- Art & Design
We would like to take you to the brand new exhibition in the gallery of Objects With Narratives. They embrace a unique vision of art, where objects blend seamlessly with architectural spaces and each piece is custom-made to the client's vision and taste.
"From trash to treasure" celebrates the transformative power of upcycling, recycling and reuse in the world of collectibles. Here, five leading artists - Studio Furthermore, Alfhild Külper, Cédric Breisacher, Studio Thusthat and Roxane Lahidji - present their innovative and exemplary projects, giving new life to forgotten materials. Studio Thusthat, for example, transforms waste products from mining and metallurgy into monolithic black forms, while Cédric Breisacher creates Agglomera, a material made of wood chips and starch glue, which forms organic structures. Studio Furthermore experiments with new materials and cultural realities, while Alfhild Külper explores the life cycle of wool in sustainable carpets and wall hangings. Finally, Roxane Lahidji redefines sea salt as a sustainable design material with Marbled Salts. 
For example, Studio Thusthat worked with scientists to reuse by-products from mining and metallurgy, also known as slag.These unique materials, often discarded as waste, are exploited to create monolithic black forms with innovative techniques developed in collaboration with researchers at KU Leuven.In the latest collection, Cédric Breisacher then reuses what is already available in the workshop: waste material.He uses this waste to make a material he calls Agglomera, a mixture of wood chips and starch glue, which he shapes into organic structures that reflect on our consumption patterns and use of resources. Experimenting with new materials and cultural realities, Studio Furthermore draws inspiration from natural processes. The studio innovates material processes to create unique furniture, lighting and accessories using ceramics, cast metal and glass. Their project "Moon Rock" speculates on how space mining could address Earth's resource scarcity, while showcasing their method of recycling discarded car wheels into aluminium foam furniture.
A celebration of creativity, innovation and sustainability
Alfhild Külper shows the life cycle of her main material: wool. Through these projects, she aims to show that in a world of fast fashion, wool - something considered expendable - can be the protagonist and part of an object that lasts. Finally, Roxane Lahidji redefines sea salt as a sustainable design material, by mixing it with tree resin to create a self-binding composition. Through this innovative process, Marbled Salts evokes a rethinking of the value of salt and challenges perceptions of material value in our society. This is more than just an exhibition; it is a celebration of creativity, innovation and sustainability. Step inside and be inspired by the limitless possibilities of reuse and reconsider the value of everyday materials. At Objects With Narratives, they do not create works of art; they create stories that resonate with the world around us.
Photography by Tijs Vervecken
Text by Elke Aerts