Scenes. Thalen & Thalen
€29.95Silversmiths Rob and Jaap Thalen, who enjoy an even greater reputation in the United States if possible than in Europe, are now ready for their second book.
€45.00
The work of self-proclaimed ex-designer Martí Guixé (°1964) can aptly be described as ‘beyond design’. Creating new objects he finds rather ‘superfluous’ and ‘boring’; he prefers to concentrate on ideas, systems and living matter such as food and human behaviour. As a ‘global designer’, Guixé constantly travels back and forth between Berlin and his native Barcelona, analyses situations, rituals and movements and proposes radical solutions with a minimum of ergonomics – simple, immaterial, humorous and often iconoclastic.
Silversmiths Rob and Jaap Thalen, who enjoy an even greater reputation in the United States if possible than in Europe, are now ready for their second book.
For Michael Young, experimentation and research into different materials and techniques is his greatest passion.
Born in Sunderland (UK), he works from his studios in Brussels and Hong Kong. His designs for furniture and utensils are technically sophisticated and advanced, but thanks to a touch of humour, never sterile. He has spent more than ten years in Asia testing the most sophisticated technological processes and exploring the possibilities of different types of materials. His aluminium projects in particular stand out for their uniqueness and daring approach. This first monograph offers a nice cross-section of Michael Young’s oeuvre and compiles not only his work in aluminium, but also his most iconic creations in other materials.
This book appears on the occasion of the exhibition al(l) in Grand-Hornu (31 January – 29 May 2016).
Surrealism may be best known as a movement within literature and the fine arts, but the influence of this 20th-century artistic movement in other fields should not be underestimated. Even the world of design and contemporary design does not escape a healthy dose of surreal humour.
Limited edition design is hot. But is this still design? Or have these creations reached, even crossed, the boundary with art? Some critics prefer the middle way and call it design art.
Unconstrained, poetic and timeless. That is how we can characterise the designs of Jean-François D’Or. The Belgian Designer of the Year 2013 does not put himself in the spotlight with large showpieces, but with his special talent he leaves his own mark on the field of smaller home and interior accessories such as bowls, lamps, vases, coat racks, door handles, mirrors,… Small touches that in all subtlety colour an interior and at the same time very ‘democratic’ design that can seduce a large public.
Throughout the centuries, silverware has been a source of inspiration for many artists. Religious silverware raised the profession to unprecedented heights, but in the course of the 20th century commissions became scarce. More and more studios had to close their doors and monumental silverwork soon disappeared into the background. Gradually, training also left something to be desired. Father Rob and son Jaap Thalen’s dream is to make the very best again: objects, utensils and works of art in silver such as have been hard to find for a long time. Monumental creations for which both the old craftsmanship and the most advanced techniques are required. Their designs take shape in Francorchamps, Belgium, and are appreciated worldwide.