Concrete and other things
When is handmade better than machine made?
Humans are still relevant.
Objects that will have a lot of interaction with human hands will fit that role better if they are also made by hand. Items that need extremely tight tolerances, low production cost, and consistency between and during each production run are more suited to be made by machines. Both processes have strengths and weaknesses that designers need to keep in mind during the design process. Hand made tells a story that factory made just can’t do.
Handmade items tell the story of the craftsperson that made them. I have always felt that I need to come to an agreement with my medium. I am not forcing my will upon the concrete or wood that I am working with; I am guiding it in the process of crafting. Sometimes the medium will speak back and refuse to do the things you want them to. During these times a craftsperson needs to listen and have the agility to make design changes during the fabricating process. A machine just can’t do this. Humans still have a huge edge over machines with our pattern recognition and abstract reasoning. To play to these strengths the design and fabrication processes need to be flexible to make changes on the fly in reaction to the materials we work with.
Many of my best practices today are the result of “mistakes” during previous projects. This element of surprise draws us to beautiful objects. One of the best examples of this is the application of filters to photos in post processing. Many filters are actually replicating artifacts of mistakes that would have been made during the process of photo developing. Yet we perceive these mistakes as being artistic and have found ways to instruct machines to replicate these processes. Even with something as simple as a photo it is really hard to make a filter look authentic. Think of how much harder it is to replicate authenticity in a three dimensional object that can be tested by more senses than just vision? This is why hand made objects are still relevant.
Some designs look great on the computer but don’t work in practice. If I am fabricating a prototype in the studio I am able to see the areas that are not working during the sculpting process and make adjustments as I see fit. All of my work is extremely tactile, I design all our projects I do to be touched that is why it is so important that I do most of it by hand. Don’t get me wrong, I love the ability to design with a computer and cut prototypes with an auto lathe. But the process is cold and sterile and for certain projects much too rigid. There is no warmth or human element to an item cut with an auto lathe. A machine tends to whitewash the fabrication process and takes away some of the human element. In contrast something sculpted by hand lends itself to be touched, picked up, or caressed. This in a nutshell is our view on hand made items. If you want to encourage your audience to touch your designs consider doing as much of the process by hand as you possibly can.
Why Concrete? Why Cat?
If you’re considering concrete for your design product you really need to ask yourself why you would go with concrete vs product X. And then once you decide you’re on board with using concrete why would you choose Concrete Cat over our competitors. I hope my quick rundown of our most common projects can help you make that decision.
KITCHENS– In your kitchen concrete is the cheapest 2” of solid surface you can get. The thickness and weight of true concrete will give your kitchen a solid and professional feel for working on. Pastry chefs love to work on concrete because they get a solid surface for kneading on that doesn’t flex or echo if they need to really pound on it. 2” of pure solid surface also means you have an amazingly durable surface with the option to refinish and make changes to colour of finish in the future. No other product can give you this. I challenge any other solid surface out there to match the value of wet cast traditional concrete, pound for pound, dollar for dollar.The reason you would choose Concrete Cat for your kitchen is that we have 3 experienced designers on staff that understand how to play to concrete’s strengths. Your project will be worked on by a sculptor, graphic designer, and 3D designer with combined experience of over 30 years. No one else can offer you this wealth and diversity of expertise in this field.
BATHROOMS– When it comes to bathrooms it’s all about sinks. Concrete can give you a fully custom designed integral sink at a price that is cheaper than any competing material. Our sinks average $400 each; I have yet to find a solid stone sink under $800. A custom designed integral sink means that your sink is designed for your specific space and your specific usage. We design sinks to maximize the function of your bathroom.At Concrete Cat we sculpt all our sink molds by hand in our shop. Our competitors buy their sink molds online from a catalog. What is more custom? Concrete sinks need to be custom made, catalog ordered sinks just don’t cut it for us.
FIREPLACES– This is really the best category because when you look at the numbers you have to go with concrete. Fireplaces have to be made of solid stone, anything less is cheap, it won’t last and is also hazardous. Fireplace mantles and hearths cannot be made out of MDF! Concrete is typically 2-3 times cheaper than it’s next closest competing solid stone surface. Plus you get the added benefit of having a fireplace completely designed for your space and specific needs.When we design something at Concrete Cat our first goal is the function of the piece. How will it feel to the touch? Will it be comfortable to sit on? Will it make your guests wonder how you had something so beautifully designed to fit your space perfectly? We really get this; it is why our fireplaces are so sought after. We can design and deliver a fireplace that will give you the best value for your money and fit your space and lifestyle perfectly.
If you have any questions or comments please send us a quick message, we would love to hear from you!
Space 3 Series of Concrete Sculptures
Over the Christmas holidays I set a goal to finish my latest series of sculptures. The three sculptures that I completed are heavily influenced by photography from the Hubble telescope as well as my own science fiction influences; this is probably the most evident in the third piece. All three pieces in this series cast coloured concrete and are double sided with an A side and a B side. My A sides are the side that have the black pigment application and the applied texture. I call them A-sides because the texture is the very first part of each sculpture I work on so it essentially drives the concept of each piece I work on. B-sides have the tendency to be a bit more abstract and emotional which has its pros and cons. They are immediate gratification while working on them but the colour is quite delicate and has a high margin for error.
