Pillow Case Donated to 8th Annual DAM Fundraiser

I am excited to have participated in a fourth Design After Dark art auction and gala to benefit the Department of Architecture, Design, and Graphics and the Design Council of the Denver Art Museum which took place this past Friday.  This year’s assigned theme BESPOKE with sub-category pattern is one that resonated with my desire to create a designed functional object.  Creating art objects is always a rewarding endeavor, but considering that this department of the museum exists to further awareness of design, it seems appropriate to begin thinking about submissions to this event not as about making art but rather about artfully exercising functional design.

Welded aluminum, leather, wool pinstripe fabric, upholstery foam.

 

The pillow case is similar in size to other handbags, at 6 in x 11.5 in.

 

This ferrule on the handle slides to open the case. When carried, it remains in the locked position at the bottom of the handle's incline.

 

Submissions were asked to be accompanied by a narrative…

Fortnighter Lite, bespoke pillow case (and Unbend Lozenge Pillow)

by Mathias Leppitsch | CATAFORM            February 2012

The Fortnighter Lite by Cataform is an exclusive welded aluminum travel pillow case crafted specifically to preserve and announce the singular legacy of your Cataform Unbend Lozenge Pillow.  In the next fourteen days, it’s Tokyo, Reykjavik and San Francisco.  When you need the hauter conveniences of any city, they are yours.  And, wherever you find yourself resting, nothing you buy can help you relax as completely and as intimately as the comfort of your own Unbend Lozenge Pillow.  Keep it safe, keep it at hand, and do so in Cataform style to assure that your rest will be as luxuriant as it is your own.  If you pack anything, pack your pillow case.

Marking for cuts to add the hinge.

The patterns of the assymetrical halves are later transferred to wool fabric for sewing the pillow.

Function(al) Trade Show Exhibit

Back-country winter sports-gear producers f(n) contracted Cataform to help present their new products at this year’s snow sports industry tradeshow SIA.  I provided exacting fabrication services for their sleek booth as well as some additional logistical support.

Spinning (Interactive) Interchangeable Display System

Useful for sharing interchangeable printed information and imagery in an inviting and interactive way, these boxes were recently commissioned by a mid-western industry-specific supplies provider.  They were designed and fabricated here at my studio.  Animated CAD renderings were generated to communicate with the purchaser and to streamline the fabrication process.

The display parts include sealed ball-bearings, welded and powder-coated aluminum frames, removable clear acrylic bi-fold sleeves to hold the interchangeable media, solid stainless rods to mount the spinning display array, and stainless floor and ceiling mounting flanges to retain the vertical rods.

A few images from the workshop…

aluminum welding often requires a bit of Titan IPA

the bifold sleeves are cut, flame polished, bent

standard sizes accommodate 11x17 and 8.5x11 sheets

tapping 2.5mm threaded holes

Modern Mantel

This gas fireplace and monolithic mantel are modern and durable.  The exhaust flue is enclosed with a configurable shelving system; a large welded steel cap creates a clean, versatile surface.

each shelf may be oriented a number of ways

an early cad model introduces the movable shelves

process

before

tacking the "plinth" pattern together

welded and ready for coating

“Opa!” Simple Space Divider for a New Greek Restaurant

The restaurant industry often needs things done yesterday, so when I was called to provide a simple and classy room divider about a week before opening day, it was designed and delivered on time.

before

big lamp / room divider

We really enjoyed making colorful and over-sized lamps to help illuminate Create Denver 2010, so it made sense to apply some of those new-found skills to enhance privacy and lighting in a compact Highlands studio residence.  The solution utilizes fabric, a welded wire framework, and low wattage lights.  The multi-purpose screen brings warm illumination to the adjacent living room.

putting on the finishing touches

Sculpture Donated for DAM’s Design After Dark 2011

This year Design After Dark’s organizers provided the theme LIGHT which has been divided into three categories for participants: Illumination, Weight, and Reflection.  Cataform was asked to create an auction-able artwork in the LIGHT/Weight category, so I proceeded to create Luminous Ether 1. It was a great opportunity to hook up the vintage Hobart Linear II push-pull MIG gun and put together some aluminum.  Here’s the narrative I submitted with the piece:

Lightness, existing beyond the grasp of gravity, is the inspiration for this piece by Cataform, a Denver creative outfit founded by artist Mathias Leppitsch.  The shape of this hovering phantasm expresses buoyancy and drift.  In addressing the embodiment of a concept as singular as lightness, using one material suffices.  Patterns were made from sketches expressing release from universal forces, to which aluminum sheet was cut, formed, welded and then ground and polished to luminance.  During the creative process, numerous impulses toward extraneous expression were dampened to give priority to lightness unadorned by anecdotal luggage.  Any impression that Luminous Ether 1 moves or breathes or resembles an entity could only be explained by unexpected turbulence in the unseen ether.

The hard part is over, now it’s time enjoy the other entries and celebrate that I got it submitted by the deadline!

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