Founder of AVANDI Studio, Ariane van Dievoet specialises in the recycling of construction materials and sustainable design. As a designer and sculptor, she combines traditional and digital techniques to shape offcuts of wood, bluestone, marble, mirror, brass, and all materials she can get her hands on.
Her degree in interior and spatial design from the Chelsea College of Art, in London, and her master’s degree in Adaptive reuse in interior architecture from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), in the United States, laid the foundations for her research.
Ariane van Dievoet began her career in Brooklyn, where she worked for five years and founded AVANDI Studio. She then returned to her hometown of Brussels in 2018 to establish her studio there. She is the co-founder of Augusta.
“Each melt brings an unexpected result. We quickly realised that we could learn to direct the process but not control it entirely. It’s an interesting exercise in letting go. Every piece that comes out of the fire is a surprise and we adapt our plans accordingly.”
— Ariane van Dievoet
Blacksmith Didier Henry and designer Ariane van Dievoet unveil the latest pieces from their collaboration, based on experimentation and the reuse of materials. These new sculptures bring out the blue stone bases that seem to merge with the brass pieces, creating dialogue between stone and metal.
The moon-like sculptures created by Ariane van Dievoet and Didier Henry are the result of their collaboration and experimentation with the forge. They unite their skills as designer and metalworker to melt the pieces of brass and give them that unique look. While perfecting their interaction with the fire, they have learned to embrace the unexpected and create around it.
Some of the brass pieces are polished and/or brushed. Others are left raw, displaying the fire patina. All are placed with precision on carefully selected stone bases.
The reuse of unused materials from their respective workshops was the starting point for their first series of sculptures. When Didier’s brass leftovers ran out, they found another source of scraps from his supplier, which enabled them to experiment with different thicknesses and adapt to the formats available. The reclaimed fragments of stone that make up the supports come from the RotorDC cooperative in Brussels and from Hebette frères in Havelange, a marble factory located near Didier Henry’s workshop. The nature and size of these off-cuts has opened up a whole new range of challenges and possibilities in shapes and sizes for the duo.