MAUDE Studio began with a fascination for jellyfish, which developed into a love for iridescence, the underwater world, and all things shiny.
There are moments of inspiration that are sometimes so overwhelming that you don’t quite know what to do with yourself. This was the case at Melbourne aquarium years ago when I found myself standing in front of a floor to ceiling aquarium encasing a constant flow of delicate, translucent jellyfish.
These underwater creatures were silently and constantly gliding through the circular encasement which was dimly backlit, just enough to see the intricate details of their frilly edges and long trailing tentacles.
This visual experience laid the first foundation for the MAUDE Studio aesthetic and design culture. It began an obsessive intrigue into these free swimming marine animals which exist in a myriad of varied tranquil beauty.
When swimming in groups, they become blooms of majestic mass. Existing for over 700million years or more, they are the oldest multi-organ animal. Some jellyfish even have eyes which are suspended on stalks with heavy crystals on one end. In natural conditions, many jellyfish are so transparent that they are nearly invisible.
These unassuming creatures that pulsate for locomotion as they drift through the sea with their trail of delicate tentacles form the inspiration to create a brand which represents something uniquely special. The magical process of jellyfish reproduction is often controlled by light and means they are often mass propelled into the marine world at either dusk or dawn.
Constant admiration and research into the details of jellyfish is how I came across the first person to ever breed jellyfish in captivity. Living on an Island off the coast of Ireland is where Maude Delap observed and recorded, the first findings into Jellyfish and their tendencies. Maude Delap was a self taught marine biologist, collecting marine specimens. She made her own aquariums which housed sea creatures that she fed and bred. As the someone who held such a complete fascination with jellyfish felt like the perfect way to name the brand.
