Louen Pinpin, Soil and Sea (BOWLS, BOXES 2022)

Photos:

Laura Inguaggiato

An Australian Story These two matching keepsakes are meant for each other, side by side, keeping precious objects and memories safe. They are the testimony to my arrival in Australia and the beginning of my journey in discovering the dualities of land and people. I have already been heavily inspired by what I have leant so far; that Australia is a country of vast vivid landscapes and complex intertwining cultures. I wanted to express my feelings through a creation that can highlight the importance of this duality and complementary nature that Soil and the Sea have played in building the Australia of today. The Soil box is made from Queensland Silver Ash and layers of red/orange/yellow paper that was hand laminated and pressed. The choice of colours and timber was to represent the omnipresent Australian sun and the diversity of Australia's sun-soaked landscapes. The Sea box is made of Queensland Walnut and ultramarine blu/blu/yellow paper that was hand laminated and pressed. These materials and colours were chosen to represent Australia's rich coastline with the vivid sands and deep blue tones of the oceans that surrounds it. By opposing these two boxes with the timber choice and use of vivid colours, I wished to express the duality between the inner golden soils and the surrounding wild ocean. Both are individually rich in culture and history but are unique in their stories, different yet so indivisible and central to the Australian story. I wanted to work with Australian wood for this project, which were unknown to me and offered a fresh range of possibilities to my craft, and because I wanted to make an Ode to Australia's richness and diversity. All lamination are handmade specifically for this project, creating a vibrant and engaging pattern, this creative process offered infinite possibilities of combination. The opening is made possible by a 30-degree angle between each ray of the top and glued down to a leather sheet. It results in a flexible lid opening that peels away following the rays of colour. The paper and veneer lamination inspiration is from a previous work by furniture maker Laura Inguaggiato, whose work inspired me for this project. The paper and veneer lamination idea is from the previous work of furniture maker Laura Inguaggiato, who gave me permission to use these techniques for this project. Soil and Sea was made possible with the support of The Victorian Wooden Boat Centre, Australian Premium Veneer and Laura Inguaggiato. Designed and Handmade in Melbourne by Louen Pinpin The dimensions of each box are 300x200x90 Video tour: https://www.instagram.com/p/CiHgpzFN7JD/

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.