Using the Power of Water, Athens Design Duo Astronauts Sculpt Furnishings of the Future

Photo: Christina Holmes

“It looks like the bones of a fish,” muses Danae Dasyra, examining a chair in progress at the Athens studio she shares with business partner Joe Bradford. The piece is one of several that the creative duo, who go by the name Astronauts, just debuted in Miami at Alcova, the experimental-design fair concurrent to Art Basel. “They’re all a bit water-themed,” she says of that mix, which included vases, a mobile sculpture, and more—all made using hydroforming, an industrial process wherein pressurized water inflates metal like a balloon.

The pair—who caught the design world’s attention last summer as finalists at Design Parade Hyères—first met while studying ​​at Bath Spa University in England. After graduation, they worked independently of each other (he for Tom Price in London and Mallorca, she for Bethan Laura Wood in London) before moving to her Greek hometown, eager to join forces and do their own thing. “It was this interesting kind of marriage—or collision,” Bradford explains of their yin and yang styles. Whereas she tended to work behind a computer, digitally manipulating designs, he took a hands-on approach. They chose the name Astronauts which, broken down to its Greek rudiments, translates to sailors of the stars.

Hydroforming, a technique often used to produce pipes for bicycles and automobiles, has allowed them to create unusual shapes. “Metal is such a rigid material,” Bradford reflects. “But with this process you can really start pushing the envelope.” The forms they created felt akin to the tricked-out cars that they’d noticed around Athens. Says Dasyra: “All of these workshops around us—the body shops, upholstery shops, paint shops—were inspirations.”

Thematically speaking, their work always comes back to water. “We’re both Pisces,” she reasons. Asked about their dream project, they don’t hesitate to say a public fountain in Greece. “Everybody can visit it, everyone can appreciate it,” Dasyra explains. “It would give back to the community.” madebyastronauts.com

This story appears in AD’s January issue. Never miss a story when you subscribe to AD.

Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest

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