RED WHITISH, AND BLUE27” X 18” Sculpture in multicoloured concrete
The first in the series is “Red Whitish, and Blue”. Originally this sculpture was intended to have some sort of political slant to it but once I started in and saw what the colours were doing as I mixed them I knew I would have to change my inspiration. The bulk of what I did with RWB was driven by just using the concrete and experiencing the vividness of red and blue in a backdrop of white. Because all the colours I work with transfer through to both sides of a sculpture I need to be very deliberate with what I do, it is easy to keep moving forword but once I add a colour I can’t go over it. Each move is a permanent decision, thus I need to be deliberate in my intention and execution. I really like the age that the white backdrop creates but I felt that I needed to go dark with my backdrops rather than light.
WORK NIGHTS AND DARK MATTER
28.5” X 24” Sculpture in multicoloured concrete
My next sculpture in the series became a bit more intentional in subject matter with the two separate sides, this is where I really began to see the separation of the A side and B side and how each side could have connections in colour but still be very distinct. The B side is called “Work Nights” and the A side is “Dark Matter”, this is the sculpture that really begins to hammer in the space photography inspiration in my work, as well as the dichotomy of the artistic intention and actually working with a medium and not just beating it into submission. Even though I have a very clear vision for what I want the concrete is dynamic and has a life of it’s own through many step of my process. If I try to hard to force my vision when my material clearly has other ideas it is a recipe for disaster. I feel this work speaks for itself so there is not too much to say about it other than it is moving in the right direction.
BLADE RUNNER
45.5” X 23.5” Sculpture in multicoloured concrete
The final act in this series is “Blade Runner” which is mainly inspired by the colour of the Drew Struzan illustrated movie poster and some subject matter. My vision of space has always had its roots in movies like Blade Runner or the Alien series, more so for the feel of these movies lights and colour palette. I feel really drawn to working with colour that has a sort of aged feel to it. The B-side of Blade Runner is particularly good at capturing this vintage colour flavour, I view it as some of my best work to date.
This series of originals will be going up for sale shortly, I would like to try and keep the three of them together but will entertain separate offers as well. Please contact us directly for view and sales, just put “sculpture” in the subject heading.
ALBA – CONCRETE CLOCK Wrapped and delivered
Hi concrete fans! We have the perfect last minute Christmas gift for you. We have exactly 3 ALBA “Media Edition” – Concrete clocks left from the extremely limited run we did with Furni Creations. Furni’s design and concept are beautiful and the amount of hand finishing that went into each individual clock makes each one a unique gem.
We will sell them on a first come first serve and if you live in the Edmonton #yeg area we can arrange a pick-up (Bonnie Doon area) or drop off for December 24th just in time for Christmas. Please contact us and put “CLOCK” in the subject heading to arrange your sale. We accept Paypal and cash. Merry Christmas from Concrete Cat!
$195 CAD WRAPPED AND DELIVERED(Edmonton & area only)
FEATURES:
- Solid concrete casing handmade
in Edmonton, Canada by Concrete Cat - Grey Metal grill
- Soft Tactile silicone buttons
- Non-Slip Silicone base with debossed graphic
- Built in Audio amplifier and speaker (for 1/8″ input source such as
- ipod©/iphone©, walkman©, mp3 player or computer)
- Simple built in alarm with snooze function
- Wall transformer with interchangeable adapters (works with CAN,US,UK,EU and AUS plugs)
- Freely downloadable ipod©/iphone© application to allow you to wake to your own music or sounds with purchase (to redeem see instructions)
- 10 stage dimmable display
- Larger LED display
- WHITE Dock included with audio output and charging capabilities using your native charger (compatible with iphone©4 and newer only)
dimensions: 6” x 6” x 2.5”
Concrete Clocks Furni X Concrete Cat
Concrete Cat was recently approached to do an interesting collaboration project with the renowned Montreal design house Furni Creations. We had originally contacted Furni regarding some beautiful moccasins (rockassins) that they had done as part of another collaboration. I wanted a pair but they were sold out. I am not sure how it started but eventually Mike wanted to know if I could do a clock out of concrete based off his Alba design.
Our concrete products are known for their longevity, durability and superior function, all of the these traits come from the unique properties of our traditional wet cast concrete special formula. But it turned out by gently tweaking the mix I was able to replicate the fine detail in the Alba clock design. It probably would have been very easy to do with a heavily polymerized synthetic blend concrete but we went the extra mile to do it “au natural”.
I highly suggest you go to Furni and try and buy one. If they’re sold out bug Mike and maybe you can convince him to sign up to do a second run of concrete Alba clocks “wink, wink”. There is also a very slim possibility we may put a couple we reserved up for sale on our own site. Due to the complexity of this project we did an extremely short run. Each clock has been poured and hand finished as single units, many details within each clock are cut out by hand as well. If your looking for something extremely unique, hand finished and with an industrial edge the concrete Alba is for you.
The Kraken in Concrete
The Kraken is made of traditional wet cast concrete, the frame is salvaged mahogany and the brass name plate was also hand tooled in house. Some may know from previous posts that I really like the ocean and dive watches. This piece was commissioned by a friend and fellow watch collector.
It was a great piece to work as the subject matter really spoke to me and I had a lot of background knowledge coming into it so very little research was needed before I actually began.
As it turns out commissioned pieces are a little more difficult to work with, this is actually the the third version of the Kraken I made. The first two just didn’t capture the essence of what i was going after and we had some colouring issues. On the subject of colour, it’s one of the most difficult things that I have to deal with. When working on art pieces the colours dry much differently than they pour, for you fellow artists out there think of it as working with gouache. For example the purple of the Kraken was particularly difficult as the colour it actually pours out as is peach, it really boils down to experience and trial and error.
I hope you enjoy it seeing this piece, I’m sad to see it leave the studio but glad it is going to a home that really wants it. Just a reminder we are open to take a few commissions before Christmas or if you would like to see what we currently have for sale just contact us, we ship worldwide.
