Laurenz Stockner forges, raises, and shapes his boxes and bowls from copper and steel in his workshop in Brixen, Italy. He reveals the full potential of these materials, showcasing striking forms, dynamic surfaces, and exceptional craftsmanship. Born in 1971, Laurenz is an award-winning artistic blacksmith who lives and works in Brixen. His training and early career as a metalworker (1986–96) were followed by studies at the Le Arti Orafe goldsmithing school in Florence (1996–98). After an internship with goldsmith Manfred Bischoff (1999) and a stint working as an artistic blacksmith with Robert Condin in Tramin (2001–03), he opened his own workshop in St. Andrä near Brixen in 2003. Laurenz obtained his master craftsman certification in artistic blacksmithing in 2012 and earned a Master of Science degree in Conceptual Heritage Conservation from Danube University Krems in 2018.

Laurenz is both a craftsman and an artist; his copper bowls perfectly embody the concept of a "single-source" creation. The Prettau copper—which Laurenz uses almost exclusively as the raw material for his bowls—is extracted as "cement copper" through a process involving not only human labor but also microorganisms, water, wood, and iron within the mine. Laurenz melts this cement copper down in a custom-built furnace to produce raw copper ingots, which he then hot-forges into sheets. In subsequent steps, he shapes the objects' basic forms using a forge fire and hammer before cold-forming the final shape with a forging press. It is a fascinating process yielding extraordinary results; every bowl is a unique piece. The gallery also displays containers and bowls by Laurenz made from steel tubing. In contrast to the copper bowls, these pieces utilize semi-finished products—materials that have already undergone initial processing—specifically steel tubes of varying diameters and wall thicknesses. The steel tubes are heated in the forge and then upset (compressed axially), giving the vessel its distinctive shape. The base, lid, and handle are precision-machined (turned and milled) and securely joined to the vessel body or lid using a shrink-fit technique. Laurenz’s work is held in both private and public collections, and he has received numerous awards, including the Bavarian State Prize (2007 and 2023) and the Grassi Prize from the Museum of Applied Arts in Leipzig (2009 and 2023). In 2018, he was a finalist for the prestigious Loewe Foundation Craft Prize.