Beginnings
To reflect. To reinvent.
"In ancient hunter-gatherer times, our ancestors would often experience what was called the dry season. Rivers ran low, the earth was parched, and hunted animals were scarce. There was very little to do but sit and wait for it to pass. Everyone had to keep still.”
This stillness had an unexpected benefit—it gave them an opportunity to think. To reflect. To reinvent.
be. as it was originally named came from a place of stillness with full intention to move. Our idea then was to produce and sell our pottery in support for those in need during the beginnings of the pandemic, 2020. It began with simple teacups and bowl sets. Later adding small vases and homemade candles. Benjamin revisited the high mountains of Utah; choosing to spend this uncertain moment close to his family. Elise was in France; tucked in the comforts of the eastern countryside.
We felt very fortunate to have access to our craft and therefore were compelled to react . We were just two potters on different continents bound together by clay and hope in this world state of confusion. For us it was not only about the money raised but the time we spent on each piece. An offering that connected someone to someone else seeking help. Pottery in its origin was a tool to document history and in some ways exchange, even edify. Seemed fitting that in this historical moment pottery became our tool to leave a small mark. The idea that receiving pottery knowing something as small as a handmade cup could help another person was the synergy we wanted to create.
Realizing there was something here; we decided to expand to craftsmen around the world about donating works to the cause. An assembly of 20 or so artists agreed to contribute works to be sold; supporting those around the world in suppressed or otherwise difficult situations. Of course, there were economic factors to consider: costs of clay, production, shipping etc. It made the most sense that work sold a portion of that money would go back to the artists to cover the costs to make and the rest would go directly to organizations or trusted people in various communities that could delegate the funds. Artists support themselves from their hands; we didn’t want to take away from that rather give them the opportunity (most artists want) to help others and find a way to live or sustain their life from their work.
As craftsmen we have the pleasure of making and giving. This is the focus of what is now be.assembly! At our core is service. We want to create-offer direction, and contribute in telling another's story through space, objects and design. be.assembly is multi-faceted; representing various degrees and talents. We are designers, architects, craftsmen, and farmers that want to work in our fields-whilst finding ways to interact within other communities. We carry with us the responsibility to consciously create and be a source of relief.
