Incollect Magazine - Issue 4

Issue 4 84 www.incollect.com Shelly Chair by Peter Donders 88 Gallery, London Belgian designer Peter Donders has created a piece of pure sculpture which is also secondarily a chair, in short, a work of collectible design that is functional. Created in 2021, Shelly resembles a piece of rope bent and coiled into the shape of a chair — it is sinuous and flowing, fluid and taut at the same time. The design process is fascinating, for the object is produced initially with the aid of a 3D printer and then die cast in bronze. Erik Müllendorff from 88 Gallery in London, explains the process in more detail: “ Shelly by Peter Donders is a one surface (shell) cast from a 3D print. Based on the 3D print, a mold is made to cast the chair, but only the contours of the chair are cast. The shape is suggested by its outer shell. Shelly is a supreme example of how digital technology and craft can blend together.” Jequitibá Wood Chaise Longue by Guto Índio da Costa Equinoctial/MEMO, New York The contemporary Jequitibá Wood Chaise Longue by Brazilian designer Guto Indio da Costa is infinitely cool, an amazing piece of contemporary furniture design as sculpture. “It has a sculptural form,” says Marcelos Vasconcellos, a partner at the Mercado Moderno Gallery (MEMO) who represents the artist. “It is exuberant, a continuous sequence of complex surfaces. Minimalist and sensual, and impeccably produced by the sum of digital and handcrafted manufacture.” Designed in 2019 it is also unique, each piece made to order, which is saying something in contemporary design. The pieces are expertly made in collaboration with San German, a Brazilian manufacturer known for high-end finish carpentry. It is smooth, sexy, sinuous, and comes in several finishing options including natural, whisky, nogueira (walnut), dark walnut and painted black. It is also supremely comfortable. This is a timeless, elegant art. Brazilian design has never been hotter, and Equinoctial, with galleries in Boca Raton, Florida and The Gallery at LEX powered by Incollect has a spectacular work by contemporary Brazilian designer Guto Indio da Costa. His Jequitibá Wood Chaise Longue from the Machina&Manus Collection was created as an exploration of the nexus of human, handmade creation and digital technology manufacturing processes. The digital process allows sculpting to an extreme while maintaining accurate ergonomics, and the piece is completed with the highest standard of artisanal craftsmanship in a methodology the designer describes as “techno-organic” design language. This work is both a nod to the tradition of fine Brazilian craftsmanship and an acknowledgement of the limitless possibilities with advanced design technology. 88 Gallery believes that the best of collectible design combines innovation in form with the age-old properties of matter, and the work of Belgian artist Peter Donders echoes that tenet. His Shelly sculptural chair is a brilliantly successful example of how technology and traditional craftsmanship work together. Designed with a D printer, which frees the artist to stretch creative boundaries in form, the work is then produced with traditional casting techniques and hand finished. As Donders proclaims, “It’s still a manual labor of love.” Photo: Fabio Nava