Nature of Things II
The title “Nature of Things” comes from a collection of poems by Francis Ponge, in which commonplace objects carry a philosophical charge.
For the exhibition at the Victor Horta Museum in Brussels, we have embodied the philosophy of Art Nouveau in a contemporary context. In an homage to the famed Belgian architect and at the same time patron of the museum, we have followed his philosophy of bringing the exterior of the natural world indoors.
“Nature of Things II” conjures a world of natural elements: conserved and non-conserved, decaying and non-decaying. Our sculptures, artefacts, and visual works with unique perishable qualities mirror the preserved world of Victor Horta’s house, offering a poetic interpretation of classical household typologies. From Perishable Vases and sculptures made using waste flowers and natural binders such as beeswax and shellac, to large cabinets clad with real tropical leaves, the pieces offer an introspection into the full spectrum of ephemerality, spanning from preservation to decay.
The decorative aspects of our pieces are a derivative of in-depth research and investigation of natural materials.
The exhibition gave us an opportunity to explore the ideas of value and ephemerality even further. By creating works from organic components, we have highlighted their decaying and ageing properties, and even accelerated them by means of a specially built incubator. By allowing nature to dictate the processes and outcomes of each piece with minimal interference, we experiment with the processes of deconstruction, renewal and reconstruction, placing focus on the impermanence of objects and, therefore, our unique relationship with them. By utilising a variety of materials and techniques to produce objects that alter rapidly in appearance, or simply disappear, we want to create and discover connections between our pieces and the surrounding material world.
For the exhibition at the Victor Horta Museum in Brussels, we have embodied the philosophy of Art Nouveau in a contemporary context. In an homage to the famed Belgian architect and at the same time patron of the museum, we have followed his philosophy of bringing the exterior of the natural world indoors.
“Nature of Things II” conjures a world of natural elements: conserved and non-conserved, decaying and non-decaying. Our sculptures, artefacts, and visual works with unique perishable qualities mirror the preserved world of Victor Horta’s house, offering a poetic interpretation of classical household typologies. From Perishable Vases and sculptures made using waste flowers and natural binders such as beeswax and shellac, to large cabinets clad with real tropical leaves, the pieces offer an introspection into the full spectrum of ephemerality, spanning from preservation to decay.
The decorative aspects of our pieces are a derivative of in-depth research and investigation of natural materials.
The exhibition gave us an opportunity to explore the ideas of value and ephemerality even further. By creating works from organic components, we have highlighted their decaying and ageing properties, and even accelerated them by means of a specially built incubator. By allowing nature to dictate the processes and outcomes of each piece with minimal interference, we experiment with the processes of deconstruction, renewal and reconstruction, placing focus on the impermanence of objects and, therefore, our unique relationship with them. By utilising a variety of materials and techniques to produce objects that alter rapidly in appearance, or simply disappear, we want to create and discover connections between our pieces and the surrounding material world.
| YEAR: 2018 |
COLLABORATORS: Marcin Rusak Tamara Pilawska Baranowska Tessa Silva Dawson |
PHOTO CREDITS: Marcin Rusak Studio |
LOCATION: Brussels, Belgium |
