For the 2022 edition of dieDAS works, we commissioned The Brush—also titled Veritas—a collaboration among Berlin-based designers at Studio B Severin; Drechslerei Arndt, a local, family-run wooden workshop from Mansfeld in Saxony-Anhalt; and Berlin’s Union Sozialer Einrichtungen, whose socially-focused, vocational rehabilitation brush and braid workshop welcomes makers of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds.
Studio B Severin's design was inspired both by an encounter with the work of Bürstenmacherei Steinbrück—a third-generation, Naumburg-based traditional brush maker—as well as their own extensive research into cleaning and its values in Japanese Buddhism, wherein day-to-day tasks become opportunities for mindfulness. Through this lens, dusting becomes much more than the removal of particles; rather, it is a mindful practice that brings us into intimate contact with our surroundings, creates awareness of the objects around us; reduces a desire for “more,” and helps us to connect to the places we call home. In this way, dusting can bring stillness amidst the hustle and bustle of daily life and anchor us in the moment.
The piece was produced by hand in a limited edition of 60. Composed of all-natural, monocolor materials—including 80mm horsehair and a beech handle—the duster brush’s design features a short, hand-turned handle that encourages a sense of connection to one’s tools and surroundings, framing cleaning as an intimate and ritualistic daily practice.
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