catalina andonie's mobile totem sculptures collage various grains and hues of stone

catalina andonie revives 1980s sculptures

Catalina Andonie revives Marmolerías Brescia’s 1980s sculptures with covertly deceptive temporalities for Tótems I-II-II-IV. Set in motion on wheels and with a rotating device, their trapezoidal forms are shaped from various stones with diverse colors, grains, and origins, integrating molding and exploring multiple configurations. Collage-like along the surfaces, the compositions are assembled to fit together in a puzzle-like board, fabricated to experiment with the different shapes stone slabs could offer while leaving their original metal profiles and bases untouched.

all images courtesy of Catalina Andonie

rotating tótems I-II-II-IV exhibit dimensions of stone

In the late 1980s, Marmolerías Brescia, a distributor and manufacturer of decorative and dimension stone, considered exhibiting their polished samples in a new way. Determined to do so, they fabricated four trapezoidal prism volumes, consisting of stone slabs framed by white-painted metal profiles, mounted to a concealed layer of fiberboard. Each totem also had a manual rotating device with wheels in their solid foundation. While they were decommissioned and sent to the company warehouse for years, some stripped bare, they were purchased by Catalina Andonie on 20th May, 2021, for $200.

The Chile-based designer assumed that each outdated, 2 meter tall, 150 kg, idiosyncratic display did not show any active interest to both the customers who incidentally saw it, and the employees who worked there. Three of them lingered — their old, exposed fiberboard surfaces, rusty frames and rotating devices with wheels endured. The fourth, however, has its travertine marble-filled extravaganza brilliantly undisturbed, though its metal profiles were oxidized, attempting to stand the test of time. In the studio, the totems were redesigned to craft a contemporary narrative, harnessing their distinct shapes and materials.

Catalina Andonie revives and reinterprets Marmolerías Brescia’s 1980s sculptures

Tótems I-II-II-IV is set in motion on wheels and with a rotating device

Totem I

trapezoidal forms shaped from various stones with diverse colors, grains, and origins

elements are assembled to fit together in a puzzle-like board

the original prisms were create to exhibit Marmolerías Brescia’s stone samples in a new expression

Totem IV

project info:

name: Tótems I-II-II-IV
designer: Catalina Andonie

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edited by: ravail khan | designboom