Extracted from the earth as malleable clay, manipulated by human hands and originally hardened in the heat of the sun, terracotta is one of the oldest mediums to be embraced by mankind. Unequivocally honest, the material has been used for centuries in all manner of domestic applications, sliding into daily life as unassuming vessels and tableware, hard-working floor tiles and roofing. Here to challenge any preconceptions of terracotta by exploring its previously unimagined potential, Artedomus has teamed up with several all-star Australian designers to release New Volumes Collection 02, the second edition in the New Volumes series, where terracotta and its irresistible bronzed-orange glow is showcased to stunning effect.
Thomas Coward, creative director at Artedomus, is the man behind both chapters of the New Volumes series, which started in 2018 by focussing on the possibilities of crisp Elba marble. He highlights the purity and timelessness of terracotta as the reason for selecting it as the singular material for this new collection. “As a designer, terracotta is a material that I find endlessly inspiring,” Thomas says. “Like marble, its applications cannot be restricted. It brings a warmth and tactility to a space that no other material can replicate.”
‘Made from the mud’: New Volumes Collection 02
Joining the stellar lineup of designers enlisted to make pieces for New Volumes 02, Thomas has created the ‘Echo’ coffee table and smaller side table, both featuring a revolving “carousel of voids” that draws on the history of classical Greek architecture. Also appearing in the collection is his curvaceous ‘Cove’ chair, made up of two stacked, negative shapes – one that lifts and one that supports. All three pieces, as with the rest of the collection, have been left unglazed, allowing the surfaces to remain pure to the touch.
Other pieces in the range include ‘Earth Wirri’, a sculptural husk-like vessel by Sydney designer Lucy Simpson that is said to honour the beauty and sophistication embedded within First Nations design. Sydney-based Adam Goodrum has sculpted ‘Pitcher’, a table and stool set with an unusual geometric structure that celebrates the idiosyncrasies of terracotta fabrication. And designer Chris Connell from Melbourne has created ‘Skáfos’, the Greek word for vessel, which consists of two free-flowing umbrella holders of different sizes and a three-pronged fruit platter with a ribbed base.
Also representing Melbourne is Hattie Molloy, who conceived ‘Sol’, a curvaceous vase and incense holder offering a nod to the often-otherworldly shapes of flowers. And Kate Stokes, who manipulated slabs of terracotta to form ‘Pinch’, a pair of sleek and slender wall lights with shield-like forms that feature a ‘pinch’ detail, allowing light to fall differently on each side of the lamp. Inspired by the sense of growth and renewal in the post-pandemic world, Sydney’s Megan Morton devised ‘Harvest’ – a modern sprout planter that cleverly doubles as tabletop decor during the non-growing months.
“From established names to exciting new faces, the designers who took part in this collection are as diverse as the products they have created,” Thomas enthuses, again drawing attention to the wide assortment of pieces appearing in New Volumes 02, ranging from squiggly vessels to a colander stripped-bare. “All [of the designers] possess a fiercely individual approach and style, and have taken to the material with gusto. We are very proud of our stories made from the mud.”
New Volumes Collection 02 is available now, exclusively through Artedomus.
From established names to exciting new faces, the designers who took part in this collection are as diverse as the products they have created.
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