The Bronze Age Collection. Beautiful Chairs of Molten Metal By Tjep.

The Bronze Age Collection by Tjep

Three stunningly hand-crafted chairs by designer Frank Tjepkema look ‘light’ because of their unique design, yet are strong, durable and elegant pieces cast of melted bronze. The chairs, which are available for purchase, will also be part of an upcoming collaborative presentation from MEET MY PROJECT and Christofle of Paris.

The Bronze Age Collection by Tjep

tjep furniture prague expo

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“Bronze Age collection contains all hand-crafted pieces, using traditional skills that once underpinned our very survival, each piece a manually intensive work and formed from the material that represents the dawn of civilisation. For this project I wanted to create something totally opposite to the technology driven trends based on the emergence of new digital tools such as 3d printing. I like the idea that bronze is precious and is therefor implicitly sustainable, it is either preserved or remelted but never discarded, who knows maybe these pieces contain a couple of remelted ancient bronze swords!” Says Frank Tjepkema, lead designer and founder of Tjep.

Bronze Age Lounge Chair
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Bronze Age Chaise Longue
bronze lounge chair

Bronze Age Chair

The bronze aspect of the collection infers stability, strength, durability, sustainability (it can be re-melted and reused and is never discarded). The furniture shapes are classic interpretations, yet they have undergone a transformation. The aim of the collection is to instil connotations of human-caused disasters, such as climate change or a nuclear melt-down, putting these pieces at the centre of contemporary social issues. The result however is sculptural, with a pure aesthetic, that is visually light but physically strong. Also made of hand-crafted bronze is Tjep’s Recession Chair.

Recession Chair bronze, Limited edition of 12 + AP:
919

918

“Receding is the act of withdrawing and diminishing. We were interested in exploring the visual impact of receding in relation to a design object. We took a popular mass produced chair and started sanding it to the finest possible version. The result is a process where the chair goes from normal, to diminished, to skeleton like. The resulting object is barely functional as it most likely won’t withstand the weight of the person it’s trying to support, much like a society plagued by recession.” – Frank Tjepkema.

Recession Chair Black. One only, limited edition. Gallery piece:
867

recession chair in black IIHIH

All of the above products, whose prices are available upon request, can be purchased here.

The Bronze Age Collection will be part of the upcoming presentation at Christofle

Tjep. has been invited to present his beautiful Bronze Age collection on the occasion of the 16th Edition of MEET MY PROJECT which is organized in parallel with the Maison&Objet fair in Paris. This year MEET MY PROJECT is forming a collaboration with the French silverware brand Christofle and takes place in its prestigious space at 9 rue Royale, in the fashion and design district of Paris from 22th to 27th of 2015.

all images are from Tjep. Those shown in situ are from an exhibit hosted by Designblok Prague and presented in the wonderful Ballroom of the Colloredo Mansfeld Palace

Other wonderful work by Tjep.:

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

Sterling Silver Space Invaders Rings In Three Styles For Men and Women by Tjep.

Turn Your Genetic Profile Into Jewelry, Furniture and Home Accessories.

The Self-Sustaining Isoleé House Barely Impacts Its Environment At All.

A Magical Villa For VilaSofa’s Amsterdam Store