Lukas Cober is a craftsman and designer living and working in the Netherlands. Thinking about each piece as a static sculpture he creates a conversation between materiality and shape with a pure outcome. He emphasizes the value and beauty of the chosen raw material to create minimalistic objects that remain timelessly beautiful.
What was the inspiration for your Steinbeisser pieces?
When Steinbeisser approached me to make cutlery for the dinners with Zen Buddhist nun Jeong Kwan, I wanted to create objects that tell a story of something that comes from earth and goes back to earth and seeing beauty in all its states. Inspired by that I worked on a collection of conceptual chopsticks that reflect this image through shape and materialisation. I’ve been working with burned oak and ceramics lately and thought that these two would be perfect to translate that idea. The outcome are chopsticks made from naturally fallen oak and acacia wood as well as black natural fired clay that share the same roughness. The chopsticks are reflecting different material states from natural to altered surfaces, from smooth finishes to raw ashes, from naturally emerging to forced shapes. Some useful, some challenging but all have their right to exist for their own reason.
Describe your work in 3 words!
Minimalistic. Raw. Honest.
What kind of materials do you use and where do you get them from?
Though I like to use various materials for my work, I mainly work with wood from Europe. In its pure form or altered into a different state, I try to let it speak for itself before even thinking about a defined shape that goes in conversation with the material.
Which conscious lifestyle choices are you making and are you considering any new ones?
I try not to consume too much myself and not to take part in the race of our capitalist society. Freeing myself from material trash and find quality in life through time as the most valuable good.
What have you rebelled against in the past and what are you rebelling against now?
There are many things that would be worth rebelling for but I can’t say I am actively rebelling against something. I have my own ideas and values that I live and work for, not trying to convince others but just live it for myself. If anything stands in the way I just pass it and go on. Really not caring too much about what others think but just do my own thing. A quiet kind of rebellion maybe or just ignorance. Perhaps it’s a stubborn way of thinking but consequent enough to be productive, push great ideas forward and enjoy what you do in private as well as professional perspective.