Bronze & Beeswax Collection by Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance.

Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance and his team at Made in Situ have unveiled a set of organic and minimalist bronze candle holders and beeswax candles. The collection was developed after the team travelled extensively across Portugal back in 2019, learning more about the regions, techniques and the people.

Working alongside a series of master craftsmen in bronze work, beekeeping and candlemaking the collection comprises fifteen candleholders in total, divided into two different families: Lux and Flux. “In all Made In Situ projects, we try to keep a close connection to the manufacturers. I want to understand where things come from, and how they are made,” says Noé. “We get to learn so much from the people we meet, about their work and realities. We gain a different perspective.”

Though Made In Situ seeks to put a spotlight on techniques and crafts, this was a perfect opportunity to take on a global subject. The threats facing bees, and the entire global ecosystem as a result, were expressed visually in the collection by means of a design that emphasises the scarcity of beeswax. Highlighting the value of beeswax, the team decided to put it at the same level of importance as bronze, design wise, and to name the collection after both materials.

The design was shaped as a homage to the natural architecture of a hive, and the number of pieces grew as Noé increasingly conceived them as units in a grid, elements of a larger scheme, with the large, vertical pieces acting as totems.

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The opposition between solid and liquid states at the heart of Bronze and Beeswax is expressed through the starkly different aesthetics between each piece’s interior and exterior. While the exterior is rough-textured, straight-angled and covered in a dark patina, the interior is luminous, rounded and polished. In its almost semi-finished look, the exterior resembles a protective shell for the precious interior, as golden as honeycomb.

The melted wax became a metamorphic and integral part of the design. “I wanted the melted wax to become a part of the pieces. It bears the memory of change and it captures the beauty of alchemy,” Noé explains. “It acts like a visual reminder of movement after movement has ceased. Particularly in larger pieces, the melted wax adds to the sculptural dimension and to the organic feel. But it is also a way of calling attention to the material, a sort of tribute to beeswax. I wanted the design to express how precious it is.”

The collection is on show now at the Made in Situ gallery in Lisbon till the 7th of June. For more information click here.

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[Images courtesy of Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance. Photography by Clement Chevelt.]