METAL MEMORY TOYS

Floris Hovers creates amusing archetypes of motorized vehicles

by Marinus de Ruiter

The model cars created by Dutch designer Floris Hovers are instantly recognizable. With basic, factory made metal parts Hovers assembles what he calls ArcheToys, archetypes of familiar motorized vehicles. The young designer can create a three-dimensional impression of an ambulance, a fire truck or a double decker bus with few elements, but enough imagination to make anyone smile with surprise.

The ArcheToys stirred up hype with bloggers and design freaks on the web, who distributed images from Hovers’ website to friends and readers all over the world. With his love of 1950s and 1960s design Hovers is not at all interested in hypes and trends. According to him the appeal of his work comes from offering a fresh look at design principles from the past. ‘Memory is an important point of departure in my work’, says Hovers. ‘A lot of my designs have connections with objects and ideas from recent history. Sometimes they evoke memories of things that are almost forgotten. A lot of older people approached me and said these model cars reminded them of Dinky Toys, for example.’

Aspects of his toy design reappear in his core business, which is designing and creating furniture. Like the ArcheToys, his chairs, tables and cabinets are hand made out of industrial parts. The design of his furniture is clear and unadorned, like the look of his model cars. ‘I want people to have a good overview of the construction and the materials that I’ve used’, says Hovers. ‘My designs give answers to the questions that will always occupy people when they see an object: how is it made and why is it shaped like this?’

Hovers studied at the Design Academy Eindhoven and his final works from that period, a tin closet and a chair supported by a single rope, were exhibited at design fairs in Amsterdam, Milan and New York. Although Eindhoven is known for designers applying the latest technology, Hovers has a different approach. ‘Everything is possible with digital techniques like rapid prototyping, and it is tempting to use it’, says Hovers. ‘On the other hand this development challenges me to go back to simplicity. I like to surprise people and show them that similar goals can be reached in a more timeless, uncomplicated way.’

Hovers, who lives and works in Brabant in the south of the Netherlands, comes from a lineage of carpenters, builders and constructors that can be traced back to the 17th century. He currently works in the former factory of his father, where concrete parts and floors used to be manufactured. At his studio the drawing board stands close to the workbench. ‘I’m a hands on designer’, says Hovers. ‘Ideas usually come very quick and I’d like to execute them immediately’.

Hovers’ love of model cars comes from his extensive toy collection, which encompasses many scale models and tin cars from all eras. ‘It frustrated me that I wasn’t able to do something with my fondness of these objects, but now I’ve found a way’, he says. ‘If I see something that I like, I want to express that as a designer.