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DECORATIVE & DESIGN / PROFILE Pics: An-Sofie Kesteleyn
DESIGN FILE LOEMEN
Husband-and-wife team Dries Braeckman and Mireille Verroken developed their technique of blending plastics with glass just over a year ago. After a decade running a successful home design shop, the pair opted for a radical change of pace, sell- ing up and setting off for several years of travelling. Along the way they picked up a host of traditional craft skills, such as stain glass production and glass blowing, skills which inspired them to return home and begin creating their own handcrafted light sculptures.
The pair made a conscious decision to move away from the more classic production pro- cesses they had picked up on their travels and instead looked at using plastic mould- ing techniques to form the basic structure for their pieces. Starting from scratch, the handmade moulds are used to produce the plastic shells that can be then coated in glass fragments to form the finished work. They are, say the team, ‘sparkling glass flakes surrounded by solidified plastics... turned into soul-charged light objects’. By using different coloured plastics and glass, one mould can be the basis for a vast array of finished pieces making it possible to create specially commissioned sculptures to suit specific environments. “For us a successful light piece is one that astonishes the viewer with its beauty and uniqueness,” says Braeckman. “It has to create a delicate ambiance and pleasant mood.” Not content with promoting Loemen’s own pieces, their loft studio in the Belgian town of Ronse has become an arts hub, displaying a constantly changing exhibition of work by local artists in between the colourful glow- ing swirls and shapes.
www.loemen.com
“For us a succesful light piece is one that astonishes the viewer with its beauty and uniqueness”
Top right Cone is a new addition to the Loemen range. The combination of a CFL illuminated bowl hanging above a series of hoops is their nod to the classic chandelier
Left Loemenozoïd, a tailor made creation for bistro Den Brek in Ronse, is one of Braeckman’s favourites: “The owner of Den Brek wanted a striking light sculpture for his business. We made a sketch of the Loemenozoid - Poisson d’amour. We chose a funny shape like an oversized spermatozoïd in flashy pink & red. It’s quiet astonishing to notice how much positive reactions he gets from it.”
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