5 designers create 5 exclusive objects for St. Vincents’ 5th anniversary
Celebrating its 5th anniversary, the Antwerp design store and gallery St. Vincents is inviting 5 designers to create 5 exclusive objects.
Ben Storms (Belgium), Frank Stabel (Belgium), Lukas Cober (Germany), Fred Rigby (UK) and Cedric Gepner & Sophie Gelinet from Studio Haos (France) were asked by Henri Delbarre & Geraldine Jackman, the founders of St. Vincents, to create a unique design piece on the occasion of the 5th anniversary of the design store and gallery.
The selection of these 5 designers was made based on personal preferences and rooted on a strong personal connection with the designers. These are designers that have, over the years, supported St. Vincents, in one way or the other, and this exhibition can be seen as a tribute to their relationships and their talent.
The result is an exhibition of original, inspiring pieces that eschew trends and reflect the narratives of their makers. All of them are representative of their times and were given complete freedom to create and experiment as they please. A wild card of sorts that allowed them to create without the pressures of circumscribing to a specific style, aesthetic or price.
Sitting at the crossroads between a design store and a gallery, St. Vincents offers an eclectic curation of works dedicated to 20th and 21st century design. With a home-like energy, the showroom combines the dynamism of a retail space with a gallery-type curation. Focusing on provenance and craftsmanship, the collection unfolds within the unique spaces and atmospheres of a converted 1700s printing house. The affinity with the makers lies at the core of St. Vincents.
For 5/5/5, Ben Storms continued his research into blown shapes. After exploring metal and marble, this time he chose to research glass, casting it instead of blowing. It gives the glass a density akin to natural stone, defying the transparency and lightness we have come to associate with it. The process of moulding used for this piece bears similarities to the lost mould technique used in bronze casting. Small, visible marks have been left untouched as a witness of the making. This unique Ex Hale Wallpiece is Ben’s first foray into colour.
The bronze stool Frank Stabel - who works under the name of haring - has designed “an ode to unpretentiousness”. Throughout history, various cultures have made stools with the available resources at hand, adapting this utilitarian typology to serve particular purposes (such as milking cows or having lunch). Haring distills this long lineage to its very essence: a vertical stick and a horizontal beam, connected with a constructive knot. First made in wood, the stool is then cast in bronze, a material that contradicts the humble origins of this object.
Fred Rigby's contribution to 5/5/5, The Rock Armchair, is inspired by the stone clusters and rock formations seen on beaches. Asymmetric and informal, like rocks jutting out the earth, it invites the sitter to relax without imposing a fixed seating position. The tactile Pierre Frey fabric gives it a light and soft quality matching its intended use as a lounge chair.
For 5/5/5, HAOS has designed a desk made of solid oak, plywood and oak veneer. The studio recently decided to refocus its design activity and insource the production of their pieces in their own workshop. This desk is a reflection of being exposed to shape and matter, whilst experimenting with new ways of making furniture at a more human and local scale. Starting from tried-and-tested oak, this new HAOS piece derives its value from its well thought-out form rather than from excessively rare materials or craftsmanship virtuosity. In this sense, it echoes design masters such as Enzo Mari, Gerrit Rietveld and Charlotte Perriand.
The Pillar Table - Liquid Bronze, Lukas Cober’s design for 5/5/5, is based on his initial design Pillar Table which features a centre tube base and a round table top, always combining two materials. For this unique edition, he wanted to emphasise the sculptural value of the piece, hence the use of bronze for the base of the table. Cast with the traditional lost wax technique, the base is the result of an intuitive sculpting process without a fixed idea of shape. The trimming of the material on top creates a beautiful bell shape. In keeping with the ‘liquid’ theme, the tabletop is made of resin that brings a contemporary character to the piece.
On display at St. Vincents from 12 May, each piece is interesting in their own manner, be it their thought process, working method, materiality or concept.
Practical information
5/5/5
Vernissage: 12/05/2022 from 18:00-22:00
Exhibition: 12/05/2022 - 09/07/2022
St. Vincents
opening hours:
Thursday - Saturday: 12:00-18:00
or by appointment
Images
About St. Vincents
St. Vincents sits at the crossroads between a design store and a gallery space, with an eclectic curation dedicated to 20th and 21st century design.
Weary of traditional retail and an over-saturated consumer landscape, founders Henri Delbarre & Geraldine Jackman envisioned a dynamic space that prioritises experience and culture over consumerism.
The search for a location led them to an abandoned three-story building from the 1700s in Antwerp. Following a restoration and conceptualisation process that began in 2015 and continues to evolve to this day, the former print house is now host to several unique and flexible spaces that hold a vast and eclectic collection of works - from art to furniture, design objects and homeware -.
With a strong focus on provenance and craftsmanship, what lies at the core of St. Vincents is their affinity with the makers. This leads to an idiosyncratic assemblage of objects not so much defined by style but rather by the integrity and intention of the people behind.
Named after Geraldine’s father*, St. Vincents is an ever-evolving space that makes room for unexpected happenings, possible scenarios for the future and an openness towards experimentation.
