Advanced Search

The story appears on

Page A6-7

March 5, 2017

GET this page in PDF

Free for subscribers

View shopping cart

Related News

Home » Sunday » Home and Design

Creating objects that are rich in stories and layers

By Yang Di | March 5, 2017, Sunday | Print Edition

WHO is she?

PIA Wüstenberg is a Finnish/German designer living in London.

Her work focuses on bringing something new out in the old, reinterpreting shape and function in contemporary life. All her works are handmade by craftsmen, allowing for a freedom and flexibility that is not possible in mass production.

Her fascination is with creating objects that are rich in story and layers. As such her concern is equally for the lifespan of the product in the making as well as the lifespan of the product in use.

Her aims is to create objects that last, with an emotional durability build in through aesthetic, detail and the touch of the makers hand.

Tell us some of your works, and name the one you are most proud of.

My brand, Utopia & Utility, is based on an object I created in 2011, the Stacking Vessel. This is a functional sculpture. The object takes on the shape of a vase, but in fact it is a composition of three bowls, stacked to form the vessel shape.

When taken apart the individual parts can be used separately.

These vessels are handmade in Europe by individual craftsmen at small workshops. Some places are tucked away in the forest, with the wood turner working on his own. Others are old glass studios, rich in local tradition and craft with long running apprentice systems and a cultural heritage deeply rooted in its locality. Sometimes it’s a mother who is a part-time potter and will throw a set of bowls for a collection. Its varied, and a big part of the job is to find these makers and inspire them to work with us.

One of my other designs is a process, involving rolling and gluing waste paper into a tight roll. With various processes applied to this, the material can be made into jewelry, furniture, etc.

By cutting into the layers of paper lines, patterns appear, making it a visually pleasing and surprising exercise. This is one of the only designs we make in house, in our own workshop in North Germany.

Are you currently involved with any project?

I am currently working on weaving baskets, wool and feathers for a haute couture collection for our Milan exhibition: Delicacies, at Viale Maria Bianca 26, from April 4-10th. I am also working on a new project with branches and glass for this show.

A part of the project is working with wood components which can be taken apart and easily assembled again that allows me to connect these to glass. For these we are trying various joints and holding methods to allow us to create something visually interesting and sturdy.

Describe your design style?

Feminine, aesthetic, playful but pure. I am an entirely analogue designer, only working with hand drawings, samples and prototypes.

Where are you most creative?

When I get into a flow. But normally in transient places, such as planes and trains. I am also only creative on loose bits of paper, bound books scare me. I make drawings that capture the essence.

What does your home mean to you?

Everything. But I have three, so I am torn between them.

Stationery. Organic things like leaves and butterflies and stones. Obscure objects from foreign cultures. But mainly I try to collect less objects and more memories.

Where would you like to go most in Shanghai?

To the home of a real Shanghainese. I would love to see how you live, where you eat, what you use in everyday life.

What will be the next big design trend?

I see our needs moving towards more and more emotional objects. Things with stories, unique things.

Home and Design


 

Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.

沪公网安备 31010602000204号

Email this to your friend