Discarded textile cast in bronze by Studio Jens Praet

Dressed-Ware-bowl-cast in bronze-by-Studio-Jens-Praet

Highlighting something seemingly worthless by casting it in bronze was explored by Jasper Johns in the 1960s. Works such as Painted Bronze (Ale Cans) (1960), like other members of the Pop Art movement, blurred the boundaries between high art and mass culture. Belgian designer Jens Praet plays with a similar concept, immortalising something discarded, into a thing of beauty.

The Dressed Ware series (2014) is a collection of functional art objects made from scrap fabric dipped in hot wax and shaped by hand over existing homeware items. The hardened wax was then cast in bronze and patinated in an oxidised blue patina. The resulting pieces retain the texture of the fabric and change slightly in colour as they age. Studio Jens Praet is based in San Gimignano near Siena, Italy.

Dressed-Ware-vase-cast in bronze-by-Studio-Jens-Praet

Dressed Ware Vase

Dressed-Ware-plate-cast in bronze-by-Studio-Jens-Praet

Dressed Ware Plate

Images by Kent Pell via Studio Jens Praet

Author: Antonia Edwards

Antonia is the founding editor of Upcyclist. Based in the UK, she is the author of two books: 'Upcyclist: Reclaimed and Remade Furniture, Lighting and Interiors' (Prestel 2015) and 'Renovate Innovate: Reclaimed and Upcycled Homes' (Prestel 2017).