ABOUT

Philadelphia based furniture designer and fabricator, Laura Bertapelle, is a multi-media artist who is passionate about reintroducing commonly used materials to individuals and spaces in newly engaging ways by demonstrating attributes of these materials’ properties through material manipulation and processes.

Her early work focused on sculpture & ceramics. In 2012 she was introduced to the Furniture Design Department at Rhode Island School of Design. Finding a new intrigue in melding her sculptural tendencies with functionality, her work shifted into functional art, a perfect balance of craft & design.

In her pursuit to meld her two practices she found her voice in design by challenging what inherently has more value within furniture design; artistic ego or material excellence. By engaging the audience with the material’s attributes and not by the artist’s ego, she establishes that the purest sense of design is that which was already given to us; creating works that feel simultaneously ancient and modern - grounded in craft, yet deeply contemporary in concept. With this respectful and rigorous approach her work balances utility, elegance, and wonder to provide new experiences with everyday materials.

CV

Contact Laura at lbertape@gmail.com with any inquires.