A Chess set stripped bare, refined and redefined in material-focused minimalism, has been created by sculptor and object designer Tarek Elkassouf. Elkassouf’s work is the antithesis of his first introduction and fascination with chess, his love of the complexity and detail of the pieces was born when as a six-year-old, he found an old board in the family home. “It is a game in art, but more, a piece crafted in stone and metal that becomes an altar to concentration. I feel on the chessboard, there is so much happening, but you want to focus on something important, the game, the moment. I have neutralised everything. Everything is frozen. Just standing. I felt the ornament was too much. I am giving creative freedom to the players to decide how the pieces will look in their own mind.” The artist, who was born in Beirut and now lives in Sydney, stated that he was given creative freedom to allow players to interpret and imagine themselves as the characters of the chess pieces. I was fascinated by the shape of the pieces. I was fascinated by the small pieces and the characters they represented. This is an object that is very close to my heart: the beauty of chess is it can be whatever you want it to be. The physical and cognitive investment in the strategy. Chess Board Re imagined The designer stripped away the visual obstruction to concentration, following his cynosure: – re-imagining the mundane – seeing the beauty in it, and making the mundane beautiful for people around him. The pieces, minimalist rectangle soldiers with symbols of classical chess pieces inscribed into the top, are cut from Stainless Steel, Brass, Oxidised Brass and Gunmetal. Available Variations There are four variations of boards, made from Carrara Marble, Basalt, Travertino Classico, and Travertino Rosso. The sets come ensconced in a high gloss wooden box with velvet lining. For the Love of the Game “I want the chess lovers to sit in front of this chessboard. I want them to connect, with serenity, focus, and be free of judgement. You feel the tension without distraction. You feel all the different emotions over this board. And all the materials come from the Earth. They hold the energy of the Earth. The Basalt with that of the volcano eruptions. And Carrara’s historic connection with classical sculptures. I approach the form through materiality. The material itself communicates the form of the pieces. Chess teaches us life is a journey and creating quality time and valuable relationships. It is inter-generational: fathers playing with sons, mothers with their daughters, grandfathers with grandsons. They all meet together at this board.” said Elkassouf Only 100 sets will be crafted. For more information visit https://www.tarekelkassouf.com/all-products/chessboard

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