Year: 2011
Edition: Studio Julien Carretero
Production site: Beeldenstorm
Materials: casted aluminium, varnished waterproof MDF, birch veneer (lamp)
Project assistants: Sabine Roth, Lauren Tortil, Jason Page, Vincent Tarisien, Paulo Sellmayer, Anaïck Lejart, Geoffroy Gillant
The Stencil collection is the first series of aluminium pieces of furniture ever casted in fabric. It is the result of an experimental research aiming at turning the complex aluminium casting technique into a flexible and low-cost system of production. In order to do so, the number of steps required along the process is reduced to its minimum and the need for complex and expensive infrastructures is avoided. Economic flexibility arises from the lightness of the method that encourages locally set production facilities. Whereas technical flexibility is brought through the use of extremely basic and low-cost re-usable mould systems made from raw flat materials. High-temperature resistant fabric is clamped in a steel stencil and the fused aluminum is poured into it. Unlike usual metal casting processes, once the mould is unclamped and the piece released, it can instantly be reused for another casting. This process does not create any waste as the aluminum left overs can be melted down and the fabric reused over and over.
