Hasta La Ideas

Stockholm-based artist Åsa Stenerhag has created a series of ceramic objects that she suggests might be alien body parts.

Stenerhag created over 30 pieces for Alien Autopsy, an exhibition at the Massproductions showroom in Stockholm last month.

Finished in shades of white, brown and black, the stoneware pieces bear some resemblance to human body parts. There are some that look like bones, while others could be mistaken for lungs or intestines.

The project was commissioned by Massproductions to celebrate the launch of Landa, a new table system featuring steel legs.

Chris Martin, the furniture brand’s co-founder, based the design on NASA’s Apollo Lunar Module. This gave Stenerhag the idea to create pieces that would subtly reference outer space.

The name Alien Autopsy comes from a short film released in 1995, but it also creates a playful narrative around the way the ceramic objects were laid out on the tables – as if it was a real autopsy.

“The idea started from the long table. How we could tell a story, create a feeling, an exciting one, unified together?” said Stenerhag.

“For me, creation is primarily about intuitive work though also about channeling a feeling. In this case, it is a life energy, which is shaping and explore itself, both on the inside and the outside.”

The sculptures come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Stenerhag bakes each piece once before applying dye, to ensure the stoneware is still porous enough to soak up the colour.

Linseed oil, shoe polish and gouache are among the different substances she uses for dyeing.

“Clay is a living material and must be taken care of in different ways throughout all stages of the drying process,” said Stenerhag.

“For me the process is as important as the result. That’s what drives me.”

Martin and partner Magnus Elebäck founded Massproductions in 2009. The brand’s products include the modular Endless shelving and the Anyway seating collection.

It staged the Alien Autopsy exhibition at its showroom on Hammaryby Allé 51 from 14 to 28 November.

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