Surreal Idiosyncrasy - Maarten Baas

Added : 28 Nov 2011 | Visits : 652 | Average votes : %

The definition of art oscillates whimsically between celebrated beauty and the unexpected. Indulging in the exploration of the road less travelled by Dutch designer, Maarten Baas, renders his products with an innovative excitement that redefines any previous distinction between the awkward and the attractive.

Inspired by man’s evolved sense of beauty that is no longer limited to mere attraction, but has moved ahead to interest generation and uniqueness, Dutch designer Maarten Baas obtained his design education at the prestigious Design Academy Eindhoven. Forever keen on engaging the experimental and expressive side of the field, Baas designed the candleholder ‘Knuckle’ while studying, which was soon taken into production by Pols’ Potten, announcing the Baas arrival into the world of product design.

Finding the great divide between beauty and ugliness extremely interesting, Baas recognises that human interest is not merely restricted to that which is acknowledged and celebrated. He boldly introduces a revolutionary notion in the perception of aesthetics with his belief that any significant attempt at experimentation in the field is nothing but interesting and hence pleasing. With an ideation as this, he embraces a raw and distinctive approach to his work.

Real Time Stimulations

Purposefully imperfect and unparalleled in character, each of Baas’s international sensations creates a lasting impression owing to an inherent poetry that makes it shine unique. Establishing a personal relationship between the creator, technology and preservation, they alternately indulge in the exploration of digital design and material recycles, while redefining the conventional perception of aesthetics and function.

Clay Furniture

A playful demonstration of functional imperfection, Baas’s crude ‘Clay Furniture’ is hand-moulded with synthetic clay on a metal skeleton that reinforces the structure from inside.

Adding an element of uniqueness as well as a personal touch, each of these vibrantly-coloured pieces resembles an awkward scrawny giant proudly flaunting the finger impressions of its creators.

Hey Chair, Be a Bookshelf!

Seemingly precarious in arrangement, the whimsical assemblage of the “Hey Chair, Be a Bookshelf” impulsively stacks together to a variety of common objects from second-hand stores, reinforces them with polyester and hand-coats them with polyurethane to repurpose their function.

This unique harmony transforms a group of completely unrelated objects that might have otherwise been discarded, into an unexpected composition of haphazard functionalities.

Real Time

With the aid of digital technology that has made 24-hour videography possible, Baas’s ‘Real Time’ products combine movies with objects to function as clocks.

The series includes the ‘Grandfather Clock’ which films a movie of a man drawing the hands of a clock.

The ‘Sweepers Clock’ wherein the hands of a clock are made by two people sweeping garbage all day.

The ‘Analog Digital’ with its LED lights managed by a man with black latex paint darkening them or wiping them clean.

Lastly, the ‘World Clock’ which shows people in three different countries indicating the local time with everyday objects.

Smoke

Diminishing the preciousness of ornamentation and focusing on the true purpose of common objects, Baas’s ‘Smoke’ furniture is blow-torched to obtain a charred appeal and preserved with a clear epoxy coating to give it a velvety, matte-black finish.

A sensitive approach though camouflaged by oddity, one rarely comes across initiatives to restore the lost brilliance and value of old furniture with modern interesting reincarnations. Innovation at its crux, the design trend appears to widen the previously established concepts of aesthetics allowing for broader definitions inclusive of bold unconventional imperfections.

Indeed, the definition of art does oscillate whimsically between celebrated beauty and the unexpected. This then seemingly opens up a horizon of posibilities that designers are free to explore. What remains the sole constraint, however, is the unfortunate refusal in the industry to diverge into such paracentric paths due to the fear of unsatisfactory reception. The introduction of purposely chaotic and yet functionally sophisticated products, truly, is a significant step in eliminating this fear and greeting a new spirit of aesthetic revolution.

Fact File

Designer: Maarten Baas

Photographs: Courtesy the designer

Designer’s Website: www.maartenbaas.com