YVON SMEETS

Cluster Exhibitor | Cluster Crafts | 2020

 
 
 

Yvon Smeets graduated in 2019 from ArtEZ Academy for the arts in the Netherlands. For the most part her work consists of ceramic, porcelain and glass pieces, with added textile elements.
With her collection “oddities” she questioned the relationship we have with the objects we use and surround ourselves with. She feels like the emotional value of contemporary products is decreasing, just because they are often mass produced with the idea that they are easily replaceable. This reinforces a loss of caring for our belongings even more.
During this project she was inspired by the following quote from an anonymous internet user:

 
 
 
 
 

“Sometimes, when I grab a cup from my cabinet, I will grab one that’s in the back and never gets used because I think the cup feels depressed that it isn’t fulfilling it’s life of holding liquids.”

 

The sense of guilt described herein prompted Smeets to design a collection of products that feel animated and require a certain kind of affection. What does a world look like in which products wish to be cared for?

 
 
 
 
 
 

"Oddities" consists of a series interior products in ceramics, with functionality in second place. The artists goal is to question function and the way we interact with objects. The first step in her design process was attending to the needs of the object instead of the user’s.

By playing with recognisable figurative elements such as fur, clothing and limbs, the objects invoke emotional interest through our tendency to take care of what is dear to us. The collection consists of animated characters that originated from everyday things and together they populate a new world of forms.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Purple Vase

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Black Teapot

 

Lilac Teapot