{"id":324644,"date":"2026-02-07T05:13:32","date_gmt":"2026-02-07T05:13:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/324644\/"},"modified":"2026-02-07T05:13:32","modified_gmt":"2026-02-07T05:13:32","slug":"simon-johns-expands-his-future-fossils-collection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/324644\/","title":{"rendered":"Simon Johns Expands his Future Fossils Collection"},"content":{"rendered":"

For the past few years, Simon Johns<\/strong> has been experimenting with a concept called Future Fossils<\/strong>. His pieces appear at once as relics ravaged by time and as sculptures made for this moment. The works, which the Quebec-based artist-designer<\/a> says \u201cloosely reference the sedimentary striations in million-year-old stone,\u201d have included bookshelves, tables and seating crafted in gypsum cement and slip-cast stoneware.<\/p>\n

\"Tall<\/p>\n

This past January, Johns unveiled the latest additions to the line as part of \u201cPot-au-feu,\u201d a DesignTO<\/a> exhibition by Ensemble<\/a>, a loose collection of vibrantly creative Quebec designers, artisans and artists. The show took place off the beaten path of the mostly-downtown Toronto design circuit, in a basement gallery called The Plumb. To stand out amongst such a talented bunch, which also includes well-known brands like Lambert & Fils and Darmes, is no small feat.<\/p>\n

\"Vertical<\/p>\n

But one piece in particular \u2013\u00a0the FF Magma Lamp \u2013 had astonishing presence. With its stacked boulders of ceramic and glass wrapped in a slim walnut frame, the light fixture plays with the sense of the primordial and organic. It also feels like a spontaneous creation \u2013 an object iterated in the making of it, rather than as a drawing in a CAD program. And for Johns, that is, at least, partly true. \u201cI work more as an artist than as an industrial designer,\u201d he tells me. \u201cI\u2019m not drawing a complete coherent collection from A to Z and then that\u2019s it. It all evolves.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

For the FF Magma Lamp, he hand-carved three similar moulds out of styrofoam, one for blowing glass into and the other two for pressing clay into. It took a few tries to get right. \u201cIn the first version, the clay shrunk and, because glass doesn\u2019t shrink, the proportions were off. I also wanted to go warmer with the tones, so I ended up choosing the dark walnut and amber glass.\u201d (The original version, which Johns still makes, has a frame in polished aluminum.) Weighing in at about 45 pounds, the lights stand 55 inches high and are 8.5 inches deep.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

While the glass adds something altogether different \u2013 with its thick undulations, it seems molten, alive \u2013\u00a0Johns is primarily interested in sedimentary stone and linear diagonal textures. This comes through in another piece debuted at Pot-au-feu: the FF End Table. What at first glance appears as a voluptuously carved wood trunk topped in a thin glass top reveals itself to be, upon caressing its grooves, a base of cream clay with a reflective aluminum cap. The trompe l\u2019oeil effect is part of the magic.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom the beginning, I\u2019ve always explored materials mimicking other materials \u2013 wood mimicking stone, for instance \u2013 and how to be less and less literal, more surrealist. I like that you can\u2019t tell what it is. It\u2019s about real materials, but mixing them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Two<\/p>\n

While he continues to coax new guises out of familiar, often organic looking materials, Johns is also experimenting with glazes. In this vein, he also debuted two vases at Pot-au-feu. \u201cI\u2019m testing glazes and languages: things that look like fungus, lichen, things that grow on rocks.\u201d Every piece is different, with its own imperfections, which positions them well in the collectable design realm. They also continue a theme that has endless possibilities, especially in Johns\u2019 capable hands.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

To see more from the artist, visit Simon Johns\u2019 website<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Photography courtesy of Simon Johns.<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n