Renate Vos

Multimedia sculptor

©Henny van Belkom

©Renate Vos

Journeying to a new aesthetic

Renate pushes boundaries in product design
She is inspired by experiments with contrasting material
The material she uses for pendant lamp is unexpected

Renate Vos’s pioneering spirit is infused in every decorative object she creates. Whether it is a hybrid lamp of concrete and silicone, or a vase composed of cork, natural pigments and silicone rubber, underpinning each of her designs is a need to explore, "because of my adventurousness and curiosity, I make uninhibited journeys into techniques and materials." She seeks out contrasts, ensuring her objects remain tactile, using an amalgamation of materials that at first you would never think of joining together. "I don’t decide in advance what kind of object it will be, that grows during the process; I don’t invent designs, they arise." After much research and experimentation, various materials are woven together bringing a new object to life that is functional, as well as timeless.

Where

Interview

©Renate Vos

©Renate Vos

What was the first object you made?: The concrete pendant lamp developed from an experiment with concrete and silicone rubber. The jagged meeting point of these two contrasting substances celebrates the fusion of soft and hard. By using these materials, the lamp emits a warm light that contradicts the series’ industrial appearance.
What inspires you?: My inspiration comes from travels through time and nature, being inextricably linked to my surroundings as I live within the fortress of Loevestein Castle in The Netherlands. Transience and organic shapes are a source of inspiration, but I also get inspired by materials or techniques that I find interesting.
What aspects of your profession do you love most?: I love that I am discovering and creating every day. The preliminary research into materials and techniques is so inspiring. It’s a bit like cooking. If you manage to create a tasty and surprising whole by using the right combination of ingredients: it is so satisfying.
What have you discovered about product design that you could never have imagined?: That by experimenting, just doing, you end up with discoveries or creations that you never could have imagined possible. This approach allows for materials or products to arise that cause a sense of wonder. I could never have imagined that I would so often be surprised by unexpected discoveries.

Renate Vos is an expert artisan: she began her career in 2010