cataform

Pillow Case Donated to 8th Annual DAM Fundraiser

ml — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 07:45:40 +0000

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

ml — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:04:55 +0000

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

ml — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 00:53:20 +0000

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

ml — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 21:59:06 +0000

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

ml — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 19:12:51 +0000

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

ml — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 06:15:22 +0000

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

ml — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 02:01:42 +0000

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!

http://vimeo.com/

Suspended Kitchen Armature

ml — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 22:44:24 +0000

This one-of-a-kind tool offers more than a standard pot-rack. It responds to numerous unique requests, offering integral lighting, utility mesh, stainless rails, and confidently occupies its place above this kitchen’s existing countertop.

I designed special heavy offset brackets to support the rack directly over the island. It is connected to the bracket with threaded rods, turnbuckles, and clevis pinned connections.

Two tiers of stainless rails allow smooth, non-marking and non-corroding adjustment of hanging implements. Nearly 50 custom bent stainless hooks suspend cookware in a herringbone configurati0n.

The dramatic low voltage lighting apparatus is specially designed and fabricated to complete the piece. Nesting above the top tier, it illuminates the work surface without interfering with function. Pass the peas.

Westminster Sculpture | Action of the Escapement

ml — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 04:13:50 +0000

The sculpture at Benton Park is titled “Action of the Escapement”, and was conceived and designed for the park in which it is located by Mathias Leppitsch, a Denver, Colorado artist. In the context of the long history of the plains around and under our expanding urban areas, the transformation from unchanging landscape to today’s environment of metamorphosis has never been more palpable. The title of the piece is a dual reference to the functional mechanisms of analog time-keeping, as well as to the act of suspending the pace of modern life when taking time for reflection. The piece is inspired formally by the pointed dials of clocks and watches, as well as the split nib of the fountain pen of history. While the sculpture casts an ever-changing shadow within the meditative arrangement of benches, an elusive relationship between rest and evolution is witnessed. Fabricated by Cataform in Denver of salvaged plate steel, the piece was treated with a true Cupric patination process which gives it its distinctive oxidized copper appearance. Benton Park is located at Sheridan Blvd. and 112th Ave. in Westminster, Colorado. The park and surrounding professional campus was designed by David Lynn Wise Architecture and Urban Design.

Salvaged Doors – Articulating Screen

ml — Tue, 18 May 2010 18:54:43 +0000

If you have ever hestitated when discarding something old and broken because its long history or aged surfaces suddenly struck you as artfully beautiful, you may appreciate these doors. While too rotted to continue carrying out their original calling, they more than succeed in their new role as framed artworks, and as charismatic reminders that new is not always better.