Sept 10 - Oct 6, 2007
Carpenters Workshop Gallery




Carpenters Workshop Gallery, London's premier contemporary design gallery is presenting Dutch design prodigy Maarten Baas new limited edition series, SCULPT. Sculpt, complements and extends the design concepts behind earlier pieces from his internationally celebrated Smoke and Clay projects. Baas continues to challenge our preconceived notions surrounding conventional construction, materials and permanence without straying from the intrinsic practicality of the nature of the object.

Each piece of Sculpt begins as a hand-carved miniature model which Baas scales to life-size. The finished products are roughly finished furniture forms, this natural appearance contradicting the sophisticated and skilful construction. Baas's mammoth cupboard gives the impression of being carved from a solid block of wood: in fact it is a solid metal structure veneered with walnut. This play on materials is a running theme throughout his career, with finishes ranging from hand stitched leather to powder-coating- a finish more commonly associated with the car manufacturing industry.

Sculpt offers the unique opportunity to encounter what can be compared to surviving artefacts resurrected from the Stone Age, seemingly glacier-carved and freed from their prehistoric bedrock. They demonstrate how Baas has cleverly transformed classic furniture forms to create a new and thoroughly modern aesthetic. All pieces are limited to an edition of 8.


Notes to Editors:

Dutch designer Maarten Baas was born in Arnsberg in 1978, Germany but moved to Burgh in 1979. Upon graduating from high school in 1996 he began his studies at the prestigious Design Academy Eindhoven.

In June 2002, he graduated from the Design Academy Eindhoven with two designs. These two works were a series of charred furniture, popularly known as the Smoke series and an ingenious sundial, displaying the hours in shadow. His works were nominated for the René Smeets and Melkweg design awards. Baas's Smoke works have been incorporated into Marcel Wanders's international design company MOOI. It is thanks to the international exposure of successful exhibitions in Milan, London, and Paris that the Smoke series is considered by museums, critics, collectors and the design-informed public to be an iconic collection in contemporary design. Smoke pieces have been acquired by important designers and collectors such as Lidewij Edelkoort and Phillipe Starck. Baas's Smoke chandelier was showcased at the Victoria and Albert Museum 2004 exhibition ‘Brilliant' in London while a smoke chair was included in the ‘Nest' exhibition 2004 at the Stedelijk Museum (www.stedelijk.nl) in Amsterdam. At the Salone del Mobile in 2006 Maarten launched Clay Furniture, which is recognized as the natural successor to Smoke and ultimately one of the most surprising projects unveiled at the festival. That same year saw the Design Museum in London display 18 pieces from the Clay collection.

In 2005 Baas began collaborating with Bas den Herder, who is now responsible for the production of all of his works. The founding of studio Baas & den Herder made it possible to produce Maarten's unique pieces on a larger scale. This new collaboration allows for all pieces to continue to be handcrafted in Holland and for Baas to take on even more ambitious projects and private commissions from hotels, restaurants, galleries and museums all over the world.

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Carpenters Workshop Gallery
2 Michael Road
SW6 2AD London
United Kingdom
TEL : +44 (0)20 7384 2211
info@cwgdesign.com
cwgdesign.com