We had the distinct pleasure to interview award winning designer Amarist Studio about their original and creative Console Table design work. Amarist Studio is an award-winning service designer, that makes our world a better place with their original console table works.
Amarist Studio ("AS") answered Design Interview ("DI") questions about their award-winning work Thesaurus Console Table. Interview questions prepared by Frank Scott.
AS : Thesaurus, treasure in Latin, symbolizes the treasures that have been trapped by the passage of time. In some cases these treasures are visible, and in others, they are only in the memories and feelings of people. Swarovski crystals collect these emotions expressing them in their infinite sparkles. This piece is an exotic symbiosis between the natural warmth of the wood with its sinuous organic lines, and the elegance and opulence of the crystals. 14,000 crystals of different sizes, from the Elements series, are carefully imbedded one by one in the natural fissures of this centenary olive trunk. A seeming crystal vertebral column arises from the black marble, which symbolizes the earth, extending vertically until it reaches the surface of the glass plate, in the shape of an olive leaf.
AS : We found this trunk in the wild. It was a rare organic formation since there was a dead zone of the trunk that the exterior was trying to reabsorb inside the trunk. It was as if the trunk was trying to hide a treasure, so we did what the tree was asking and placed infinite Swarovski crystals in all the dead areas. We liked the idea of uniting in one piece materials so aesthetically opposed as Swarovski crystals and a centenarian olive trunk that we found in the wild.
AS : Exhibit the piece internationally and find a great new home for it.
AS : Many months, the whole process was a creation by emotions, no planning, no preconceived ideas. We found by chance the trunk of an Olive tree and we had it many months in the workshop, waiting for it to tell us something. Once it was clear that we needed to cover all the dead areas with flashing crystals, we made an estimate of the number of units needed and the result was overwhelming, the estimation was between 10.000 and 15.000 crystals! After that, the meticulous handcraft work began in our studio, we sanded the whole trunk and began to place with a magnifying glass and a brush every single tiny glass by hand, one by one, many of them of only 2mm in diameter.
AS : As mentioned above, it was purely emotional, the result of chance of finding that trunk in the wild and become inspired by it.
AS : Given the nature of the design, it cannot be reproduced as an industrial piece. We thought about making several editions looking for new trunks, but for the moment we decided to leave the magic to this one of a kind piece, unique in the world.
AS : We like to try and combine materials and the union of a wooden trunk with Swarovski crystals seemed an interesting mix to try to carry it out.
AS : It was a process inspired by nature, in this case people were left out ... hahaha
AS : Like in the major part of our studio creations, our customers Art & Design Collectors and people with a special sensitivity for design.
AS : It is a very unique piece, every time someone observes it gets astonished by the contrast of materials, by how capricious and beautiful nature can be, and by the great amount of work that takes to make a piece like this.
AS : Thesaurus, from the Latin treasure. Represents the treasures that are trapped by time.
AS : Possibly this is the most handcrafted work we have done, without a single plan, not a single sketch, all was the result of observing and experimenting with what nature gave us.
AS : We think that it only takes to observe the piece, nature gives us unique and unrepeatable forms and we were fortunate to be able to use one of them.
AS : No, in this case, we developed ourselves all the bulk of the craftwork.
AS : In this case and in total contrast to many of the pieces of the studio, technology only played an anecdotal role in cutting the glass top of the table in the shape of an olive leaf.
AS : No, in this case none.
AS : Quite a lot, the first thing was what to do with a piece of coarse trunk. Once the idea was outlined the most challenging work was the placement of the 14,000 crystals of Swarovski, one by one with the help of a magnifying glass and a clip, in the case of the smaller crystals was used a wet brush to be able to place them by capillarity.
AS : We were invited to participate in this competition; it is not something that we had foreseen.
AS : We learned to load ourselves with patience to see the final result of the idea we had in mind, after months of work it become just as we had imagined it. This has helped us later on to create any complex design, which usually takes months since you first visualize the idea in your mind until the piece is realized. We also developed our skills of manual work in the workshop, for us is important not only to work under the concept on a sheet of paper or a computer, but to know how to create projects with our hands.
