Table in bronze
punto
2025
It all starts with a single point.
The world begins at a single point: the Big Bang, an infinitely small point of infinite density. The point is the beginning of painting and the framework of sentences; it governs language and defines dimensions. The point is the smallest form, the most fleeting of phenomena. The point is the remnant of what is long past and the material from which the new emerges.
The point marks space—and is thus information. However, it is a special kind of information, since it has no boundary. Information is a marker that, through its duality, creates a triplicity—by marking an “inside,” an “outside” is created, and with it, a “boundary.”
The boundary of the point, however, is its interior.
The punto series demonstrates the evolution of surface structure to three- dimensionality. The metal plates used in punto products are perforated at seemingly random intervals resulting in a tantalising play of light and shadow. The light intensity, the viewing angle and placement of the item casts a two-dimensional form thick with the nuances of the solid counterpart’s inner structure and detail. Both solid form and shadow combine to a mesmerising effect.
The light show can be left to nature’s course, following the seasonal and daily changes in natural light, or may be choreographed to suit a particular mood and environment as part of a wider artistic concept.
Irene Maria Ganser is an Austrian artist based in Vienna whose practice spans sculpture, design and installation. Functional yet sculptural, her objects explore time, memory and the traces left by natural processes.
She studied design and fashion in Paris before completing a Master's degree in Fashion Design at the Marangoni Institute and studying Interior Design at the Politecnico di Milano.
Her career began at Kris Ruhs' Studio at Corso Como 10 in Milan, where she refined her approach to metalworking through jewellery, sculpture and installations. After moving to Vienna, she collaborated with international brands including Siemens, Chopard and Alfa Romeo, and for many years designed home accessories for the Austrian sustainable company Grüne Erde.
Organic forms and reclaimed materials often provide the starting point. Sea corals inspired the Punto table, while the Albeo side tables are made from timber salvaged from an old bridge. The Kollmütz series transforms the surface of a centuries-old wine press into contemporary design, Conifera evokes the growth rings of a tree, and Emilie reinterprets the woven seats of traditional Viennese café chairs in homage to the Wiener Werkstätte.
Contrast defines her visual language: smooth and rough, matte and polished, gold and black, weight and lightness. Carefully crafted surfaces give solid metal an unexpected warmth, reflecting her meticulous approach to making.
Ganser's work ultimately reflects on the passage of time and the dialogue between nature, material and form.