Taking inspiration from the burnished red facades of New York boroughs, The Netherlands-based artist Floris Wubben created his latest series of works, literally titled BRICK. The objects in the collection range from tables to mirrors and seem to be pushed, extruded and pulled versions of the bricks that give New York streets their distinctive look—almost as if the ubiquitous construction material had been stretched like taffy—and giving the collection a whimsical quality. The furniture collection, part of a solo exhibition at the Future Perfect Gallery in New York, includes a chandelier, a bench, a desk, a chair, a stool and a standing and wall mirror made entirely from red clay, with a process quite unique to Wubben’s practice and previous ceramic artworks created by him.
Wubben, who is primarily a ceramic artist, works with a process that amalgamates machine and manual techniques, using home-built extrusion instruments to create sculptures and artefacts that seem like they were stretched forms of two-dimensional surfaces. His studio, 'renowned for its unique products that stand at the intersection of functional art and sculptural design' experiments with the extrusion of ceramics through machines designed by the artist. With the BRICK collection, this approach is once again highlighted with different extruded clay modules making up the various furniture designs on display.
The machines Wubben works with allow him to pressure-extrude large slabs of wet clay into diverse forms, that may be open or closed, smooth or patterned. It depends on the amount of force, the calibration and how one moves the instrument that is used presenting a clever balance between the handmade and machine aspects of the work. Especially with the furniture here, where the modules emulate the hollowed-out profiles of bricks. The juxtaposition of different modules that make up each piece also adds to their artisanal quality and uniqueness.
This can be seen in the individual pieces such as the chandelier which is made of swooping modules arranged in a branch-like form. The coffee tables, table designs, and benches are also visually striking in how they mix different hues of clay in their design. The use of a cement-like binding agent that ties each together further adds to the illusion that these are objects that were extruded as bricks. As the gallery notes on the materiality of the pieces, “the clay [that was used] is extracted from Dollard Polder, located in the Northern province of The Netherlands, which has a naturally greasy composition thus, making it easier for extrusion. The result is the Groninger brick, which forms most of Wubben’s works in the collection.” Apart from the furniture, the showcase at the gallery includes sculptures and a mural artwork rendered in clay.
There is a dialogue between the heritage of New York and that of The Netherlands through this material language as well. Commenting on the collection, Wubben adds, “The discovery of the profound link between New York and Dutch bricks inspired this collection. Even though the Groninger brick was not the type of brick exported from The Netherlands to New York in the past, the BRICK project continues the tradition in a new way. It illuminates the extraordinary bond shared by New York and The Netherlands, celebrating the creativity and craftsmanship that defined this connection.” As the press release notes, the collection attempts to reconcile the material architectural heritage of New York—literally cemented in Dutch brick—and that of The Netherlands. Through the use of the ordinary brick as the material guide, Wubben can do this seamlessly. Moreover, the playful quality of the designs as expressed in his signature style adds to the distinctiveness of the collection and the earnestness of the work.
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