Often overshadowed by his contemporary Pablo Picasso, artist George Braque was instrumental in establishing the highly influential, early 20th-century art movement Cubism. Paying tribute to this unsung talent is the new eponymously named stereo system just released by Swedish brand Nocs and industrial designer Daniel Alm.
In Braque’s paintings, collages, and prints, the polymath set out to distill bucolic landscapes and rural village scenes as broken up and then re-assembled geometric compositions; decidedly abstract yet still slightly recognizable representations. Through this revolutionary approach, he examined how objects could be depicted from multiple perspectives—multiple sources of light—as if superimposed portrayals of the same setting rendered at different times of day.
This ever-refined exploration was not merely a refute of the established artistic conventions that had come before but a response to the ever speed-up advancement of technology defining the era; a mutation of Impressionism—that emerged when the camera replaced the need for realistic illustration or the attempt thereof. Cubism, itself, eventually transmuted into Purism: the ultimate paring-down of fundament, meticulously proportioned, form.
The new speaker comprises two seamlessly interconnected by slightly contrasted cubes. As a nod to Braque’s mastery of duality, the device is precision engineered in both plywood and steel, the base in the latter and the main cone encasement in the former. The stacked compositions might not reflect the perceivably erratic nature of Cubist configuration and much more the rationalism of say a Mies van der Rohe, but the intent is clear, if subtle.
It comes down to how both cubes and finishes. While the steel base is cut, welded, and brushed by hand—giving each limited-edition Braque system a bespoke patina—the plywood component—assembled in nearby Estonia—takes a more unified matte coating. Both elements are black but the bottom piece takes on many more simultaneous dimensions as it refracts the light coming in from all directions. This is where the connection to its namesake holds true.
It isn’t just aesthetic however. The speaker is unabashedly performative. “Braque is about space, physical and sonic,” says Alm. “By working with a larger enclosure and a coaxial driver, we were able to shape a sound that’s natural, open, and honest. It reveals what’s in the recording without adding anything of its own, which is the core of our Studio Sound approach.”
“Braque opens up new possibilities for us,” he adds. By the very nature of its essential, boxy form—but also weightiness—the device can be mounted on a stand or suspended. It can also be multiplied—not unlike an installation—as part of a larger installation.
To explore products specifications and shop the device, visit nocsdesign.com.
Photography provided by Daniel Alm.
