Tag: antwerp

Lockdown Stories: Stephanie De Smet

Lockdown Stories is a series of short interviews with creative entrepreneurs and businesses that have been affected by the COVID-19 crisis. Since its beginnings, the main goal of Future Positive has been to share inspiring projects happening all around the world and, during these strange and difficult times for independent businesses and creators, we want to continue providing support and visibility. If you’d like to be featured in this series, please get in touch at hello@thefuturepositive.com and tell us your story.

Stephanie De Smet
Photographer and founder of Collect, a creative platform that inspires, creates and collects makers and their interests.
Location: Antwerp, Belgium
www.stephaniedesmet.com

When did the lockdown start for you and how has your business been affected?

As a photographer, I did notice the lockdown quit early. By the end of February clients started to postpone the upcoming photoshoots. We all thought it would be over fast, as the Belgian government decided to keep on the the lockdown until the 6th of April. I guess there was a bit of unbelief, as things looked far away. After 2 weeks, we started to realize that it would take much longer, and so jobs got cancelled. There are no perspectives at the moment, which makes the future uncertain.

Have you found any new ways of working or have come up with new product ideas during this time?

In the beginning I started to scan old negatives, and had a blast bringing up those memories. I recently made a small shop on my website with prints and postcards. Something I wanted to do for a long time, so a good timing for that. I mostly work analog, but this process is not that convenient at the moment, as my development studio is closed.

I’m making portraits right now, at peoples front doors. Something different then I’m used to but a nice experience.
This way I meet a lot of other creative freelancers that are also in the same situation.

What are some of the positive takeaways you have experienced during this time?

Nature is blooming. I grew up at the countryside and live now near the city center of Antwerp. For the first time in 8 years, it’s silent on the street and can hear birds sing all day. I can stand still more easily by a beautiful shadow or a blossomed three. Empty streets and the silence may stay for me after the lockdown, but that won’t be an option I guess. I do hope the cultural sector will boost again, and that people will appreciate it even more.

How do you see your business evolving over the next few months?

I don’t have any idea when things will go back to normal. The future is uncertain, and I live day by day at the moment. The lockdown gives space and time to work on my own projects but the craving to commissioned shoots is coming closer. I expect that I will work again on a regular base after summer. Every year new exciting projects come up, so I hope 2020 will be even more creative!

May 6, 2020
Small Bodies of the Solar System

We’ve talked about the work of Antwerp-based designer Stephanie Specht before here on our blog. She has now collaborated with artist and designer Lilit Asiryan and potter Thomas Salzer to create Small Bodies of the Solar System, a capsule collection of tableware and graphics inspired by fluid shapes and everyday functionality.

The pieces reflect the creative clash of ideas between the three of them, mingling timeless craft with free artistry drawing inspiration from space and nature. All pieces are made using clay from Swedish soil, taking inspiration from the the shape of moons and asteroids present in the solar system.

The mix of craft, art, graphics and illustration reflect the three artists’ creative heritage. The collection includes jugs, cups, coffee pots, letter holders and posters, and every piece is one of a kind and produced in a very limited edition.

Small Bodies of the Solar System will be presented at Studio Specht in Antwerp on June the 17th and the collection will be available to purchase on the website below.

‪www.asiryan.com

May 3, 2016
Stephanie Specht

Stephanie Specht is a freelance graphic designer based in Antwerp, Belgium. Inspired by music, art and fashion, Stephanie describes her work as intuitive, abstract, typographic and minimalistic.

We chat with Stephanie to find out more about what made her become a graphic designer, her workspace and plans for the upcoming months.

www.stephaniespecht.com

Studio photographs by Christophe Derivière.

Please tell us a little about your background and education. The bio on your website mentions that you lived and worked in so many places before going back to Antwerp!

I was born in Antwerp and I studied Graphic Design at the Royal Academy for Fine Arts. I worked at a company for a year and quickly realized I didn’t belong in a structure like that. Also, the routine was killing my creativity. I wanted to do my own thing.

