clé Intros the Rorschach Tile Collection by Timorous Beasties

 

clé is proud to introduce the Rorschach Tile Collection designed by Paul Simmons and Alistair McAuley of Glasgow-based Timorous Beasties. The Rorschach Tile Collection is comprised of five designs, and hand lithographed on 12″ x 12″ limestone or thassos marble tiles. Inspired by traditional damask motifs (which originated in the 9th century), Timorous Beasties have integrated the classic pattern with Rorschach conceptual imagery. The combination of a familiar medieval motif and a modern blotch-pattern believed to unlock the subconscious has resulted in subversive floral abstractions. Simmons and McAuley use hand drawing, marbling and puddles of ink to achieve their new damask imagery.

According to Simmons, “These tile patterns are a reversal of the expected. Blotches, splats and drips are normally regarded as disordered accidents. By re-contextualizing the damask and using it as a vehicle to carry Rorschachesque symmetrical imagery, we have created beauty out of something conventionally repellent. In fact, by interrogating assumptions about pattern this way, we discover a new aesthetic, a new beauty. “

Deborah Osburn, founder and creative director of clé is delighted to welcome Timorous Beasties to the family of tile artisans. She says, “I’m an anglophile at heart, enraptured with the culture, history, people, land, flora and fauna of the british isles. Hence, my discovery, several years ago, of the masterful works of Timorous Beasties left me captivated with their self-described urban, edgy, irreverently elegant revisions of the classic designs of Victorian England. I have longed to collaborate with these masters of decorative motif. It is with great pleasure and pride that clé introduces a new chapter in our gallery of artists collections.”Osburn started clé, the international artisan tile e-boutique in 2012. The tiles on clé are as distinct as the artists who create them. It is Osburn’s goal to provide a forum for discovery and conversation about what she loves most, tiles created by impassioned artists creating remarkable surfaces.  The Rorschach Tile Collection is available exclusively on cletile.com.