Nadine Snijders has always believed that objects contain stories waiting to be uncovered and shared—and spent the past two years crafting her design gallery Metamorphoses’ latest virtual show, called “Observations,” around that concept. The Amsterdam-based art historian gathered 50 meticulously hand-crafted objects that pay homage to the act of creation and the art of observation. Each embodies an unexpected sense of beauty, from Maria Tyakina’s stylish side table embracing the aging process of centuries-old wood and Tessa Silva’s chubby oddities made with discarded milk byproducts to misshapen vases that Bloc Studios formed from industrial off-cuts cast aside during marble extraction.
Snijders staged “Observations” at an empty industrial space overlooking a canal—a move that enhances each object’s presence and brings out forms, materials, and ideas embedded within that may otherwise be overlooked. (A real-world outing will follow this year.) For now, she hopes the show will slow down our process of seeing: “In a world inundated with mass-produced goods, collectible design offers a respite—a chance to slow down and to engage in a deeper, more meaningful relationship with the objects that surround us,” she says. “Through observation, we uncover the hidden treasures that lie beneath the surface.”
