Designers Reinterpret Cutlery for Valerie Objects

Koichi Futatsumata.

Muller van.

Maarten Baas.

Jinhyun Jeon.

‘The Cutlery Project’ is a product design initiative, which saw Antwerp design label Valerie Objects (an initiative of Axel Van Den Bossche, Frank Lambert and art director Veerle Wenes of design gallery Valerie Traan) commission six international designers from various disciplines to reinterpret the concept of cutlery and design a prototype set of ‘eating tools’. The result is six perfectly quirky sets of luxury cutlery that surprise and delight the eyes, almost too good-looking to eat with.

Legendary designers, Muller Van Severen (Belgium), showcased their finesse in colour and materiality, by contrasting stainless steel with colourful handles made with plastic and brass in matte finishes. Maarten Baas (Netherlands) who is known for his deliberately youthful designs, created a quirky and primitive cutlery set, resembling spontaneous hand drawings. Studio Wieki Somers (Netherlands) used thin sheets of steel, brass and copper to create curled utensils, Koichi Futatsumata (Japan) created sleek metal chopsticks, and Studio Simple (Belgium) carved chunky serveware from chunks of wood. Lastly, Jinhyun Jeon (Korea) was inspired by the sensorial nature of eating, created bumpy and bulbous cutlery in a rainbow of colours, to explore whether the shape, colour and texture of cutlery can influence the way we taste food.

Studio Wieki Somers.

Studio Simple.

‘The Cutlery Project’ was first shown at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, as part of D’Days 2015 Design Festival in Paris. Now, the items are included in an upcoming show named ‘The Cutlery Show’, which will also exhibit the work of other artists who are inspired by the theme of cutlery. Noteworthy inclusions are Octave Vandeweghe who makes cutlery out of gemstones, and David Bernstein who is inspired by cutlery as an extension of the human body. ‘The Cutlery Show’ exhibits at the Valerie Traan Gallery from 18.02.2016 until 2.04.2016.

Octave Vandeweghe.