Hero: Hilma af Klint

repent, refresh, rethink, restart. we adapted the classic gravity tray to overlay 2 pastel rainbow spectra on each other, creating a matrix of 210 possible colour combos. it's a joyful tribute to the myriad possibilities of a northern spring.

a time for optimism and surprises and little rays of light, perfect to liven up a locked down easter. today we follow the object in its journey, learning how it was inspired by a swedish mystic, how the multicoloured parts are precision etched in italy before being assembled in a social workshop in berlin. it's a holistic journey that touches many different eras, regions and types of people, who was the first painter to break free from representaion and explore fully abstract forms?

if you google this, wasilly kandinsky's name dominates the results. this isn't the full story however. firstly, abstract representations existed outside the western tradition, especially in the islamic world, where figural represention of human and animal forms was discouraged.

but kandisnky wasn't even the first within the western tradition. in 1906 hilma af klint was breaking this ground. she moved in the same circles as kandinsky, but was unable to get recognition for her work.

while kandisnky was shaking up with notable expressionist gabriele münter in murnau and painting blue mointains, klint was producing fully abstract compositions, under influence from acquaintance rudolf steiner and rosacrutianism (which played such a role for fundamental hero yves klein). sadly the supposedly progressive men in her world didn't take credit her seriously. her works were never properly shown.

her paintings resurfaced in the 1970s and the long slow process of her rehabilitation as the mother of western abstract art is still ongoing. learn more about this singular talent on our hero page. we were inspired by klint's spiritual belief in the power of the spectrum and her unique color palette.

what is even more important about our spectrum tray is how it is made and by whom. each stainless steel fin in precision etched in italy in a family run factory in the veneto. the steel fins are then treated and powder coated, with each of the 15 different pastel shades of the spectrum being applied before the components travel overland to teltow, a suburb of berlin.

in teltow the fins are assembled into trays by berliners with learning disabilities. we designed the whole thing so that it generates the sort of repetitive but satisfying work that meets the needs of the social workshop. aside from the tray, we also built several tools to help the workers and supervising craftspeople to assemble the finished tray.

after assembly come quality control and packaging. the finished products make thier way to our warehouse in spandau, another suburb of berlin, before DHL comes to bring them to you. from inspiration by a swedish mystic working more than 100 years ago, to manufactureing by a third generation italian factory, to social assembly in berlin, this product reaches through the ages, through the regions and through different sections of the community before it lands in your appartment to brighten your day.