Reimagining the Argizaiola

Miren Biotz Goiriena

Summary
Final work

I’m Miren Biotz Goiriena, an industrial designer from the Basque Country, Spain. With a background in graphic design and illustration, I bring a visual and narrative sensibility into how I approach objects and materials. I’m interested in how design can create meaning through form, process, and context. My work often explores cultural identity, sustainability, and the critical thinking. I see design as a space for reflection and connection, where materiality and storytelling come together.

I’m Miren Biotz Goiriena, an industrial designer from the Basque Country, Spain. With a backgroun...

CollegeCentral Saint Martins
CourseMA Industrial Design
Graduation year2025

This project reimagines the argizaiola, a traditional Basque ritual object, as a contemporary lamp that functions both as a space and a tool for presence. Originally a wooden board wrapped with a beeswax candle and placed on family tombs, the argizaiola symbolised connection, care, and continuity.

Rather than replicating its function or form, the lamp interprets its ritual essence, offering a quiet, personal moment in today’s fast-paced, individualised world. Made from steel and recycled Basque oak, it contains two light sources: a soft ambient LED for everyday use, and a handmade plant-based candle inspired by traditional wax coils, inviting slowness and intention.

The visual language is minimal and symbolic, influenced by Basque sculptural heritage, allowing the materials to speak with quiet presence. The object offers no prescribed use; it may be lit, left untouched, or simply observed. It opens a possibility: a space for ritual, presence, or pause, if needed.