Designers & Companies

FRACTALL (ARNE DESMET)

FRACTALL is a Belgium based design practice founded by ARNE DESMET.

Infos

fractall.be @arnedesmet

Bio

FRACTALL is a Belgium based design practice founded by ARNE DESMET. Inspired by patterns and textures found in nature and fascinated by man-made materials and production processes, the objects in the Fractall collection appear both natural and industrial. The studio’s aim is to embrace technological production processes, while adding a sense of humanity to it. Despite their sculptural appearance, each object is highly functional. Often, remnants of the production processes are exposed, aiming to celebrate the materials in their pure form and the production processes that led to the creation of each object.

Objects

Foam Bench

2020

Base: Casted white concrete with color pigment, tubes: aluminium

Spire

The Spire lamp, inspired by the New York Chrysler Building, distils its iconic spire into a minimal and textured form, highlighting materials and production processes.

Spire, 2023
Lamp - Brushed aluminum

DISRUPT tables

DISRUPT, 2021
Tables
Electroplated steel
46 cm x 44 cm x 44 cm or 34 cm x 75 cm x 42 cm

The shapes of the Disrupt tables are inspired by the jagged edges formed by earth cracks. By means of irregular patterns, the object looks natural, as if it wasn’t created through an industrial process. This conceptual idea has been carried through in the form of the legs, which look as if they were torn apart after they once formed one whole. The tables come in two versions: a low and wide and a tall narrow version.

Henge

HENGE, 2021
Bench
Waxed aluminium
44 cm x 108 cm x 79 cm

Henge takes inspiration from the ancient circular stone structures, of which the iconic ‘Stonehenge’ is the most famous one. The Henge bench translates these cues into a curved seat supported by 3 columns, placed at irregular angles. This imperfection and the weathered black gradient finish allude to the impermanence of matter over time. Due to the modular design, 6 benches can take the shape of a circle, or when placed in a ribbon shape, they can form any desired composition.

SLOW DROPS

Lamp, 2019
Aluminium or lacquered
12 x 12 x 80cm

Interesting patterns are all around us, the slow drops lamp is a free-standing lamp inspired by the glowing lines formed by falling raindrops when illuminated at night. It is an embodiment of noticing the unnoticed. The rain drops are represented by the vertically placed tube lights, seemingly random scattered around a central aluminium column. The object aims to merge precision production processes with an element of randomness.

REFLEKTOR

Rack, 2020
Aluminium
172,4 x 43 x 40cm

Irregular shapes and element placement form the base of the Reflektor rack. The shelves of the object are characterized by the placement of mirrors at varying angles. The mirrors reflect the displayed objects. The piece plays with the optical illusion of real objects and reflections or ‘virtual’ depictions of the objects. As the spectator walks around the tower, reflections appear and disappear, making the viewer question what is real and what is not. At some levels, this effect is further enhanced by the use of two mirrors, resulting in multiple reflections. The subdued colour palette of the mirrors and the aluminium allow full attention to the objects placed on the rack.

Cobble

Coat rack, 2020
Steel
30 x 32,5 x 3,6cm
75 x 37,2 x 3,6cm

The Cobble coat rack draws inspiration from the shape of cobble stones. Both shape and color are derived from this inspiration source. In the studio’s typical approach of exposing traces of material manufacturing, the ‘defects’ in the hot rolled steel serve as surrogates for the cobble stones natural texture. The piece is highly functional, yet when not in use, it enhances any space as sculptural element on the wall.