Tephra
Drawing their name from the geological term indicating petrified fragments spat from volcanoes, unique pieces from the Tephra series are crafted using hand-picked, specially treated flowers mounted on sculptural forms made of steel wire and jute, and metallised using our bespoke thermo-coating technique. Born out of white-hot flames, the stone-like, otherworldy form, reminiscent of a monochrome bas-relief, was once full of life. Now, fossilised in a baffling assemblage of the known and the uncanny, it preserves the eternal blossom in an almost Pompeiian effect of silhouettes covered in volcanic debris.
A relic from the future thriving in the ashes.
A seeming misalliance of traditionally manual techniques such as sewing, bending and welding is interlaced with the sublime fragility of flowers and the rigidity of the industrial metallisation process. Cocooned by streams of liquified metal, the pieces are captured in an ever-evolving state of becoming. As a proof of concept, Tephra Vase Raw opens up yet another creative avenue for the studio, inviting real living plants to grow and dwell on modular, sculptural forms. Cultivated rather than applied, the plants grown from within and on the surface of each piece negotiate the status between a man-made, controlled form and the aleatory, natural process, becoming alive with possibilities. The experiment has been continuously developed by the studio ever since, underlining the role of nature as a creative force that should be included – and nurtured – in the design process.
First iterated in 2021, objects from the Tephra series have been presented at MAKE Hauser & Wirth in Somerset and London, Carpenters Workshop Gallery in Paris, BIO27 design biennale in Ljubljana, Slovenia, and at the Homo Faber Craft Biennale in Venice, Italy, among others. For the Carpenters Workshop Gallery, a new edition of unique pieces was created. Iterated in polished zinc and bronze, the vertical sculptural pieces borrow from the anatomical forms of seeds and pollen, referencing nature's fertility and creativity.
| YEAR: 2020-Ongoing |
TEAM: Marcin Rusak Tamara Pilawska-Baranowska Adam Bialek Dominik Karasinski Mateusz Wappa Maciej Ziety |
SPECIALISTS: Marcin Rusak Studio Natalia Budnik |
EXHIBITIONS: Homo Faber Craft Biennale, Venice, Italy The New Guard, Carpenters Workshop Gallery, Paris, France BIO 27 Design Biennale, Ljubljana, Slovenia MAKE Hauser&Wirth, Somerset/London, UK |