MARIEKE VAN HEESBEEN

NEW CRAFTS

Research

 

At first glance, Nina van Bart’s ‘Tactile Totem’ looks like it could be a sculpture, a puzzle, or a model for a building. It comes across as a carefully constructed whole, built up of four shapes. At the same time, each shape is interesting in its own right, in terms of colour, texture and material.

 

The ‘Tactile Totem’ is a concept by Van Bart, designer of objects, surfaces and settings for interiors and architecture. Van Bart makes one totem every year as a means of material research. Each time, she uses different materials, colours and treatments, examining their characteristics by applying them to four architectural shapes: the box, the cylinder, the cone and the dome. Gradually, Van Bart builds a personal knowledge base consisting of resolved experiments.

This year, Van Bart wanted to make a ceramic totem. At the same time, she felt a need to explore ways to produce the totems more efficiently using digital techniques. Together with 3D designer Roel Deden and product designer and ceramist Marieke van Heesbeen, Van Bart found a way to do both, which proved to be not just efficient but also artistically rewarding for every member of the team.