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Transcript of Claydies Magazine
CLAYDIESREVEALS IT ALL!
FOOD
DRINKS
FASHION
INTERIOR DESIGN
ARTICLE
HEAVY HAIRSTYLES!
CERAMICS AND CINNAMON
Filtered COFFEE beats them all!
CROSSWORDS SPECIAL
DISCOVER True feelings
A REVIEW ON CONTEMPORARY
CERAMICS
LIVING ROOM MAKEOVER
THE GRASS IS GREEN
6
WWW.CLAYDIES.DK
2
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Claydies Magasin Annoncer.indd 2 05/04/11 14.50
1
FEATURECLAYDIES 2011
CLAY is a fine-grained earthy material that is plastic when wet and hardens when dried and fired. Clay is widely used in the production of bricks, tiles and pottery. It is one of the oldest materials used for design and it can be processed in big computerized production machines or shaped with your own bare hands.
LADY is a polite term for a woman. The word is often interpreted as an elegant woman with a distinct sense of beauty and glamour.
CLAYDIES is a duo of ladies working with clay. FEATURE3/ A childhood dream
came true
14/ Focus on Claydies by art historian Rikke Helverskov Dahl
34/ Grass is growing – See the process behind the
product
LIVING10/ True feelings,
set your table with a personal fingerprint
18/ Living room makeover, Renew with
contemporary design
BEAUTY9/ Follow ten dogmas and
discover True feelings
FOOD20/ The Blueclay bakery
Appreciations to:
Danish Crafts, Denmarks Nationalbank’s
Anniversary Foundation of 1968,
Kähler Design,
Royal Copenhagen
Photos: morganmorell,
Anne Mie Drevers (Story behind Grass)
Retouch: Werkstette (fashion pages)
Words: Claydies and Rikke Helverskov
Graphics: Line at Smoke & Mirrors Studio
Cover and back: Photo-illustration
from the exhibition “True feelings”
at liljevalchs Konsthall in Stockholm,
Sweden 2007
www.claydies.dk, 2011
DEAR READER
CONTENTS
9
34
18
6
20
10
4
12
32
28
CONTENTSFASHION4/ Hairstyle Fashion – Claydies and Gentlemen
HEALTH26/ A Coffee Story
THRILLER12/ A Ceramist’s Worst Nightmare
TRAVEL32/ Travel – Get On The Train
PROBLEM PAGES28/ Letter Pages – Ask Inet and Keran
37/ Claydies Crosswords
37
2
3
FEATURECLAYDIES 2011
A lready in their early years, Tine and Karen were interested in working with
clay. Since these pictures were taken, the two girls have shaped and designed a variety of items for everyday use. 6
Tine Broksø, Born in Holbæk 1971. Education: 1995-2000, The Danish Design School, Copenhagen.
Karen Kjældgård-Larsen, Born in Copenhagen 1974. Education: 1995-2000, The Danish Design School, Copenhagen.
Tine is working on a plate. Vester Sottrup 1981.
Karen is throwing a pot on the wheel. Nørrebro, Copenhagen
1984.
ACAME TRUE!
CHILDHOODDREAM
FEATURECLAYDIES 2011
4
Latest fashion in ceramics! – try on one of these perky hairstyles. Each bowl is hand-modelled in high-fired stoneware and covered with thick coloured glaze. They are all unique pieces that can help you express your individuality.
CUTTHE
CLAY!
Hairstyle bowl “Billy” / Presented at the High Museum of Art, Atlanta, USA. 2010.
5
FASHIONCLAYDIES 2011
Hairstyle bowl “Sally” / Presented at the High Museum of Art, Atlanta, USA. 2010.
6
INDHOLD
Hairstyle bowl “John” / Presented at the High Museum of Art, Atlanta, USA. 2010.
7Hairstyle bowl “Liza” / Presented at the High Museum of Art, Atlanta, USA. 2010.
FASHIONCLAYDIES 2011
8
INDHOLD
True Feelings at Liljevalchs Konsthall in Stockholm, Sweden, 2007.
