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Atelier Schaft

material narratives

WHY

Atelier Schaft is fascinated by the fact that every material has its own story. We are living in a material world, yet many material stories are untold. It is Atelier Schafts mission to extract these material narratives.

WHAT

Contextualized material research is the core of my practice. Simply said: I create material narratives. My working method is analytic, experimental and research driven. With an almost obsessive urge to dive into the core of materials.

PROJECTS

In this overview, you can experience a selection of projects in chronological order. Some are finished, others are never-ending. For an almost daily update, follow my Instagram: @atelier_schaft

1,324 SERIES

This project is ongoing and in collaboration with Bold. Studio.

Inspired by Dom Hans van der Laan's theory, the "Plastic Ratio", we have designed a series of wall pieces.

The way we currently design and build is based predominantly on the metric system, but our perception of space is not created through meters or centimeters.

The main premise of the series is not about 'beauty' but the clarity of perception. All the measurements in the series relate to eachother through the "order of size", resulting in a harmonious whole.

Depending on how daylight hits the sculptures and the position of the spectator, the perception of form can alter.

GIANT HOGWEED WALL TILES

The Giant Hogweed is known for its rapid spread and poisonous juice. The plant is labelled as an invasive species and is forbidden within the EU.

But Atelier Schaft like to show the positive side of the plant, by transforming wasted plant material into a biological interior product.

Heracleum wall tiles are made of fine hogweed veneer, each wall tile is locally and carefully handcrafted.

You can send me an email down below for more information.

GIANT HOGWEED
A NEW PERSPECTIVE

Atelier Schaft tells a new narrative about the infamous Giant Hogweed and transforms the invasive plant into a series of new material applications. The material options offer a replacement for various traditional materials; this way he changes the weeds into a potential new crop. The plant spreads quickly on unused sites, requires no maintenance, and is extremely light. Invasive plants like this form the material source of the future.

JOS BRINK PRIZE

The Jos Brink Oeuvre Prize is awarded once every two years to a person, group or institution that has made a fundamental contribution to improve the position of the LGTBI community. The winner of the prize will receive a design object and €10.000.- The Ministry of Education chose the brooch design to function as the prize object during the Jos Brink award ceremony of 2019. With this commission I developed the design into a total experience that consist out of a short movie, process booklet, shiny presentation surface and a vivid brooch that can be planted after use.

HERACLEUM MANTAGAZZIANUM RE-INTRODUCED

Heracleum Mantagazzium is better known as the Giant hogweed or in Dutch the Reuzen berenklauw. The plant is introduced in Europe during the Victorian era due to its architectural quality. I want to re-introduce this species. I want to show the other side of this plant. By constructing a material narrative that displays the material properties in the context of cultivating the plant. The dynamics of the plant are translated into a campaign object, inspired by the Royal tulip vase, a metaphor for cultural acceptance. The object consists of three stackable parts, each representing a chapter of the material narrative. Stacked, these parts form a tower of four meters high that communicates the symbolical and functional value of the plant.

THE UNFINISHED RESEARCH OF ARTISTICAL POSSIBILITIES OF THE PSEUDO-ACACIA PART 1

Lagrouw is a Dutch artist living and working in the Piedmont region of Italy. On his estate he uses everything the landscape has to offer. One day he discovered a fast-growing hard wooded tree covered with spines: the Robina Pseudo-Acacia. Lagrouw commissioned Atelier Schaft to research the historical, botanical and material opportunities.