I became self-employed in 2007. Initially, my plan was to stay in Antwerp but, due to a past relationship, I moved to all those different places: Cape Town, Brussels, Princeton and New York. I was living a modern nomadic life which was really inspiring but at the same time exhausting. After a while I really felt I wanted to settle down somewhere. Suddenly I wanted the opposite lifestyle than the one I was living. I was used to working from ‘home’, wherever ‘home’ would be but, if I look back at those couple of years, I think I wasn’t really 100% focused on my work. There was too much distraction.

It’s only been since 2014 that things really started changing for me. I decided I would stay in Antwerp for a longer time. I did not plan on moving anywhere soon again. I became more focused on my work and somehow attracted more interesting clients.

What made you interested in graphic design in the first place?

Initially, I wanted to become an architect. In Antwerp, where I grew up, I started an architectural design course when I was 16. I didn’t know what graphic design was, but I’d always loved to draw. At one point, one of my teachers advised me to change direction since my maths weren’t good enough. So I started a more general art course, and instead of focusing on buildings, I began looking at the style of architectural movements (Bauhaus, Brutalism, De Stijl, Modernism). I became fascinated by the lettering on buildings. Only by looking at these typefaces, you could tell the years in which these buildings were built. During my last year in high school, a typography teacher introduced me to graphic design.

Tell us about your workspace, Studio Specht, and its uses.

I moved into my first real ‘office’ at the beginning of this year. I really dislike the word office – it’s more like a creation room, a work space, a studio! My studio is in an old building materials warehouse. There are 12 studios in total, all occupied by creatives. The interior was designed by Nicolas Petillon. The space is really rectangular and when he suggested to use a ceiling-high curtain line in the form of a wave through the space, my first reaction was ‘why break this space!?’ But he was right. The curtain gives the space even more ‘space.’ I can open the curtain wherever I want and change the whole room.

I also have a marble Knoll table in my meeting room. It belonged to my grandmother who passed away a few weeks before I opened up the studio and I inherited it. The curtain follows the shape of the table and this space now almost feels like a sanctuary. It’s beautiful. I decided to paint my floor apricot white which adds a certain warmth and feminine touch to the all concrete white space. I also have a lot of plants. It feels like a soft jungle. Every time I walk into the studio I feel inspired and happy. Nicolas did a great job, really.

The first couple of months I organized a few Open Days where people could just come, walk in and look at new works I produced. I have done some collaborations that I’m really happy with and those works are also on view here. From time to time, I get emails from people who want to make an appointment to come and have a look at my studio. Sometimes they are just curious to see where I work, sometimes they want to buy an illustration. It’s nice to meet people this way, because they are different to my clients.

How would you describe your work? Where do you draw inspiration from?

My work is intuitive, abstract, typographic and minimalistic. I love to find purity in lines and forms.

Music, art and fashion are a big source of inspiration for me – but it can be anything really; a conversation, a photograph…

Do you have a particular favourite piece of work or something you feel especially proud of?

I think the Up Up Up illustration is one of my favorite personal works now. I recently created the identity for this new music documentary television show called Off the Record. It was the first time I designed something for TV. I am very happy with the result. It’s great to see my designs moving on screen!

What are your plans for the upcoming months?

I just finished a really intense book project in New York. I was there for two months. I am really tired so I am working on just a few jobs – I need to relax a little. Right now I am working on a redesign for S Magazine. S is a deluxe art and fashion biannual committed to gorgeous fashion photography, intelligent long-form articles, and experimental visual art. The magazine often changes style (designer). They have an identity but they like to play around with different typography and layout within the magazine itself.

I’m also busy updating Belgian artist Leon Vranken’s website. His work is amazing – I love working with his beautiful images. I also might design some new book covers for Das Mag, a new young Amsterdam based publisher.

November 12, 2015
Studio Collect

Studio Collect is an Antwerp-based jewellery label founded by designers Hermien Cassiers, Saskia Govaerts, Magaly Hermans and Hannah van Lith. They all met while studying at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts and after realising that they shared similar ideas and vision, decided to start Studio Collect in February 2013.

