Vladimir Kagan, Chris Lehrecke, Kenny Scharf, Jens Risom
Robert Bristow, Patrick Naggar, David Weeks, Paul Mathieu, Kevin Walz, Ralph Pucci, Madeline Weinrib
This is the "handmade" site of Robert Bristow, a place to show things that he has made in his studio.. Robert is an artist, architect and educator. He is a co-founder with Pilar Proffitt of the design studio POESIS, a studio focused on making-based design for hotels, libraries, houses, and other craft-based projects. Housed in a former dairy barn in Salisbury, Connecticut, Robert seeks to make simple bold goods using solid elemental materials and straightforward processes. The end result are artifacts that transcend time, function and art: it becomes part of life and history.
A note about MY beliefs
While architecture is often defined as a creative profession, its end result, the act of building, is a fundamentally destructive act: sites are cleared, wildlife is displaced, materials are consumed, energy is burned, and sometimes people get hurt. This means the bar must be set pretty high: we must leave the place better than we found it. That has been the goal of our studio for the past decades. To achieve this, we remind ourselves that:
-architecture is an art: all buildings we make shall embody an artistic attitude which strives to bring thoughtful engagement into the tasks at hand. This also means everything should work.
-the things we make should last. This means they will not wind up in the landfill, or need to be remade. Like the stones of Ancient Rome, they can be re-used, re-purposed, re-engaged. This often means we use real materials in generous proportions in intelligent ways so they will endure.
-the things we make should have meaning to someone. This means they touch some fundamental chord in the user’s being, whether it be a vague familiarity, a childhood memory, a future hope. To do so, often we rely on deep dialogue with the client, and express our work with natural familiar materials that have the potential to age and develop patina.
- a building is a record writ in stone of the dreams, desires and values of the community that built it. It is part of the ever evolving architectural tapestry that is our world. So when working on new-builds or in the context of historic properties, the new work should not mimic and belittle the old: rather, the best of the old should be retained and strengthened by the addition of the new. Each should make the other better. This makes it a part of our architectural history, the story of humankind.
If you share these attitudes, I hope you will reach out and speak to me about making something truly special for you.