Comparing Conditions 2020
Comparing Conditions is a repetition of form and change of materials in relation to the idea of a function. It is a further development of an earlier work Heavy Stack (2016): The ceramic parts are produced on the same brickwork machine with a special nozzle and afterwards placed in the same plaster formwork. The chair as a function is the starting point. By repeating the same three arcs in four different materials and connecting them in four different ways, the meaning of form, function, and materiality is explored. The link between the arcs, varies from a solid wooden seat, a visible metal construction, a soft woven curve to a heavy marble slab. The experiments are presented with an awareness of the processes and the four sculptural works speak their own language through the materials. The materials are themselves generators for iteration, as each material has their inherent language and technical potentials. The project raises the question: When is it a chair, a shape, a material?
Heavy Stack 2016
Heavy Stack is an experimental series of objects that explores the potentials of form, materials and aesthetics. The objects are made of hollow extruded ceramic rings stacked on top of each other, almost like bricks, around a load-bearing oak construction. The main inspiration comes from architectural principles and structures, while the materials and the finish point more to furniture making and crafts. Thus, function is not the goal here but instead serves as a source of inspiration for form, construction and materials. The production process combines elements from industrial production and crafts: The ceramic rings are made on a brickworks extrusion machine fitted with a special nozzle, while the resulting tubes are shaped into circular or oval rings by hand. The series is part of the duo’s ongoing exploration of the potentials of ceramic elements as a structural component in furniture, combined in this case with a new-found fascination with the process and potentials of extrusion.
Ceramic Structures (Keramiske Strukturer) 2017
Ceramic Structures’ is inspired by columns – as a modular construction system.
The system consists of three elements; a glazed base, a building block and a building block with a slot, that can hold a transverse wooden beam. These can be configured in different ways. ‘Ceramic Structures’ is hand-thrown stoneware elements and Douglas pine beams. You are allowed to sense the process. ‘Ceramic Structures’ mimes doorways and furniture without necessarily being that, while the building blocks relate to stackable stoneware pots. The visually poetic and spacious sculptures relate in scale directly to the body and radiate calmness, movement and balance.
Note: The text above was written by the Artist. No modification was made by COCA.
Anne Dorthe Vester (MBADV)
Denmark
MBADV is a Copenhagen based studio founded in 2013 by furniture designer Maria Bruun and architect Anne Dorthe Vester. Their practice encompasses objects in the cross section between architecture, design and fine art. Intrigued by the notion of the dialogue, MBADV often focuses on abstractions, like idioms, functional hybrids, and on the aesthetics of materials and form in relation to surrounding spaces – all created with attention to the crafted detail. Their approach is analytical, looking at lines, light and functionality in a space in order to emphasize or challenge it. MBADV approaches each project with the sense of spaciousness from the architectural point of view, the focus on craftsmanship from a design point of view and a shared penchant for questioning the notions of function versus abstraction.