Altar for Trinkets for Lize Spit
Objet Portrait
Travel Road is part of the Objet Portrait project in which Roel Vandebeek captures the identity of 9 well-known Flemish inspirations in unique objects, installations and utensils.
DESIGN ROEL VANDEBEEK
IN COLLABORATION WITH LIZE SPIT
FOR OBJECT PORTRAIT
YEAR 2017
From the way in which OBJET PORTRAIT was created, we can deduce that for Roel every creation is primarily an encounter. It is a dialogue with the other, which can be a person, a community, an environment, an object and so on. Actually, this involves the two most basic human questions. What is the world? Who am I? As human beings it is the task of all of us to find a relationship between these questions. That makes us who we are. We recognise both in Roel's meeting activity as a designer: his open attitude towards the world and his own freedom to interpret it. Nine people are listened to candidly about their way of being in the world. Although they are people 'of the world', with an explicit public image, they are withdrawn from this mundane image. They reflect on their own roots. How do they understand themselves in their way of being?
Armed with this human wealth, Roel then makes his own interpretation of it. He develops two objects for each of these nine people, one applied and one free. One functional, the other symbolic: the two domains, in other words, between which he constantly moves. Each of these objects is, as it were, the 'face' of the people involved in which something of their soul is expressed. But the soul of the designer also takes part in the debate. As the design process proves: it is a long, uncertain, groping road that leads from listening to speaking. Finding this connection is what it comes down to. It is a meeting between two freedoms. Why should such dialogue not be possible? Or is this a utopian idea? That is ultimately the question he confronts us with Objet Portrait.
ALTAAR FOR TRINKETS
Lize is not ashamed of her love for knick-knacks and small objects. Just like her stories, inspiration often comes from small things. To magnify this approach, I designed an oversized frame that gets deeper as you move towards the centre. This creates a subtle altar for knick-knacks.
SMALL = BIG
Observation is a key factor for Lize when writing a new book. It’s quite an accomplishment to write great stories about small things. This rack shows that the size of the object is not important, it’s how you use it that counts. Small is equal to large.
Portrait photography by Lieve Blancquaert
