DesignForgeFab LLC
Fabrications
Revealing the inherent aesthetic of materials themselves, embodied in their utilitarian forms and mechanical properties. Even as they form the often-invisible infrastructure of our physical world, they also provide a rich initial vocabulary for the exploration of themes such as repetition, redemption, humility, dignity, and durability.
About
Jonathan Carmichael/DesignForgeFab LLC
My work is inspired by the repeated, often mechanized processes of industrial steel fabrication. Both the methods and the "waste" of production-oriented metalworking are deployed to formal effect. Often, identical pieces are assembled into forms which simultaneously reveal their origins in structural applications and take on a new, primarily aesthetic purpose. The processes and tooling are also modified - perhaps performed incompletely or even contrary to standard practices. The material responds in new ways to its own internal tensions - released, constrained, or redirected - creating graceful shapes from material which is ordinarily rigid and linear. Distinctly antithetical to assemblies of “found” items and haphazard craftsmanship, these pieces are thoroughly intentional.
DesignForgeFab started in 2010 to serve as a resource for commercial steel fabrication clients
Sculptural work
(click image for gallery)
Vessel & base from spin-formed 1/4" steel plate, connected with hollow rivets. Hammered edges, heat coloring. Wax finish. Appx. 24" x 6" x 10"
Vessel & base from spin-formed 1/4" steel plate, connected with hollow rivets. Hammered edges, heat coloring. Wax finish. Appx. 24" x 6" x 10"
Lamp from 1" tube & cold forged 16ga steel sheet. Incandescent bulbs. Appx 10" x 10" x 14"
Vessel & base from spin-formed 1/4" steel plate, connected with hollow rivets. Hammered edges, heat coloring. Wax finish. Appx. 24" x 6" x 10"