From February 10-12, we presented part of the Vij5 collection at the leading design event OBJECT Rotterdam. During the expo we showed some previews of new products. In the coming period we will officially launch these new products, so not all of them can be found on our website yet. Would you like to get a taste of what you can expect? Then read on....
Photography: Vij5
About OBJECT Rotterdam
OBJECT is a special pop-up platform focusing on design labels, well-known designers and up-and-coming talents. It combines design, craft, fashion, architecture and art and is an unmissable event for people looking for inspiration for their interiors, design lovers and collectors. For us it is an ideal opportunity to present the Vij5 collection to real enthusiasts, in a beautiful setting.
The aesthetics of the HAKA building
Every year OBJECT takes place in an iconic building in Rotterdam or its surroundings. This year this was again the beautiful HAKA building, where our presentation was located on the second floor. A completely gutted architectural monument from the 1930s, the HAKA building always serves as a stunning backdrop for our collection.
Our approach during exhibitions
During every exhibition in which we participate, we find it important to be personally present and provide visitors with information. As publishers, we work from content: the product and the story behind it are our focus. We do not believe in smooth sales pitches, but Share like to share our honest enthusiasm about our products with you!
Color Explosion
In our presentation you could not ignore the color installation with special editions of the Alf wall hook. Especially for OBJECT Rotterdam we made the Alf in 11 bright colors which were shown in a grid of 99 wall hooks, presented as a kind of rainbow!
These special editions are a variation on the standard colors of the Alf, designed by Gustav Rosรฉn, which is normally only available in oak, brown & black. Later in the year we will decide which colors to include in the permanent collection. The remaining items of the installation are now available in our webshop, but be quick because OP = OP!
The colored linseed oil we use to color the Alfs is the beautiful Satin Wood Oil by Linolie & Pigment from Denmark. We are distributor in the Netherlands of this beautiful brand. You can order the oil at www.linolie.nl.
Previews
Especially for OBJECT, we also showed previews of three new products:
The 'OER service Eindhoven' by Lotte de Raadt and Kirstie van Noort is a tableware collection made of porcelain clay mixed with iron sludge (OER) that we source directly from the water production company in Eindhoven.
Iron sludge is a natural residue from the manufacturing process of our tap water. By mixing it with porcelain, this tableware takes on a light gray hue with small specks of a darker color.
Lotte and Kirstie investigate different applications of local and natural (residual) materials for, among other things, ceramic products. The material and products refer to one of the most important resources of this planet; water.
The OER dinnerware will be officially launched later this year, but you can pre-order now in our webshop.
The Foarme series by Idwert Petter consists of espresso and coffee/tea cups plus a matching tray. This series is made in a special way from colored porcelain, in a gradient of colors composed by Idwert himself.
A lot can go wrong while making porcelain. The mold can crack or come out of the kiln deformed. Therefore, a large part of the production often does not make it to be sold. With the Foarme series, Idwert wants to prevent this unnecessary waste by no longer thinking from a shape, but from the material.
What does this material need to stop being forced? Using form studies, she arrived at a double-walled series of porcelain, using lines of tension in the form. A strong form that always comes out of the kiln as intended. Thus, the porcelain's tolerance is never pushed too far, while the lines emphasize beauty.
With the Stainless Steel Mirror, Theodรณra Alfredsdottir transforms a stainless steel plate into something with a little more character, while adding or subtracting as little as possible from its original form. The design takes advantage of how easily these plates can be bent and manipulated and how different surface treatments change their appearance and function.
The functional sculptures were born from simple three-dimensional paper sketches, which were then translated into high gloss stainless steel mirrors. The mirror is laser cut and folded twice, then the brushed part is finished by hand.
New variants
In addition to the previews, a number of new variations of existing products from the Vij5 collection were on display.
The Tap Water Carafe from Lotte de Raadt is a water carafe designed to promote the use of tap water. Dutch tap water is top quality drinking water and it is 2,000 times cheaper than bottled water. More importantly, it requires no environmentally polluting plastic bottles or transportation.
Lotte's Design highlights the beauty of water, thereby encouraging more conscious use of this precious natural resource. The Tap Water Carafe is perhaps her most self-explanatory design, emerging from this theme. Lotte originally designed the carafe as her graduation work in 2010, but the theme is still relevant today. During OBJECT we presented the carafe for the first time in a glass version. This is now also available in our webshop!
Finally, we presented a new, ginger-yellow color for Alissa + Nienke's Pigments & Porcelain cups. Pigments & Porcelain is an investigation into the intermingling of colors in liquid porcelain, capturing the moment of creation in the final product. The pattern might be colorful or subtle, very smooth or strongly present; it always reveals the blending of the colored porcelain and the movements that have been made during the process.
Pigments & Porcelain is handmade in limited series. Because the color of the pigments is inside the clay itself (not in the glazing), the ceramics will maintain their color even after frequent use. For each series, we choose a new color combination together with Alissa + Nienke. All products are dishwasher safe.
The new ginger-yellow color is now available in our webshop!
Coming up
Would you like to meet us once and/or see the Vij5 collection in real life ? Then drop by our showroom in Eindhoven (open by appointment) or during the next exhibition we participate in: Dutch Design Week! This is scheduled for October 21-29, 2023.