9
BEAUTYCLAYDIES 2011
This is an experiment.The production of the ceramic objects will take place from
January 2007.
We swear to comply with the following set of rules, referred to as Dogma07:
1. Each object must be made out of clay. Only one sort of clay is allowed.
2. Each object must be shaped with hands or body only. No tools are allowed.
3. While in the process of creating the objects, the ceramic artist is to be blindfolded. The blindfold must not be removed until each item is
declared finished.
4. No adaptation of objects still unfired is allowed.
5. While in the process of creating, the ceramic artist is not allowed to discuss her work with others.
6. All creations must be functional for everyday use in manageable sizes.
7. After firing, all articles must be fully glazed – if possible.
8. Only blue glaze is acceptable.
9. No decoration is allowed.
10. Each object must be inscribed Dogma07.
As ceramic artists we furthermore swear not to be influenced by fashion or personal taste. We promise to respect all the Dogma-rules with no consideration for our personal ambitions or artistic vanity. In the process of creating these objects we are no longer reflecting
designers – we are merely hands at work.
CLAYDIES
and discover
Dogma07 – exhibited at the Biennale of crafts and Design, Trapholt, Denmark, 2007.
CERAMIC MANIFESTO – DOGMA07
FOLLOW TEN DOGMAS
TRUE FEELINGS
10
ROMANTIC!
RAWAND
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LIVINGCLAYDIES 2011
Beautiful, unrefined and delicate.
The TRUE FEELINGS porcelain service sets the
perfect stage for a romantic afternoon tea with
your special someone.
Set the table with delicately hand-shaped cups and
plates; decorate with rosy buttercups, pale or pinkish
fruits, white chocolate, sweets and candles
to create an atmosphere that simply oozes
passion and cotton candy.
Hand-modelled porcelain service produced by Claydies. Part of Crafts Collection cc15.
12
A CERAMICIST’S WORST NIGHTMARE
In many ways, working with ceramics is a tough and fright-ening experience. The clay must endure being punched and pounded, cut through, rolled, wrenched, dried, fired
and submerged into toxic substances only to be fired again. In addition, the ceramicist exposes herself to chromium and bari-
um carbonate and to a dreaded incurable lung disease caused by specks of dust. Not to mention all the sufferings related to the disappointment when opening a kiln where everything is com-pletely ruined. It is unbearable to watch pieces fracture, crackle, collapse or melt ... A ceramicist’s worst nightmare!
Prejudice weighs heavily when it comes
to ceramics. They can be absolutely
appalling and dreadful ... But can they
also be ghastly and frightening?
HORROR
13
The exhibition Chamber of horrors at Malmö Art Museum 2005.
THRILLERCLAYDIES 2011
14
With The Murder of 12 Identically Shaped
Pots, which this performative shoot out was
a spin-off of, when it was shown at Malmö
Art Museum under the name of Chamber
of Horrors in 2005, Tine Broksø and Kar-
en Kjældgård-Larsen, the ceramists behind
Claydies, do in fact open up for what actually
could be described as art’s most distinctive
quality. That is, the ability to ask open and
inclusive questions, honestly and unfiltered,
that rather than giving possible answers forc-
es new thoughts and reflection forward. As is
often the case, the duo operates in a strong
contradictory, humorously associative and
opinion-forming universe. A universe span-
ning from the mundane to the reflective. On
the one hand as witnesses to the murder of
these 12 identical pots, we are given a glimpse
of the creative process and the feeling of clay
in the hands of the ceramists. How they
brutally cut into it, bash and hit it. On the
other hand we are, as spectators of this per-
formative action, naturally also bombarded
with connotative and significant expressions,
which reach beyond the work and form itself.
Should we, for example, take into consider-
ation this field’s polished image and how this
little shooting séance could mean the death
of an era in the history of crafts? Or as Clay-
dies obviously compromise the many stereo-
types associated with this profession and ask
the question: We know that ceramics can be
awful but can it be downright scary?
