Philosophy
With my art, I want to take a stand against consumerism and the throwaway society. For me, upcycling means not only recycling used materials, but also giving unique objects from the past a new lease of life.
With this in mind, I collect used aluminium coffee capsules from all over the world, which I carefully clean and process. Unevenness, signs of wear and, above all, the technically necessary perforation in the upper part of the capsule underline the philosophy of upcycling and are intentional. I combine the modern, shiny aluminium surface of the coffee capsules with the patina of past centuries, among other things.
Two fundamental design directions characterise my art objects: harmony and contrast.
The harmonious series of objects is based on square bases made of high-quality materials such as porcelain stoneware, stainless steel, wood, painted canvas… Combined with recycled aluminium capsules and high-quality leather, the result is an impressive range of modern object designs.
In the contrasting series of objects, an antique item forms a striking backdrop that tells its own story with clearly visible signs of wear. The coffee capsules provide a successful modern contrast. In some selected objects, I further emphasise the traces of the past with gold leaf, gold bronze or gold dust.
With my art, I want to remind people that the old is always the basis for the new. Without the old, the new would never have come into being. That is exactly what I do: I create something new from old, mostly antique objects – unique pieces that in turn tell their own story and take on a new value.
Gerhard Kienzle