CARRARA CARRERA

Carrara Carrera

Casper Braat and his work to recreate everyday objects in Italian marble.

With his installation Work in Progress, artist Casper Braat elevates the design of everyday objects by recreating them in marble. The highlight of the collection, however, takes a step beyond that: an air-cooled Porsche 911 seemingly mid-transformation from metal, rubber and glass into solid Carrara marble.

“I hadn’t thought of this beforehand,” laughs Caspar. “My idea was to elevate the design of ordinary objects, which we often hardly realise are designed at all. If we look at the Greeks and the Romans, we recognise their marble statues as an immortalisation of their time. But what happens if you make a cat litter box or a security camera out of marble, is that what this generation will leave behind to be discovered in the distant future?”

We’re standing in the Torch Gallery in the heart of Amsterdam, surrounded by marble objects in small plexiglass boxes. A soda can, a Zippo lighter, a microwave, a hammer, a saw and many more. Then of course, there’s the largest object of them all.

“I don’t know anything about cars, let alone Porsches. I’ve been informed about the different models. I learned what is and isn’t original and I got to know a world of enthusiasts who attach great value to seemingly small details like an oil filler cap, seats with no headrests and even correct tyres. I learned that while the car is beautiful to look at from the outside, there are no shortcuts taken under the skin either. That inspired me to recreate various parts out of marble, precisely to showcase their beauty.”

Casper looked at various generations of 911 to replicate but in the end, it had to be a 901. “The original, as I had learned” he says. At the centre of the room is a bare steel 901 shell, surrounded by marble parts. The front right wheel is a perfect replica of a Fuchs, paired with the correct tyre. On the wall is a bonnet and a front bumper. There are a few steering wheels and even a door, on which the window is made from such thin stone that you can shine a light through it. Even the hinges on the door appear to be correct.

"I learned that while the car is beautiful to look at from the outside, there are no shortcuts taken under the skin either. That inspired me to recreate various parts out of marble, precisely to showcase their beauty."

Casper even injects a bit of humour into the piece, such as the driving gloves on the dashboard, the scattered interior mirror and the iconic magic tree that hangs from the windscreen frame. The most striking piece is the engine, a marble flat-six that weighs 700kg. There’s also a replica gearbox and an exhaust too, all finished to such minute detail that you have to wonder how he does it.

Casper works with Carrara marble, a material just one letter removed from being perfectly appropriate.

The stone is strong, but soft enough to be worked well. A lot of parts break in the process though, which means he has to start over. He works partly with machines, but most is done by hand. Some parts are polished to perfection, while others are left deliberately unfinished. He doesn’t work alone, but neither does he reveal how big his team is or exactly what they do. Casper keeps his cards close to his chest about most of the process.

“That mysticism is part of my art, of a lot of art, actually. That you will never know exactly how something is made. That you keep looking for a long time and start thinking about what you see.”