Isaac Monté | CRYSTAL ICONS
Crystal Series - The Making of
Isaac Monté has a fascination for unusual materials and an urge to master and manipulate these materials. He is a Belgian designer based in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Isaac studied at art academies in Belgium, The Netherlands and Norway. His interest in product design developed at Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam, where he graduated as product designer in 2013.
The work of Isaac Monté has been shown in a variety of galleries and exhibitions in Belgium, The Netherlands, Italy and Germany. Isaac is lecturing and lea-ding workshops in various institutions, from the industry (IKEA) to art academies.
Monté was awarded The Threshold Price as most talented graduate in 2013, with his project "Filter Factory". In 2014 he was awarded the Henri Winkelman Award for young creative entrepreneurs in Rotterdam.
In 2015 he was announced as one of the recipients of the Bio Art and Design Awards. This award gave him the opportunity to design "The Art of Deception" in collaboration with Toby Kiers, Professor in Evolutionary Biology at the Free University in Amsterdam.
Education
2017 - 2018
Hogeschool Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Didactic Training Course
2010 - 2013
Willem de Kooning Academy, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Product Design
Bachelor Degree (graduated Cum Laude)
2009 - 2010
LUCA, School of Arts, Gent, Belgium
Interior Architecture Exam
Master Degree (graduated Cum Laude)
2008 - 2009
National Academy of the Arts, Oslo, Norway
Interior Architecture Exam
Bachelor Degree (graduated Cum Laude)
2006 - 2008
LUCA, School of Arts, Gent, BelgiumInterior Architecture
Bachelor Degree
Awards
2015
Bio Art and Design Award, The Hague, The Netherlands (winner)
2014
Henri Winkelman Award, Rotterdam, The Netherlands (winner)
2013
Drempelprijs, Rotterdam, The Netherlands (winner)
2012
Ronald Maaskantprijs, Rotterdam, The Netherlands (nominee)
CRYSTAL
Our world is changing in a fast and significant way. Progress has been measured by increased speed and efficiency - faster, better, stronger. This has caused a shift in our perception of time. In our fast paced society time seems to fly, time has become a luxury product, time has become a currency.
In reality time has been passing at the same speed for ages. Nature can be seen as the opponent of today’s society. Natural processes are the proof of time. The ‘Crystal’ series is the result of research into stalagmites, one of the greatest wonders of nature.
The growing process of the objects can be seen as a metaphor for time. Each object is unique in shape, colour and texture, due to the organic development of the object. The objects are the result of the natural crystallization of minerals and the influence of the designer on the formation process. This process can take up to several weeks to obtain the perfect shape, interesting colour combinations and dimensions of crystals.
ECLIPSE
The Eclipse series consists of a lamp with a ring of metal, brass or aluminum with a layer of crystal. The LED lighting ensures that the crystal gets a solar glow, referring to the effect of a solar eclipse. The design can be attached to the wall as well as suspended from the ceiling.