A Closer Look | Collection 010
Discovering methodologies and philosophies has been integral to An Irrational Element since its inception. It brings forth new insights and creative ideas. For Collection 010 I turned towards the ‘Bossche School’, a Dutch architectural movement based strongly on numerical relationships to create order. According to the Bossche School movement order is considered the underlying principle of everything. Dom Hans van der Laan, Bossche School’s founding father, developed a proportional system to create this disposition. The system is based on the X3−X−1 formula, an irrational number, known in mathematics as the ‘plastic number’. According to van der Laan this ratio is the minimum difference between two measures so that one can discern them with their naked eye.
Grasping both the Bossche School’s mathematics as its accompanying quintessential aesthetic Collection 010 is an ode, romanticization and free interpretation of Dom Hans van der Laan his body of work.
Plastic Number | Ratio
Much like to Golden Ratio, the Plastic Ratio allows to create and find natural ‘order’. The difference however, is that the plastic ratio can be applied to three dimensional forms whilst the golden ratio can only be applied to two dimensional forms.
The polynomial X3−X−1 is also known as the plastic number, which is indicated by ψ and is approximately equal to 1.32471795. According to Dom Hans van der Laan this number said something about the relationship between the three dimensional proportions and made this plastic number a principle of design. For example, instead of starting from 10 and dividing in equal parts, van der Laan started dividing from 7 creating a measuring system where all measures are related by ca. 3:4 and the smallest and largest measure relate as 1:7. Each of these measure relates to each other. This was the starting point for his architectural designs and this principle can be found in Collection 010 as well.
Design
In Collection 010 the plastic ratio is implemented in the designs of multiple items such as the: Plateau Bag, Research Jacket and School Tote. Other styles incorporate the visual characteristics of the Bossche School such as the School Sandal that finds its foundation in the furniture developed by Dom Hans van der Laan to accompany the spaces he created. As a whole An Irrational Element showcases its initial synopsis of the Bossche School’s philosophy and methods adapted into its own universe.
Lectures and writings of Dom Hans van der Laan also touched on the subject of cloth(ing) stating that as with architecture, clothing is all about essence. Referring to one of his favorite expressions ‘Ima Summis’, the highest (of the spirit) mirrors itself in the deepest (of the matter) and vice versa. To specify this he spoke of clothing that never bores and to which we long in nudity, as we long to water when in thirst. I aimed to achieve this not solely through the use of the plastic number but also by researching the Bossche School’s vision on colors and shapes. Colors should serve the shapes and shapes should offer housing for the body and mind. In Collection 010 the color scheme is muted, accentuating the essence of each individual piece whilst achieving the same for the collection as a whole.
Solidifying Collection 010 is the look book that was shot at Buitenplaats Doornburgh, a priory designed by Dom Hans van der Laan and his student Jan de Jong. This house for the mind has a beautiful dichotomy through its materials and interplay between inside and outside. This all comes back in the look book while we were also allowed to use the original Bossche School furniture which you’ll find throughout. I hope and wish that Collection 010 is able to grasp some of the original intentions of Dom Hans van der Laan in creating natural beauty (order).