Fernando Mastrangelo‘s Drift Bench is part of his FM/s collection, which blurs the line between fine art and furniture design, presented by James Gallery at Art Genève till January 31, 2016. Inspired by glaciers and natural earth formations, Mastrangelo used hand-dyed sand with cement to create the bench that represents different layers of earth. The design of the bench is a result of the designer’s interest in blending organic natural materials with minimal and elegant geometric forms.
Released in January 2016, Drift is a new collection of sculptural furniture inspired by glaciers and natural earth formations, utilizing hand-dyed sand, powdered glass, mirror, and cement. Drift includes a hand-carved upholstered sofa, bench, and series of mirrors, side tables, and coffee table that emerged from two pivotal voyages—Patagonia, where much of the collection’s color palette references, and the Grand Canyon, where layers of earth and strata inspired the sand’s ombre effect. The works incorporate elements that are meticulously labored and polished in direct contrast with surfaces that are less controlled. Mastrangelo’s collection confronts the tension inherent in work that is both functional and fine art.
all images © Cary Whittier