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I am Bram Mattens, an artistic blacksmith who specialises in abstract sculptures. For my designing process, I usually look for iconic details that, in my vision, tell the juiciest part of a story. After establishing these core icons, I look for how to express these qualities in metal. Working with metal is a grateful process; its plasticity allows you to create any shape you can imagine, its surface can be finished to mimic any material and its strength is suitable to make structural, functional or purely aesthetic objects.
For me, the joy of designing in an abstract way comes from the control you have over a story. By choosing which detail of a story to focus on, I decide how the story comes to life. By using focal points—areas of the sculpture that attract the eyes—I attempt to guide the spectator through the story of the sculpture.
For the future of my practice, I would like to put a greater emphasis on the envisioned setting of a sculpture and combine the icons of the story I am telling with the characteristics of its surroundings, creating sculptures that ‘feel at home in their setting’.
