Lore Langendries is a Belgian artist who questions the nature of reproductions via a fusion of natural materials, mechanical treatment and the handmade. Lore focuses on the tactile and physical aspects of design, the behaviour and qualities of materials, digital technology and her own subjective and intuitive role as a creator. In a playful, experimental approach, materials are used as active agents in the design and making process, material acting as subject and matter, resulting in wearable and un-wearable objects that maneuver freely between disciplines.

In addition to producing her own jewellery and wall objects, Langendries collaborates with designers and manufacturers for one off and exhibition projects, including the award winning Tableskin; a collaboration with luxury linen manufacturer Verilin (winner of the 2017 Henry Van de Velde Award for Design in Flanders, Belgium).

As we are more and more virtually connected, tactile perception is overshadowed by visual culture, making touch the hungriest sense of all. I use an unconventional combination of natural animal materials and industrial mechanical treatment, like laser cutting, which enables me to achieve another perspective on reproduction. In a traditional computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) workflow, the design process and the implementation are clearly separated. However, I'm using the technique in such a way that it not only carries out the work but it actually becomes part of the design process. By handling the machine myself, in combination with natural materials, I'm handling an innovative digital technology with a craftsman-like way of thinking. The natural distinctness of each animal hide is used as an active agent in the design and production process. A close-up, focusing on hidden details, gives an entirely new perspective on the structural formation of the materials.