Bert Keyaerts (b. 1983, Belgium) is a contemporary woodturner. Both of his grandfathers were carpenters, and he inherited their passion for wood as a beautiful material to build and create.

His journey began with exploring furniture making and gradually evolved into turning vessels, hollow forms, and other interior objects on the wood lathe.

Unlike traditional woodworking, where wood is dried and flattened before use, Bert’s method involves using green, unseasoned wood to create unique shapes by combining various turning and finishing techniques. As the moisture evaporates from the wood, the form changes, resulting in an uneven piece.

Cracks, knots, and imperfections are incorporated into his work, serving as a reminder of the tree it came from. All materials are locally sourced or reclaimed.

Annick Vandecappelle (°1961) works and lives in Antwerp. She studied decorative arts at St-Lukas in Brussels and ceramics at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp.

Annick Vandecappelle – a former fashion stylist – has devoted herself to ceramic sculptures, which have become her new language. She analyses the subtle tension between different elements and forms. The clash of geometrical and biomorphic shapes gives birth to strange compositions, pure and rigid, but always full of surpises. Not unlike an architect she creates volumes ‘en suite’. All the while playing with proportion, rhythm and balance, like a jazz musician who follows the creative urge without a clearly defined goal. The things that inspire her are quite diverse. Abstract art of modernism as well as brutalism and contemporary architecture regularly spark the creative process. Thus producing pieces halfway between sculpture and architecture by reappropriating traditional elements in standalone ceramic forms. The use of clay with a high chamotte percentage gives her work a stone-like appearance.

Each new piece is the result of a meticulous search and the starting point of an ever- continuing attempt to redefine the possibilities. Always looking for the shape of things to come.

ÆTHER/MASS is the design studio of Davy Grosemans. He personally describes his unique and experimental creations as ‘objects in search of meaning’. ÆTHER/MASS emerged from a belief in the collaboration between designer and maker. The emphasis is on the creative process and collaboration with artisans, culminating in exceptional collections characterized by meticulous attention to detail and finishing. The emphasis lies not so much on the function of the objects but rather on their expressive qualities. 

ÆTHER/MASS consistently strives to delve into the essence of each object. How far can you manipulate the meaning or function to the extent that it loses its original function or undergoes a shift in significance? Restricting each edition to 12 pieces allows for sufficient time and space to persist in creating experimental, one-of-a-kind, and expressive works. The fulfillment derives from the creative process and collaboration, wherein the path from concept to final prototype carries at least as much sigificance as the ultimate outcome.

Besides his academic background in architecture and furniture design, his passion for art and graphic design define the work of Wouter Persyn (°1996). The result is a variety of objects, furniture, paintings… that balance on the intersection of those different disciplines. By playing with the visual properties, he tries to make the viewer stop and think for a moment. 

In his latest work – Rococo – the link to the sea and his home town Ostend is not far off.