The Making of Ontologia.

As the first collaboration for Victoria Sass, founder of Prospect Refuge Studio, the collection started with a discourse between Sass and Hennepin Made’s Jackson Schwartz. Musing on the inherent sensibilities of Midwest makers, Sass elaborates: “We change slowly and creative work is often more of an evolution rather than a rapid paradigm shift, allowing old and new ideas to cohabitate... It’s a very zen sort of place—the Midwest.”

The roots of Ontologia began with a playful exchange of ideas, ultimately asking how we relate to objects and objects relate to us. So it’s only fitting that it takes its name from a philosophy that explores existence. 

Just as the initial ideas were incubated with the Midwest, so were all of the physical details of the lights themselves. The regionality of Ontologia is evident on both ends of the spectrum, from lofty idea exchanges to the brass tacks of manufacturing the lights themselves. 

By keeping everything local (within the four walls of Hennepin Made, to be exact), every detail of fabrication was able to be examined. “I knew their capabilities for creative work were almost limitless. They fabricate nearly every component of their fixtures in house, from metal and woodwork, to electrical configurations, the glass (of course) down to the packing and shipping.” says Sass. 

To suit the collection’s invitation to play and ponder, new magnetic technology was also developed to create more of a dialogue between person and object. By using magnetics for assembly, one can arrange and rearrange with ease, play with cording, composition, angles and shadow. The magnetic technology allows for the object to be secure and sturdy yet interactive and malleable. 

Incorporating more local talent, the collection was also photographed at the Swedish institute, using a piece by local artist and friend Joshua McGarvey— a styrofoam recreation of the classical greek sculpture Doryphoros, fresh out of the artist’s POSTURING exhibit at the Minneapolis Institute of Art.