Hand-built clay stoneware with terra sigillata + red iron wash

30cm H x 16cm W x 16cm D

2019

One-of-a-kind

From Berlin to Memphis via Brooklyn. The “Simple Geometry” series represents an aesthetic departure for Humble Matter from its usual focus on “ancient modernism”. However, the pieces in the series continue to utilize recognized hallmarks of all Humble Matter work: a vocabulary of repeated shapes and a focus on archetypal forms.

Much like the movements from which it draws inspiration—Bauhaus and Memphis—Simple Geometry is a carefully considered exploration of the formal elements of design: shape, color, and proportion. Each piece is a combination of three specifically proportioned components. Although each component is defined by a different color, visually, they coalesce to create a harmonious whole.

John Born, creator of Humble Matter, says: “My work uses a vocabulary of repeated shapes in an attempt to create archetypal forms that feel like an inevitable part of this continuum. They not only serve a purpose as functional pieces, but as talismans that ground us in the magic and importance of everyday objects and rituals in an increasingly inhuman and digitized world.”

Each piece is made from stoneware, with each component receiving a different surface treatment. White + grey slip with silica carbide along with black glaze.

Signed + numbered on bottom