We don’t like to be subscribed to a particular style but rather a language that is ever evolving, always in flux and never standing still. We’ve always maintained a restrained approach towards mass produced and consumerism inspired works. Our selection has naturally favoured an innovative and original approach manifested in craftsmanship and aesthetics. In this sense, our venture into the realm of collectible design happened very organically.
— Henri Delbarre & Geraldine Jackman, founders of St. Vincents
*By no means a Saint, but a humble man that served as a Franciscan Monk for 7 years in South India he embodied a personal sense of home.
About Ben Storms
Ben Storms is a Belgian designer and craftsman who thinks in terms of materials. By using state-of-the-art techniques he transforms them to captivating shapes that defy expectations. Ben equally masters thinking and making. He has refined his craft as a stonemason, sculptor and woodworker. In his practice, he often combines traditional techniques with high-tech processes to create unique pieces of furniture with a sculptural character.
For 5/5/5, Ben continued his research into blown shapes. After exploring metal and marble, this time he chose to research glass. Instead of taking the obvious path of blowing, he decided to cast it. It gives the glass a density akin to natural stone, defying the transparency and lightness we have come to associate with it. The process of moulding used for this piece bears similarities to the lost mould technique used in bronze casting. Small, visible marks have been left untouched as a witness of the making.
This unique Ex Hale Wallpiece is Ben’s first foray into colour. “For some time, I have had a desire to allow more colour into my work. Glass is the first transparent material I use. Here, we used slightly coloured glass. The different hues are essentially the result of variations in thickness, emphasising the shape.”
About Frank Stabel - haring
Frank Stabel, who operates under the name haring, conceives objects, furniture and installations as a result of a conceptual deductive process based on curiosity and research. As straightforward and rational they might seem, his objects all bear their story in their visible construction or honest materials.
The bronze stool haring has designed for 5/5/5 is—in his own words—“an ode to unpretentiousness”.
Throughout history, various cultures have made stools with the available resources at hand, adapting this utilitarian typology to serve particular purposes (such as milking cows or having lunch). Haring distills this long lineage to its very essence: a vertical stick and a horizontal beam, connected with a constructive knot. First made in wood, the stool is then cast in bronze, a material that contradicts the humble origins of this object.
“It is turned into a usable sculpture, a tribute to simplicity and functionality that will, through time, show its own traces of use in a unique patina.”
About Fred Rigby
Fred Rigby grew up in Dorset in the U.K., in a hilly countryside that inspires his work. He has worked for brands such as Another Country and Menu, creating pieces that bring a sense of nature into the home. Rigby’s bespoke pieces are sculptural, organic shapes executed to perfection in beautifully finished materials.
His contribution to 5/5/5, The Rock Armchair, is inspired by the stone clusters and rock formations seen on beaches. Asymmetric and informal, like rocks jutting out the earth, it invites the sitter to relax without imposing a fixed seating position. The tactile Pierre Frey fabric gives it a light and soft quality matching its intended use as a lounge chair.
“I wanted to design a piece based on natural rock, appearing heavy and immovable but light and soft to touch in this instance.”
About HAOS
HAOS is a Paris-based design studio founded by Sophie Gelinet and Cedric Gepner. It strives to create ascetic objects that feel both contemporary and timeless. It draws on traditional materials and savoir-faire to design sculptural shapes with refined and minimalist lines.
For 5/5/5, HAOS has designed a desk made of solid oak, plywood and oak veneer. The studio recently decided to refocus its design activity and insource the production of their pieces in their own workshop. This desk is a reflection of being exposed to shape and matter, whilst experimenting with new ways of making furniture at a more human and local scale. Starting from tried-and-tested oak, this new HAOS piece derives its value from its well thought-out form rather than from excessively rare materials or craftsmanship virtuosity. In this sense, it echoes design masters such as Enzo Mari, Gerrit Rietveld and Charlotte Perriand.
“In a world of increasing scarcity, an aesthetic that promotes and finds harmony in the assembly of easily found materials and techniques may hold some keys for the future".
About Lukas Cober
Lukas Cober is based in Maastricht. In 2018 he started his own studio, creating unique furniture pieces and collections. In its work, Studio Lukas Cober emphasises the use of raw materials such as wood, fibreglass and resin, translated into architectural lines with a sculptural finesse.
The Pillar Table - Liquid Bronze, Cober’s design for 5/5/5, is based on his initial design Pillar Table which features a centre tube base and a round table top, always combining two materials. The design is intentionally clean and straightforward, highlighting the materiality. For this unique edition, he wanted to emphasise the sculptural value of the piece, hence the use of bronze for the base of the table. Cast with the traditional lost wax technique, the base is the result of an intuitive sculpting process without a fixed idea of shape. The trimming of the material on top creates a beautiful bell shape. In keeping with the ‘liquid’ theme, the tabletop is made of resin that brings a contemporary character to the piece. The delicate translucency of the top grants a striking contrast with the heavy bronze.
“This piece is the result of a fluid one year process of designing and making. It’s a sculptural yet contemporary piece through a fusion of two materialities with very contrasting character, yet perfectly in harmony.”