the tranquillity of this suspended interval, where Roè doesn't demand attention but rather harmonises, becoming part of the scenery, almost dictating its rhythm.

Limbert, on the other hand, chose to set out on a journey. He travelled with Roè through new landscapes and through those filled with memories: from his birthplace in Lisbon, through the forests of Alentejo, all the way to the ocean. It was a journey of pauses, silences, and reflections. At each stop, the chair accompanied him, imbuing the object with the emotional dimension of a presence that supports, listens, and observes.

Another creative perspective comes from Riccardo Fantoni Montana, who photographed Forest nestled in an Apennine landscape, still caught between winter and spring. We are in Romagna, amidst the mountains surrounding Modigliana – an intimate, quiet territory, traversed by a small stream and warmed by the first rays of March sun.

The Forest chair fits in discretely within this setting, striking a spontaneous balance between materiality and nature. It appears as a quiet presence, in perfect harmony with the landscape that embraces it. The project reveals an idea of the outdoors as a space for listening, where every object interacts with its surroundings – light, sounds, anticipation – without ever overpowering them.

A Fast best-seller, Forest was designed by Robby Cantarutti & Partners and made of die-cast aluminium. With its perforated structure and light design, the seat embodies the fusion of technology and weightlessness in a graceful, sculptural form. It is a piece that can truly converse with nature and with those who experience it.

These diverse visions are united by their ability to transform an object into a compelling story. Captured By reflects the very spirit with which Fast approaches design: seeing it not just as a formal outcome, but as an opportunity for connection, for listening, and for expression. Because every object, when viewed through fresh eyes, can reveal a different story.