Sculptor Otto du Plessis established Bronze Age in 1997 as one of South Africa’s first foundries dedicated to the ‘lost wax’ method in South Africa. The original Simon’s Town location included a sculpture studio, a gallery and an artist’s residency.
Founded in 2005 by Charles Haupt and Otto du Plessis, this multidisciplinary creative studio is an almost anachronistic marriage between bronze and cutting-edge design that has shaped the ancient material well beyond traditional expectations.
Their unique partnership combines the complementary skills and perspectives of an industrial designer and a sculptor. Ranging from sculptural commissions and architectural features to furniture, lighting, objects and limited-edition signature pieces, their work is internationally acclaimed and has been featured amongst others, Design Miami and Design Miami/Basel.
Translating ideas into bronze is at the core of Bronze Age Studio, whether those ideas originate from within the studio or from its many varied commissions. Their own work blends fine art sculpture with high-fidelity design and functionality; Haupt notes that, “Our studio is a great amalgamation of these two worlds … A lot of the work that we do taps into both sides: it is very hand-crafted, and we spend a lot of time on finishing [the pieces], but then there’s the opposite side where we use a lot of modern fabrication technologies.”
“It’s a complete mix of two worlds – we are neither one nor the other, often it’s a little bit of both” which may explain why Bronze Age projects possess an enigmatic quality that is at once original, ultra-contemporary and familiar in the way of timeless things.