Our contributing photographer Joke De Wilde visited their studio in Antwerp and we interviewed them to find out more about their beginnings, inspirations and future plans.

Photos by Joke de Wilde.

www.studiocollect.com

How did Studio Collect start?

We met at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp where we studied Jewellery Design. During our studies we instantly felt there was a connection between us: we discussed our work processes, gave each other feedback and shared similar ideas about jewellery design. Once we graduated, we looked for a workspace we could share to continue our individual work. In the suburbs of Antwerp we found the perfect space in a former factory. First, we each worked on our own designs, but after a few months we felt the need to join forces and work on a collection designed by the four of us. Today we are two years old and have already worked on two collections. The third collection will be launched this fall.

With four designers behind the label, how do you organise yourselves and assign roles?

When it comes to designing a collection, we work very closely together. We each bring different inspirations to the table and discuss them. Once we have decided what topic we find most interesting, we start drawing or making prototypes in 3D. Throughout that process we constantly show our ideas to each other and ask for everyone’s opinion. Because we all have a different approach to the subject we are working on, this often leads to unexpected and interesting results. Because every piece is passed through four pairs of hands, none of them are made by just one, but by all of us.

Off course running a small company is not only about making the product, there are a lot of other things you have to take care of. Luckily we are a complimentary team and have our own skills and strengths, so we can divide all tasks equally. For instance, one of us takes care of the accounting, one organizes the production, another one takes care of the communication, etc. But we help each other out when needed.

Please tell us a little bit about the main inspirations behind Studio Collect’s pieces.

Our inspiration is often derived from architectural forms and compositions. But furniture and objects can also fascinate us, or a certain material, things we see in the street, a technique, etc. it’s usually a mix between those elements that leads us to our collections. We aim to make inventive jewellery with designs that aren’t obvious. Every piece we make is something we would wear ourselves.

What are Studio Collect’s future plans?

During the last few months our company is starting to grow as we have three new shops, two in Amsterdam and one in Utrecht, that will sell our collections. It is exciting to know other people who like what we make and support us – it is a very rewarding feeling. Those things give us the motivation and energy to keep going. In the near future we want to make sure more and more people get to know Studio Collect and find more retailers across Europe to sell our pieces. But most of all, we want to continue getting inspired by each other and creating jewellery.

September 2, 2015
Contributor Profile: Joke De Wilde

Joke De Wilde is a Belgian photographer currently living and working in Antwerp. Joke has collaborated with us twice, documenting the studios and work of textile designer Hermine Van Dijck and multi-disciplinary team Going East. She also helped us find nice businesses and places for our Antwerp City Guide.

Read our interview with Joke below this selection of images from her work.

www.jokedewilde.com

How did you become interested in photography?

This is a really difficult question! It’s not that photography is some kind of calling, it’s more about wanting to pause life sometimes. I want it to stand still and enjoy every detail of it. That’s what I’m able to do with photography. Especially the gestures and body language people use from the moment they stand in front of a camera. I guess it’s something I’ll never get tired of.

You work across different photography fields. Do you have a favourite?

Portraiture is definitely my favorite. I love, as I said before, to photograph people especially non-models – they use their bodies in a different way. The small details, like hands and eyes, are the most interesting. I always use an analogue camera, it pushes me to look at things into more detail – I know how daylight is going to react on film and I love the colors. I hope this makes my work come together as one.

What are your main inspirations?

Body language, memories, childhood, nature and my home.

You live in Antwerp, how does the city influence your work?

It influences me in many different ways. I love living in Antwerp and I try to look at the city in different ways over and over again. I don’t understand when people say they get tired of their hometowns. The nicest moments are those where we find new inspiring places and people in a city where we have lived for 10 year. Living here gives me the feeling of safety and, at the same time, it pushes me to go out there and explore – this is the perfect combination to get inspired and be creative.

Are you working on any photography project at the moment?

Not anything in particular, mainly images trying to capture every moment of my life at this point. Becoming a little family this winter was very inspiring and eye opening. Sometimes the most beautiful images are standing just in front of us, and these are the ones I’m looking for right now.

August 17, 2015