Design, Craftsmanship and Transformation

Giancarlo De Astis derives inspiration and artistic license from the millions of creative man-hours already embedded in the shapes of thousands of aged airplane components glimmering under the intense heat of the American Southwest-- all of them, waiting in the desert bone yards for their irrevocable melting.

Because Giancarlo believes they are works of art in and of themselves, he strives to perpetuate their existence and selects components from heaps of sliced and scraped parts that beam the brilliance of their engineered design.

In the studio, he refines his visualization of the transformation by choosing harmonizing designs and materials, then begins to handcraft. The functionally gentle beauty of the aircraft part is then transformed by integrating wood, glass, stone or metal in the tradition of the Classic arts.

During this inventive process, flaps, wings, canopies, turbines and other parts are reborn as distinct and functional furniture-- desks, tables, credenzas, cabinets, and lamps. Transformed, the airplane component then survives smelting with a renewed purpose.

The resulting alchemy is nationally recognized by the Smithsonian Institute's National Air & Space Museum and his work is the most extraordinary in functional aviation art-- without comparison.