For the love of materials !
The surfaces and textures we come into contact with everyday shape our experiences.
They give us feedback and we are continually making judgement calls and even feeling emotions because of them.
I believe that it is a virtuous endeavour to do justice to the material, each material has its special qualities and beauty and honouring these and not hiding them is something that is important to me.
I always found myself wondering what was inside the walls of houses, behind the tiles or above the ceiling. Why don’t we ever get to see the structures that hold it all together!
Here is a list of materials I have used and try to achieve the above with.
Bronze
I will be forever intertwined with bronze. A material I love and admire.
It will outlive all of us by thousands and thousands of years, but yet it is so malleable. An alloy predominantly consisting of copper, bronze will patina with time and depending on its surroundings, it may also become polished in places that are consistently touched. It can always be melted down, reused and reformed into another life.
Aluminium
Aluminium unlike bronze is not an alloy, it is a true metal with intriguing properties.
Aluminium is very light, it also immediatly forms an invisible oxide layer on its surface that prevents further oxidation and aids corrosion. These inherent properties propose some interesting potential applications of the material.
Leather
All leathers that are used are naturally died cow leather; these hides are all an inevitable by-product from the meat industry.
With leather, the treatment and quality of life of the cow is very important as it is directly correlated to the quality of its skin and hence the leather hide.
As it is a natural product, marks and the inherent tannins may create some small differences in each piece. These products also patinate with time, use and their exposure to the elements. They can always be rebuffed with a simple leather hydration cream.