Pierre De Valck transforms relics into furniture in ‘The Cult of Stone’

Belgian art designer Pierre De Valck’s fascination with archaeology began at an early age. Born in Brussels, the Ghent-based designer who pursued his childhood curiosity in collecting historical artefacts as a hobby is now dedicated to creating authentic, handmade objects marked by the unique signature of nature. According to the designer, his work is in reminiscence of times when applied arts were steered by abundance and symbolism: significant showpieces meant to display exquisite craftsmanship.

Pierre De Valck attempts to harness the force of ancient geological processes in a contemporary bodice: Future Relics that permeates through our collective memory to rediscover nature in its purest form; dating back to millions of years ago. He introduces the first Future Relics titled 'pieces with stone': which are a collection of unique cabinets and lighting products designed by weaving together precious stones and minerals which have been carefully selected for their exceptional historic and aesthetic value. Leaving no stone unturned, Valck adopted meticulous research in the selection process of each unique artefact and crystals gathered from all over the world. By allowing the raw stones and minerals to remain untouched, the mere function of the object is transcended. The furniture and lighting pieces have been made with materials ranging from Lapis Lazuli, Jasper, Petrified Summer Oak and Thulite. The newest pieces in the collection are the Bronze Cabinet with Malachite and the Bow Cabinet with Malachite.

Since 2020 Pierre de Valck has presented his work in New York, Geneva, Paris, Milan, Belgium and since recently also in Seoul, Dubai, Mexico City and Los Angeles.

This Mid cabinet sits a rough Malachite stone of 130 million years from Zambia in Africa. Inspired by the tales of the ancient tribes from remote islands, the cabinet is crafted out of bronze which refers to The Bronze Age and traditional sculptural art. Significant to the tribal culture are precious stones that are incorporated into objects. The outline of this bronze object is based on a shield that has been transformed into a circular wall cabinet with two butterfly-hinged doors. On the patinated interiors is one vertical divider, two horizontal divides and four compartments.

Unveiled this year, the object is created as a homage to the longbow as first used by the hunter-gatherer ancestors. The ingenious hunter’s instrument chartered the course of human evolution with its early introduction in developing man’s hunting capabilities, immensely contributing to the rapid development of early humans as a species. The discovery safeguarded the nomadic human tribes with a sense of quasi-continuous safety which allowed them more time to hone their creative and cognitive abilities, artistic expression, strategic thinking, tool optimisation and so on…In the cabinet, the stone replaces the hand which pulls the bow back to its critical tension, allowing the cabinet to delicately balance on its tip, the centrally encrusted stone brings about a most elegant equilibrium. The Bow Cabinet with Malachite is part of a new series of wall-mounted cabinets and comes in two heights: 100 cm (one fixed shelf inside) and 160 cm (three fixed shelves inside).

Pierre De Valck’s upcoming show Transatlántico will be held 8 - 12 February 2022 at Mexico City Mexico, Courtesy Galerie Philia.

• Bienvenue Art Fair
• 5 - 10 April 2022
• Hotel La Louisiane, Paris France
• Courtesy Atelier Ecru

• Collectible
• 20 - 22 May 2022
• Tour & Taxis, Brussels Belgium
• Courtesy Atelier Ecru

• Solo Show
• November 2022
• Ghent Belgium
• Courtesy Atelier Ecru