robert stadler's cut paste furniture at carpenters workshop gallery

robert stadler’s cut_paste furniture at carpenters workshop gallery
all images courtesy of the carpenters workshop gallery

robert stadler: airspace
carpenters workshop gallery, paris
on show from january 17th to april 4th, 2015

carpenters workshop gallery paris presents ‘airspace’, a solo exhibition of work by robert stadler which draw their materials and forms from the art of building — a combination of marble and metal. the show addresses the notion of occupying the three-dimensional space of the gallery in two stages: ‘cut_paste’ — a construction of floor plans represented as physical, sculptural objects; and ‘PdT’ — a three-dimensional composition digging into the mass to remove matter. these two approaches to a particular architectural idea within an open space, have been set-up according to stadler’s specific instructions.

as french architect and theorist eugène viollet-le-duc once said, ‘good architecture, in all eras and for all peoples, including and especially in ancient times, depends for the most part, on structure, showing it and making it visible.’ to which stadler responds with his own interpretation of the architectural gesture confronted with the past and the present, evident in his demonstration of the scale of the object.

robert stadler
‘cut_paste #4A + #4B’
cut_paste #4A: H150 x L220 x W11 cm / H59 x L866 x W4.3 inches
‘cut_paste #B’: H42.5 x L170 x W40 cm / H16.7 x L67 x W15.7 inches
limited edition of 8 + 4 AP

‘cut_paste’ reflects the act of covering edifices, in which the austrian-born creative integrates the illusion of a random gesture to a piece that links back to a constructivist vision. the series of structural objects are made from an arrangement of composite panels typically used for façades, along with sheets of marble attached to aluminium honeycomb. stadler cuts, sticks, slots, intersects and juxtaposes these elements, provoking a mixture of varied and contradictory motifs. each one is reminiscent of the spirit of shapes collected at building sites, sawn off discarded waste that he recycles — horizontal and vertical presences inhabiting the gallery space with minimal beauty, paradoxically decorated with graphic motives on marble and onyx. in rendering the ‘cut_paste’ series, the designer manages to trap the eye, so that it is impossible to visually consume each work in its entirety at once. instead, he invites spectators to approach the ‘cut_paste’ pieces dynamically, their appearance completely changing depending on which way they are viewed.

robert stadler
‘cut and paste #1’, 2013
marble, aluminium
H112 x L150 x W51 m / H44 x L59 x W20 inches
limited edition of 8 + 4 AP

‘PdT’ holds another story contrasting ‘cut-paste’, in which stadler proceeds to (re)discover architectural elements including arches, columns and edifices on which time has taken its toll. here, the vagaries of time are exposed at an accelerated pace on the volume and mass of the cut stone — architecture’s most noble material — employed. the robust medium is transformed into polished shapes, displaying eloquent traces of the past. the only things that survives are the joints which bear witness to the builder’s actions. the emphasis of sedimentary meshing brings us back to the contemporary practice of computer-generated design, establishing a dialogue between an archaic room and a digital programme. ‘PdT’ stops air, allowing nothing to filter through and impose on its presence.

robert stadler
‘cut and paste #1’, 2013
marble, aluminium
H112 x L150 x W51 m / H44 x L59 x W20 inches
limited edition of 8 + 4 AP

the series is comprised of three shapes created by the designer defined in contemporary terms as: a bench – comprised of an organization of blocks of stone left over from an imaginary building site is worn down on one end; the column / mirror – evoking the remains of a door; and the coffee table – a free shape. each one has melancholic indications of an architectural past. these leftovers, the remains of porous stone, are worked over by a digital machine, with the mass emptied and the ensemble finished off by hand.

‘PdT’ extends from stadler’s public commissioned work ‘traits d’union’ (2014) in nancy, where he focused on a building by creating extensions — a sculpture and a piece of urban furniture celebrating stone and the joints that make-up it’s ‘graphic cage’.

robert stadler
‘cut and paste #1’, 2013 (detail)
marble, aluminium
H112 x L150 x W51 m / H44 x L59 x W20 inches
limited edition of 8 + 4 AP

‘airspace’ once again demonstrates robert stadler’s ability to metamorphosize objects, overturning user’s perception of what his work actually stands as — rare objects that escape all definition.

robert stadler
‘cut_paste #5’, 2013
marble, aluminium
H200 x L110 x W40 cm / H78.7 x L43.3 x W15.7 inches
limited edition of 8 + 4 P