Xtreme: Art Fetiche
Designing, creating, and installing the components for a customised man cave in Christchurch is the latest in a long line of awe-inspiring projects from local company Art Fetiche.
It’s a company that is anything but ordinary, working with people and organisations that want to stand out. Read on…
When Canterbury businessman Dean Graham wanted a customised man cave to house his special collection, he engaged Peter Bee the owner of Senna Developments to build it, and Chris Wheeler of Hierarchy Group to design the one-of-a-kind interior.
Needing someone to turn Dean’s ideas into reality, Chris called on Brent Brownlee and his team at Art Fetiche to make it happen. The end result is an impressive, totally unique, 420 square metre man cave in Lincoln. lnside are a large number of vintage, late model and electric motorcycles, 29 other vehicles he owns, and some interesting “memorabilia”.
The pictures tell a part of the story of Dean’s love for collecting – bikes, helmets, cars, planes, militaria, and even old skateboards. Proudly on display is a vintage Volkswagen Kombi van (converted into a DJ booth), along with a Humvee used by the United States Army during the Iraq war, and (outside) a Mil 34c Hermit light helicopter, once used by the Nigerian Air Force.
Pulling it all together are a raft of creative installations from Art Fetiche, many designed specifically for Dean’s man cave, a vision he called “madness” which has become a dream made real.
From custom-designed and welded metal insignia to rotating bike-holding brackets, a helmet wardrobe, hot rolled oiled metal walls, and New York Style Display cases with RGB lit glass floors, the creative team at Art Fetiche has designed and delivered a multitude of unique features for its latest project.
Art Fetiche thrives on working with people and organisations that want distinctive results. “Whether you are a new hospo outlet, looking to stand out from the masses, or you’re keen to install some iconic art in a large public space, we have the team and the gear to make it happen,” says co-owner Ben Lakin.
“Nothing gives us more satisfaction than building long term relationships. We like to go the journey with our clients, and that can start at the start. Are you looking for inspiration, or possibly conceptual advice, or practical understanding of applications and products? If so, we can help,” says Ben.
The company originally started creating signs, and still offers that service along with a myriad of other creative processes.
It’s work will be familiar to many, especially the numerous public and commercial projects to its credit. Projects such as design and fitout for the Joe’s Garage Brand, many hospitality outlets throughout New Zealand, numerous government, council, and iwi projects with Brent’s friend Fayne Robinson, a Ngai Tahu Master Carver.
“Of recent times, we’ve crafted the amazing designs decorating the concrete rail tunnels on SH1 near Kaikoura, we’ve lifted large scale artworks into public spaces, like Tūranga in Christchurch, and we continue to ensure every new Joe’s Garage looks the part, and stands out,” says Brent.
Victoria Square is an excellent example of its art installations, or in this instance Fayne Robinson’s carvings. In Wigram, Fush (a modern fish and chip shop) owes its striking digital backdrop and sculptural 3D elements to Art Fetiche, as do Knights Stream Park (metallic raupō), and the Christchurch bus interchange with dynamic designs sandblasted into the paving.
Art Fetiche has been building unique, bespoke products for 30 years. It has a variety of CNC operated machines, two lasers, two large routers, a high definition Plasma Cutter, large mobile Vapour Blast Unit, fine sand blasters, and recently a waterjet cutter. It operates from two factories next to each other, one for signage, and the detailed art installations, and the other for Steel Fabrication.
“We are set up to do the large creative projects that often take time, creativity and high skill levels,” Brent adds.
(Photography by Aaron Campbell)
