In October 2015, Dimitri Bähler has been invited for a residency at “Workspace at CERCCO”, the Experimentation and Research Center for Contemporary Ceramics of the Geneva University of Art and Design.
That period allowed him to pursue the research to start with “Patterns & Colors” initiated at EKWC, the European Center for Ceramic in 2013 in Den Bosch, the Netherlands.
There, he firstly developed a new technique for decorating a volume. Thanks to the elasticity of a latex textured foil (coming from a milled plastic sheet), a pattern transfer occurs from a surface to a volume. Shortly he could apply a bi-dimensional pattern onto a volume with a high degree of precision.
At the CERCCO, he went into that technique as far as possible, playing with and challenging the volumes, the textures, optimizing the production process and experimenting with various glazes and colors.
These pieces are a range of different volumes with soft and round shapes so that they have the function to be a support for receiving a pattern, a texture through the three different processes. At the same time, these shapes, apart from the vase, are castable thanks to a one piece mold. The result is the limit and the essence of what is achievable through these techniques.
The result is a collection of objects that plays with different variations of volumes, patterns, textures and colors, a kind of dictionary. Always close to an essential abstraction, these shapes can be used as pedestals, fruits bowls, vase, pencils / fruits holders,…
Together, they create a dialogue between functionality and non-functionality, minimalism and decoration, questioning the concept of usefulness in our homes.
Com. Pictures by © Raphaëlle Müller
Assistant: Priscille Tariel
VPT&C has won the GRAND PRIZE of the Interieur design award competition
Some pieces are available at VITRA Schaudepot shop, WALLPAPER STORE or on the webshop.
Dimitri Bähler is a Swiss designer who lives and works in Biel, Switzerland. He is a graduate of ECAL (2010) and the Design Academy Eindhoven, he opened his own studio in 2014. Bähler has been nominated twice for the Swiss Design Awards (2014 and 2015) and has undertaken a number of design residencies around the world, including at the EKWC (European Centre for Ceramics) in the Netherlands and at the Ishinomaki Laboratory in Japan. His work is directed by his own sensitivity to the power of objects, and can often appear spontaneous, yet is underpinned by vigorous research. From one-off pieces to industrially produced designs, Bähler enjoys bringing a sense of naivety and fearlessness to projects.
