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Olaf Stevens is een Nederlandse ontwerper. Een productontwerper van porselein , tafelglas en kristal. Zijn expertise is die van studio-potter tot industrieel ontwerper en producent. Als docent verbonden aan de Design Academy Eindhoven en heeft lesprogramma’s en workshops voor het HBO ontwikkelt. Ook ontwikkelde hij een samenwerkingsverband en uitwisselingsprogramma’s op met de Arita University in Japan (JP).
Daarnaast adviseert hij (semi-)professionals, vakdocenten in het VO, MBO en HBO, bedrijven en particulieren.
Opgeleid als keramisch vormgever op de academies Den Bosch en Breda (Koninklijke Academie voor Kunst en Vormgeving / Academie voor Beeldende Kunsten Sint-Joost) heeft hij een museaal oeuvre opgebouwd met keramiek- en kristalobjecten, porseleindraaiwerk en werkt hij aan ontwerpen voor gevestigde glas- en porseleinindustrie in Europa. Hij doceert Ceramic LAB research en Concept tools aan de Design Academy in Eindhoven.
Zijn werk is in verscheidene (internationale) museum collecties opgenomen. Hij ontwerpt en produceert zijn eigen serie Hautecouverts® porselein in Limoges, Frankrijk en zijn kristalobjecten en mondgeblazen glazen in Småland, Zweden.
Porselein en glas
De Studio
De beroepspraktijk van Studio Olaf Stevens is gevarieerd. De kunstcollecties, unica in glas en porselein voor diverse opdrachtgevers, waaronder Europese Michelin sterren chef’s, verschijnen in gelimiteerde of kleine oplage. Zijn Limoges porselein Hautecouverts® collecties zijn custom-made voor Instituten, haute cuisine chef’s, bedrijven en particulieren.
Olaf Stevens produceert zijn porselein in Limoges, Frankrijk, met een “Porcelain Dur” (gestookt op 1400 graden) in tegenstelling tot de gebruikelijke veel lager gestookte porselein in de industrie, bestaat deze ”Porselain Dur” bijna uitsluitend uit silicium en aluminium wat een superieure hardheid en krasvastheid oplevert. Het gevestigde Limoges Atelier behaalt dan ook de hoogst mogelijke kwaliteit die binnen de porseleinindustrie haalbaar is.
Ook heeft hij de afgelopen jaren gewerkt aan een serie kristallen mondgeblazen bier- en wijnglazen ontwikkeld en geproduceerd.
Educatie
Olaf Stevens is sinds 1990 als docent verbonden aan de Design Academy Eindhoven en heeft lesprogramma’s en workshops voor het HBO ontwikkelt. Deze lesprogramma’s zijn ceramic LAB research en concept tools. Ceramic Lab & research is een programma specifiek gericht op studenten die kennis willen nemen van het Keramisch systeem. Concept tools is een programma dat de persoonlijke vaardigheden van designconcepten ontwikkelt.
- Type werk: tafel cultuur and kleine unieke objecten in glas en keramiek
- Typisch talent: Gebruikmaken van technieken en producties die niet met elkaar in verbinding of vanzelfsprekend zijn. Cross-over en out of the box oplossingen.
English version
Olaf Stevens (1954) is a Dutch artist and designer.
After his studies (Koninklijke Academie voor Kunst en Vormgeving, Den Bosch (NL) & the Academie voor Beeldende Kunsten Sint-Joost Breda (NL), Olaf Stevens developed a diverse body of work, a rich and ongoing oeuvre consisting of ceramics, glass and crystal objects.
Olaf Stevens has been teaching at the Design Academy Eindhoven (NL) for over 30 years, for which he also developed a partnership and exchange programs with Arita University, Japan (JP).
He is still teaching independently today, sharing his extensive knowledge and expertise on the ceramic and glass design processes; Hand crafted techniques, casting, glaze and glass technology and decoration techniques.
Although his materials and techniques differ, one notices a clear coherence and style within all works. To guarantee his signature and quality, Olaf Stevens is engaged and involved in all aspects and phases of his productions. Besides his own hand thrown ceramics, Olaf Stevens has been designing for and working with prominent porcelain and crystal producers in Europe.
His works are part of several public and private international art collections and museums.
Industrial design
By designing and decorating glass and porcelain for reputable companies such as Rosenthal, Hoya, Ritzenhoff and others, Olaf Stevens has convincingly demonstrated the compatibility of art and industrial design. Stevens makes full use of all techniques that also lend themselves for industrial application, causing his objects produced in a series to retain their unique character.
Consultancy in creative development
Olaf Stevens provides training sessions and consultancy in the field of conceptual and creative development. Learning how to use one’s ideas and talents to enter a new path of creative thinking can be both useful and interesting to every one who is willing to reach beyond conventional ways of thinking, working and producing. The courses and lectures are adjusted to the participants level.
The creative development training sessions are derived from the lectures Designing concept tools that are part of the Design Academy Eindhoven curiculum. However usually focusing on creative design-disciplines, it’s results are applicable in any organisation, production, company or life.
info@olafstevens.com
Work represented
In Dutch Museum collections:
Museum Boymans van Beuningen, Rotterdam
Stedelijk Museum Schiedam, Schiedam
Museum “HetPrinsessenhof”, Leeuwarden
National Glassmuseum, Leerdam
Stedelijk museum Gorinchem
In international Museum collections:
Taipei Fine Arts Museum,Taipei,Taiwan
Everson Museum of art, New York, U.S.A
Glasmuseum Ebeltoft, Ebeltoft, Danmark
Design Academy Eindhoven
Concept tools
Olaf Stevens teaches “Concept tools”, Ceramics and Glass at the design Academy Eindhoven. The program has been founded and developed by him, is concept-orientated and encourages independent thinking and action generating. The basis of the lectures focuses on avoiding copying and tries to create unique sources for creative thinking.
The Design Academy Eindhoven is the only Higher Professional Education (BA and MBA educational level) in the Netherlands that is entirely specialised in training designers. The Design Academy attracts international students from over 20 different countries every year.
The ceramic research program
The ceramic research program finds its origin and reason of existence ( from 1999 ) being a solution and answer to random ceramic related assignments within the departments. Students being interested in Craft related fields is growing substantially.
This happens in a time where all craft related education is vanishing with a rapid pace from Art related higher education. On the other hand we see an increase of interest at medium level professional education and Culture related high-school education levels offering craft related education. The latter proving to be the main source for potential Design academy students.
Educating Design Students involves education that will enable them to have knowledge of and experience with both technical, design, material and artistic aspects of some of the most general used craft processes. At the end of their design education and standing at the beginning of their professional lives they need to be able to create a professional dialogue with craft people to execute their designs in an excepting and quality manner. This not only includes ceramics but also textiles in all its aspects, woodworking in all its variety, metal sheet, construction and casting processes. Leather crafts, Jewelry in gold and silver techniques and last but not least glass techniques varying from flat glass application to the hot-shop products.
The Ceramic research program is focussing presently on knowledge in a nutshell. Having only a maximum of 20 weeks at our demand we mainly focus on a wide variety of ceramic techniques, the basic knowledge of its chemistry and its practical applications. In order to investigate the interest and willingness of the students we like to increase a variety of possibilities also very effective to the students knowledge in the field.
The CRP results are presented with a reference book, material research results and an individual process book. All aspects of the ceramic topics need to be sufficient and accordingly presented. Having passed the CRP course it is expected that the students having both understood the knowledge, techniques and materials are able to make a professional dialogue with a ceramic professional.
www.designacademy.nl