Engineering objects through instinct
- Xandre creates industrial influenced functional objects
- His process is methodical yet instinctive sparked by a good conversation
- He credits boredom as the trigger to his creative process
Childhood Sundays spent breaking apart old computers on the floor of his grandfather's garage, with the smell of grease in the air, fuelled Xandre Kriel’s fascination with form. He trained as an electrical engineer and explores the tension between the nostalgia of the analogue and industrial, and the imagination of the futuristic. Material choices, such as steel, rubber, and bamboo form a big part of his design language. While Xandre's analytical mind enables him to work within very regimented industrial design processes, he attributes his sculptural aesthetic to his instincts. "Sensing what people need through good conversations, and responding to the environment that my work will be placed in are paramount to me designing and making my objects," explains Xandre.
Interview
- How do you express tradition and innovation in your work?
- The traditions in my family are being a mechanic, a gardener, a stone mason and a goat farmer. These show up in my work, in how I think and design. I also like to incorporate the technology that is available around me into the equation. For example, I will work with a factory to produce a large-scale piece.
- How does your creative process unfold?
- Absolute boredom normally pulls the trigger. I start with a hand drawing. It is a shape, even a question. Then, using diverse processes and materials, I explore how to answer that question.
- What do you love most about your profession?
- My work strengthens my mind and my body. Creating is a very primal act for me, like drinking water when I am thirsty. It is such a big part of my life that it has become my life in a big sense. I am very methodical, and I love seeing the tangible rewards as I am building an object.
- What impact does your craft have around you?
- Hopefully, it will inspire others to be mindful of themselves and their environmental impact. An important thing for me to explore is what impact you have on the environment. How do we produce something, and what type of materials are we going to use? I am always conscious about this.
Xandre Kriel is an expert artisan: he began his career in 2008
Where
Xandre Kriel
