A sculptural screening work in fiberglass, robotically milled using 7-axis CNC machines and finished in automotive phosphorescent paint. The Mantella draws on the organic vocabularies of Niemeyer and Burle Marx, realized through advanced digital fabrication.
The Mantella Screening Sculpture is a sculptural screening work constructed of fiberglass and finished in automotive phosphorescent paint and enamel. The design draws inspiration from Brazilian master architects Oscar Niemeyer and Roberto Burle Marx and their interest in abstract figurative affinities, combined with French Baroque and Parisian Art Nouveau sensibilities — all tempered by the precision of advanced digital fabrication.
Fabrication
The sculptures were formed using computer-aided 7-axis robotic milling to carve the complex biomorphic geometries. After being sculpted, a coating of automotive phosphorescent paint and enamel was applied, giving the pieces their distinctive reflective optic qualities. Manufactured by 2D/3D in the United Kingdom, the work was produced in two editions — a large format and a small format, each in an edition of 25.
Exhibitions & Installations
The Mantella was exhibited at Phillips de Pury & Company in New York as part of Asymptote’s Atmospherics exhibition in 2008, alongside other sculptural works including the LQ Chandelier and M-Scape series. The sculpture was also installed at Carlos Miele’s flagship store on rue Saint-Honore in Paris, where its organic lattice forms served as a backdrop for the Brazilian fashion designer’s couture collections — a natural pairing given the shared lineage of Niemeyer and Burle Marx. Today the Mantella sculptures are installed in Asymptote’s studio spaces in New York.
Credits
Design: Asymptote Architecture — Hani Rashid + Lise Anne Couture
Design Team: Theo Sarantoglou Lalis, Dylan Baker Rice
Fabrication: 2D/3D, United Kingdom
Date: 2008
