janka bertelsen creates carved kebony wood façade for her munich studio

janka bertelsen creates carved kebony wood façade for her munich studio

norwegian artist janka bertelsen has utilized the medium of wood to create a carved façade for her munich studio, with intricate detailing drawn from the natural shapes and rhythms of the material itself. bertelsen has adopted kebony wood for the exterior of the artistic wall, serving as a focal point for the entire structure. 

all images © moritz teichmann

through her art studio 3VERK, bertelsen encourages the renaissance of wood as a building material, specifically as an alternative to glass, steel and plastic-composites. in order for the material to become a truly viable option for art, design and construction purposes, an extremely durable and dimensionally stable wood is required. however, bertelsen did not want to use tropical timber or wood preservatives — instead she selected kebony for its environmental assets, alongside the unique silver-gray patina it forms over time.

‘I was searching for a wood that wasn’t environmentally damaging, and hadn’t been toxically treated,’ bertelsen said. ‘as I searched for a solution, I came across kebony. this wood has exactly the sustainable and aesthetic characteristics that I need, and it even comes from my home country of norway.’

on the studio façade, bertelsen has incorporated a prototype of one of her future projects: a life-size print of driftwood from vancouver island. the composition symbolizes the symbiosis between the intricacies of nature and human creativity. 

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