Whimsical Entrance Gates Designed For An Amsterdam School Garden by Tjep.

Two stunning entrance gates serve as portals to nature in the historical Amstel Area. Frank Tjepkema (aka Tjep), along with Leonie Janssen, crafted two colored galvanized steel gates coated with epoxy and on a concrete foundation for the Aemstel Schooltuin (school garden).






The new working-garden, where over 500 school children aged 9 to 11 will learn about nature and grow their own plants, is situated on Kalfjeslaan, Amstel – a picturesque place steeped in rich cultural history.




Tjep. had the honour of being asked to create two new sets of entrance gates to the garden, a project commissioned by Stadsdeel Zuid, the Amsterdam South City Council.



Two sets of monumental gates will guard both approaches to Aemstel Schooltuin and add a contemporary element to this historic area. Settled next to the Riekermolen, built in 1636, the area has a long history of natural beauty appreciated by none other than Rembrandt himself. His statue sits next to the new school garden, frozen in the act of painting the famous windmill. One set of gates will mark the entrance from Kalfjeslaan, and the other will sit on the route from Amsteldijk.




“This amazing area deserved a design that paid homage to the unique context, but also brought a new influence to the place.” Says Tjep. founder and lead designer, Frank Tjepkema. The design integrates references to the lush flora and fauna of the surrounding environment, classical era elements with a contemporary urban graffiti construction.

Frank Tjepkema states that “a strict functional requirement was that the gates would stop those notorious plant criminals, rabbits – which we do through tightly woven patterns at the bottom. When constructed, these gates will stand at eight meters wide and four meters tall and become a portal, ushering people from the urban Amstel to the historic landscape beyond. I hope children and others will feel some anticipation, some excitement, as they pass through the gates to discover the verdant wonders of nature.”



Tjep
Production of the gates by Smederij van Rijn 

all photos and information courtesy of Frank Tjepkema

State-Shaped Hand Cast Iron Skillets by Alisa Toninato Are Fun and Functional.

Thirty-year-old metal designer Alisa Toninato, who as been featured on Martha Stewart, creates handmade substantial and beautiful examples of craftsmanship with iron skillets in the shape of each of the 48 contiguous United States.


above: Alisa with her Wisconsin skillet

Her Madison, Wisconsin studio named FeLion (that's FE, the chemical symbol for Iron and Lion represents the sign, Leo, under which the artist was born) creates iron art that is a functional example of a design concept blended with utility.




Every state-shaped skillet from her Made In America collection, is labeled with the FeLion Studios logo on the back, and stamped with a production number. The iron skillets can be shipped "raw" or "seasoned" and come with a custom made magnetic hanger for display.





All pans are made to order, and will be shipped in a timely fashion after the day its poured, approximately 6-8 weeks from the day of order. Please contact the artist for multiple state-pan orders. Also, visit the “Geographic Compositions” page for examples of several skillets composed into regional maps, such as the Midwestern set shown below.



A 2005 graduate of the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design, Alisa Toninato's credits include an internship with Chicago public artist Jin Soo Kim & experience as a thematic sculptor with the design & fabrication firm Cost of Wisconsin building zoo & aquarium habitats.



Her full map consisting of 48 contiguous state-skillets of America (above) was part of the 2011 ArtPrize exhibition in Grand Rapids Michigan, and made it into the top 25 among artists in the Center City neighborhood.




Buy the skillets here
or at the following retailers:
All Through the House (Stoughton, WI)
Bekah Kate's (Baraboo, WI)
BRAISE RESTAURANT ~ !!! ( Milwaukee, WI )
Cornacopia (Sturgeon Bay, WI)
Duluth Trading Co.
Kitchen Gallery (Madison, WI)
Kitchen Window (Minneapolis, MN)
Volume One (Eau Claire, WI)

Robots Reborn. Upcycled Illuminated Robot Sculptures by +Brauer

Bruno Lefevre-Brauer, known as + Brauer, is a graphic designer living in Paris. Over the past 20 years he has designed numerous album covers for French and international artists and pursued his personal artistic expression through painting, photography and sculpture.



An artist who regularly exhibits in Paris, these charming illuminated metal upcycled robots are from his series "Viva la Roboluciòn!"









More than their technological features, he tries to reveal the original, almost primitive, form of the robots he creates. +Brauer carefully chooses vintage objects that have an industrial past, that are marked by time and whose patina has been moulded by years of manual use. He admires the beauty, sometimes hidden, of these discarded industrial parts, alters their appearance, sculpts them, and incorporates light sources into their structure before assembling the parts together to create a unique and poetic piece.





The beauty of the materials and the venerable patinas express their beauty in the light of day, while at night, it is the turn of the strange, evocative light fittings to reveal their magic. Right from conception, the element of light is an integral part of the artwork: each robot is designed to interact with it’s environment in a different way whether it is turned on or off.




Abandoned or forgotten in workshops and garages, the industrial parts are reborn in unique works of art that embrace us with their kind presence, imposing personality, and amazing humanity.


images and info courtesy of the artist

Each piece is a statement of poetic resistance to mass-consumption.

See more and other works by +Brauer here

Stephen Newby's Full Blown Metal. Stainless Steel Inflated Furnishings and Art.

Sculptor and artist Stephen Newby began working with inflating stainless steel back in 1995. Creating home furnishings and furniture, water fountains, art installations and sculptures with his unique process, he has turned a cold hard material into something that looks organic and inviting. Like glass, blown metal has beautiful transient surface finishes. And, like soft inflatables, it also has limitless shaping and size capabilities. Blown or inflated metal combines all of this with the strength, durability and permanence of metal.



The process of blowing or inflating transforms a hard industrial material into something that seems soft, organic and tactile, creating a new language in the production of three dimensional forms.






In 1996 he founded Full Blown Metal and in 2001, patented the process of inflating metal. Their first inflated metal chair appeared in Blueprint Magazine in November 1995, and they've been designing and manufacturing inflated metal products for commercial and domestic interiors & architectural applications ever since.






One of his products, the Squeeze radiator, created for Aestus, won the Best Product of the Year honor from the Northern Design Awards in 2012.





And in the small size:


Designer Stephen Newby, who has a background in engineering and art, explains his Squeeze radiator ...

“The process of inflating metal is curiously attuned to radiator design and shares certain similarities, which I find fascinating. For example the actual shaping of Squeeze comes from pumping high-pressure water into two sheets of metal. The appeal of designing radiators comes not only from a desire to create interesting and beautiful objects but also to create beauty with a high level of functionality so that performance is not sacrificed for looks. This design ethos is something that Aestus shares the same passion for … as well as a love of design and materials.”

Stephen has also created numerous public art installations and commissioned works for restaurants, public spaces and brands such as Louis Vuitton:







In addition to Full Blown Metals, Stephen Newby has another site on which he sells some of his custom made to order pieces such as wall sculptures, mirrors, water fountains and other items at Luxury Design and for a selection of prototypes and one-off pieces by Stephen Newby, go here.




Some of his smaller items, such as picture frames, ashtrays and pen holders can be found here. 




Other pieces, such as bowls, trays and candleholders can be found and purchased at Balman Design


above portrait of Stephen Newby with his "pillow" wall radiator for Bisque, which has yet to be produced, courtesy of  in site


full blown metals
Newcastle upon Tyne
United Kingdom
+44 (0)191 462 1375