Optique Bench by Albert Potgieter is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2022 Ihe Nrite A' Design Award nke Igwe in Nhazi Ngwá Ụlọ Competition Category.

IgweNgwá Ụlọ· 2022

Optique Bench

by Albert Potgieter

Client: Albert Potgieter Designs

Ihe Nrite A' Design Award nke Igwe Winner in Ngwá Ụlọ Category

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The Design

About Optique Bench

Emebere bench Optique ka ọ bụrụ ihe nka na-arụ ọrụ. Ihe a na-elekwasị anya nke imewe a dabere na akụkụ anya ya, ya mere aha ya, Optique. N'ịbụ nke e mere n'Africa, ọ na-ebu ụfọdụ njirimara nke okike na anụ ọhịa. Ọ na-adọta uche ka ọ na-enye echiche nke mmegharị na ịdị ndụ. A na-esi n'ọtụtụ iberibe osisi siri ike mee Optique Bench nke a na-egbutu, aja, kwadebere, mmanụ wee jikọta ọnụ yana dị ka ihe mgbagwoju anya na-ewuli elu n'ime ngwá ụlọ siri ike.

The Recognition

About the Ihe Nrite A' Design Award nke Igwe

Optique Bench meriri A' Design Award nke Igwe, nnabata dị ugwu e nyere design ndị dị mma nke na-emezu ihe ndị a chọrọ n'ọrụ na ụlọ ọrụ nke a na-atụ anya n'ihe e kere eke ndị e mere nke ọma. Ndị meriri na Igwe na-egosi nka buru ibu, ọkachamara dị elu, nghọta ọkachamara na ikike imepụta nke ndị kere ha. A na-atụ anya na Optique Bench ga-abụ ihe e kere eke a na-asọpụrụ nke ukwuu, a na-eto na a hụrụ n'anya nke bụ ihe bara uru ma dị ọhụrụ. Design a meriri A' Design Award nke Igwe na-ejikọta ụzọ kacha mma nke ụlọ ọrụ ma nwee àgwà teknụzụ kwesịrị ekwesị jikọtara na ihe ọmụma na talent. A na-asọpụrụ Optique Bench maka nlezianya ya ma e mere ya ka ọ nye mmeziwanye ndụ nke na-enyere aka ime ka ụwa bụrụ ebe ka mma.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: The Optique bench was designed to be a functional art piece. To be a unique furniture piece in the house, but that also gives an atmosphere to the room it’s in. The uniqueness of this design lies in its visual aspect, hence the name, Optique. It captures the attention as it gives the impression of movement and being alive. Being designed in Africa it also carries the properties of nature and wildness with it, giving it a very special, unique look. The core of the design is to attract, to gather around and to enhance the space it fills.
Dimensions & Packaging: Length 1600mm x Width 550mm x Height 450mm
Tags: bench, interior, handmade, seating, home, art, living room, design
Production Technology: The Optique Bench came to be in a very unique way. Only an idea or part was designed on paper at first, when Albert jumped into the building process. This turned the building and designing process into one and as a result, caused the bench to form organically into the piece it is today.

The Optique Bench is all handmade in solid hardwood. Piece by piece it’s cut, set in the right position, glued together and slowly it is built up into bigger and bigger pieces. Only wood and glue is used in the production of the Optique Bench while a tiny bolt is used in the bottom of the leg to give a bit of detail.
Design Challenge: The hardest part of this design was to make the Optique Bench strong enough so that it can be moved around etc. Since there are so many joints, this can cause a problem in durability. The first prototype was made by using screws at every joint, but this causes the wood to split in some places and it is actually not as strong as wood glue. In the second bench, no screws were used, only wood glue. The joints were strong to use and sit on, but moving the bench around too much caused some of the joints to split open slightly. A solution was found by strengthening every joint with a wooden dowel or domino, causing the bench now to be strong for use and for transport.

The other creative challenge was getting the wood pieces in the legs in exactly the right angle so that when you put the joints together it doesn’t split open in the back of the joint or has a gap in the front of the joints. This was overcome after a few trials and making a mold, where every piece of wood, that is used in the legs, gets put into the mold one by one and put through the planer before being glued.

Another creative challenge was the finishing phase. As a result of using the individual pieces of wood and the gaps between each piece, it is difficult to sand and oil everywhere and inevitably adds an enormous amount of time. This can cause inconsistencies in the aesthetics of the Bench if not done properly. However, this is overcome by sanding and oiling every individual piece before gluing, excluding the portions that will be glued together.
Research: Research, when it comes to designing, cannot necessarily be define as something specific or to a date or time. It is a way of living, keeping your eyes open to what is around you. Seeing the abstract forms or the natural lines of nature outside. The cracks and grooves in a tree trunk, the way leaves are scattered on the ground, the shapes it makes, the ripples in water when the wind blows over it. That is the kind of constant research that in the end accumulates and comes together into a product, such as the creation of the Optique Bench.
Inspiration: Many of Albert Potgieter's inspiration comes from the awe of observing nature, the lines and shapes that it produces. The Optique Bench design is no exception. The inspiration came whilst being on the family game farm in South Africa, observing tree lines, golden grass fields waving in the wind and the many intricacies of the bushveld. The design idea that started in South Africa, together with the need to produce an environmentally friendly design by using off-cut pieces of wood, turned into the first prototype of the Optique bench. This design still carries those raw, wild yet linear lines and awe that is seen in nature.
Project Duration: The designing process started in December 2018 on the Family game farm in South Africa, and the production was finalized in February 2019 in Rotterdam, Netherlands
Operation Flow: The Optique Bench is considered functional art- it has the ability to create an atmosphere of comfort and community, while it also has the ability to initiate conversation as only art can while you are admiring the visual aspects of the design. It was designed to be visually attractive while still being used functionally and through this, has the ability to change the atmosphere of a home.
Image Credits: Image #1: Photographer Martijn Roos, Optique Bench, 2020
Image #2: Photographer Martijn Roos, Optique Bench, 2020
Image #3: Photographer Martijn Roos, Optique Bench, 2020
Image #4: Photographer Martijn Roos, Optique Bench, 2020
Image #5: Photographer Martijn Roos, Optique Bench, 2020