Friedericke Delius: Reanimating the Common
TLmag spoke to the rising Berlin-based talent Friedericke Delius about her use of silver to turn a clothes horse into a sculpture.
Founded in 2014 by Universität der Künste (University of the Arts) Berlin graduate Friederike Delius, Studio Berg explores the fertile ground between art and design; different yet similar approaches that, together, can readdress the conventional treatment of everyday objects. Designed to breathe new and personalised value into the daily practice of drying garments, Foldwork acts as both a clothing rack and hanging sculpture. Bringing this everyday tool out of the laundry closet and into the living room, Delius evokes the aesthetic that comes with timber-frame structures. TLmag spoke to the rising Berlin-based talent about her use of silver as one of multiple finishes.
TLmag: What is your affinity for silver as both a visual and material composite?
Friederike Delius: Silver offers many interesting aspects for design and can have a big impact on the perception of objects. It’s lustrous quality, as experienced with mirrors, reflects sunlight and therefore can transform shapes; make them appear and disappear. The materiality of silver simultaneously expresses strength and smoothness.
What visual, physical or metaphoric treatment does this material and effect allow you to express?
For Foldwork, I chose to work with silver as a ‘natural colour’ and decided to employ a core material. Working with stainless steel allowed me to achieve a silver finish without any alteration. Though its surface was brushed carefully to achieve a soft appearance, Foldwork was left uncoated as to enhance the materials’ own aesthetic properties. With this balance, the object could both diffuse light and attain a silky look.
In what way can the silver finish and chosen material extend the function of your design?
By leaving the surface of Foldwork bare and matt, the stainless steel reveals its most favorable properties: a high-end look and rust-resistance. Both qualities express the idea of Foldwork very well: an everyday object that has both functional and visual power.
Season III – Silver Edition, design & Silvano Magnone, handmade photography, Spazio Nobile, Brussels (BE), 24.11.2016-19.2.2017, www.spazionobile.com
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