Mutation series08. Apr2012
Mutation series consist in a number of pieces of foam coated with a rubber or tactile velvet-like finish. Every piece has it’s own unique form.
"The pieces in this series look like they weren’t made by hands, but have grown to their present form organically. They might be the result of a mutation in cells, or the result of a chemical or nuclear reaction. Perhaps it’s a virus or bacteria that has grown dramatically out of scale. The Mutation pieces make you look at furniture in a different way. Maybe one day we would be able to grow a piece of furniture like we breed or clone an animal, and manipulate it’s shape like a bonsai tree."
On the other hand, the project can be seen as an experimental review of classic furniture upholstery. It reminds us of the famous and iconic deep buttoned (Chesterfield) sofa's, interpreted in a highly contemporary and sculptural way. Instead of upholstering springs and foam with leather or textile, these pieces are created by carefully composing patterns with cut-offs of foam spheres of various sizes, and applying them onto a structure. In the end the entire piece gets coated, with a durable rubber or tactile velvet-like finish. It is hardly impossible to ever recreate such a specific pattern, so every piece is completely unique." - Maarten De Ceulaer
Photos by Nicolas Neefs
Short Biography: After obtaining a degree in Interior Design at the Sint-Lukas Hogeschool Brussels, Maarten De Ceulaer decided to focus more on objects. His predilection for strong concepts led him to the Design Academy Eindhoven, where he graduated in 2008 with the projects 'Pile Of Suitcases' and 'Nomad Light Molecule'. During his studies he won the Dynamo Young Belgian Designer Award 2007, and just a few months after his graduation he started collaborating with the renowned Italian gallery Nilufar. His works have been featured in many major design magazines and newspapers worldwide, and have been exhibited at Nilufar and Rossana Orlandi in Milan, Galerie BSL in Paris, Art & Rapy in Monaco, Mint in London, Victor Hunt in Brussels, and various exhibitions and fairs internationally, like Design Miami/Basel.Vision on Design: I want to use my work to tell stories, to stir people's emotions, to tickle their imagination or to make them wonder. A project can result from an observation of the society around me, or a reaction on something that simply crosses my path, but can as well be the expression of a very personal thought or feeling that I want to communicate to the world. I want to explore materials, and investigate and play with production techniques and crafts. Some projects are more functional in the traditional way, while others perform a function on a different level, the emotional aspect of objects is of equal importance.
Bio taken from Maarten De Ceulaer website.