In their, humorous, ambiguous but above
all, conceptual universe, Claydies play with
the idea of the general characteristics of the
crafts, as well as with the design and stylistic
traditions historically attached to this field.
On one hand, we are invited into the craft
world’s private room, behind the scenes of
the ceramic process. At the same time, we are
apparently the audience for a piece of absurd
theatre, or maybe more aptly in this context –
witnesses to a crime, which seen in relation to
craft’s traditional aesthetic focal point, shows
a surprisingly ugly, raw and unrefined face.
With that said, it does not mean that the aes-
thetic quality of the work becomes second-
ary, at the expense of the conceptual. The
exact opposite. It is more like that by virtue
of their work’s ability to open the viewers’
eyes to other contexts; the duo rediscovers a
new aesthetic through a particularly mean-
ingful form of expression. Or maybe, more
accurately, the duo is on a kind of voyage of
discovery through ceramic history, in search
of a reopening between form and idea, which
will to the same degree allow meaning to
come from the outside just as much as from
CLAYDIES – A NEW ERA FOR THE CRAFTS?
“A universe spanning from the
mundane to the reflective.”
I f you had popped by the basement of 10 Haderslevgade in
Vesterbro, Copenhagen in 2006 and witnessed the Ceramic
duo Claydies – armed with loaded shotguns – practically
shooting pots and jugs to create a ceramic collection battered with
bullet holes, you would have undeniably left again feeling rather
intrigued and amazed. It none the less gives one food for thought
and acts as a great retort to those who might be of the opinion that
in the very distinction between art and crafts, lays an implicit
distinction between the work’s greater or lesser ability to bring new
and more transcendental meanings into play.
BY ARTHISTORIAN RIKKE HELVERSKOV DAHL TRANSLATED BY HELEN CLARA HEMSLEY
Shooting in the workshop on vesterbro.
15
FEATURECLAYDIES 2011
the inside. Essentially, all their pieces seem
to share the unique quality that the context
they evolve out of is not only paramount to
our experience and understanding of it, but
instead can compliment a range of essential
qualities within the ceramic form as such.
This is clearly illustrated in the work True
Feelings – created while blindfolded and
according to a carefully thought-out list of
dogma rules, but at the same time steered
by the ceramists’ random and instinctive ac-
tions. As beautiful and tactile as they are, they
also seem to be making a critical comment
on the tradition for cleansing ceramic objects
of the very quality of the handmade. We are
in Claydies’ hands and are as far away as we
can get from the self-reliant ceramic work’s
viewer-independent domain.
Just as the motifs in The Chamber of Hor-
rors and True Feelings playfully invite the
outside, inside in their crafting process, it is
important to point out the special quality il-
lustrated in Grass. The grass vase was con-
ceived and created for the exhibition Dansk (Danish) at Danish Design Centre in 2004
and has ended up becoming a bit of a Clay-
dies classic. Also here, it is implicit to talk
about a confrontation with a part of the
identity and motif world, which the ceramic
craft and especially porcelain manufactur-
ers have revolved around for centuries: The
noble and refined nature of the stylised floral
decoration. Loyal to their other work, Clay-
dies interfere with this motif tradition and fo-
cus on the normal and the ‘neglected’ rather
than in the rare and exalted. Specifically,
with the grass that of course bears a certain
meaning in a Danish context and which the
exhibition Dansk’s aim was naturally to ac-
centuate, represents the part of nature that
doesn’t actually do anything special. In other
words, it represents everything that in real-
ity is ordinary or unpretentious and for those
very reasons are of interest to Claydies and
their overall project: To turn the expectations
we have regarding the aesthetic principals of
ceramic design completely upside down.
These little, neat, green tufts of grass are
designed in such a direct, unequivocal and
honest way that they literally articulate
everything that is concretely devoid of the
flower – an ironic reflection on the vase’s
actual function.
Like the originality of using a shotgun to dec-
orate some pots, this pulls the duo’s ceramic
pieces into an artistic and reflective space of
content creation, as well as into an aesthetic,
designed and functional consumer culture.
More than anything, the uniqueness of these
‘functional grass patches’ lies in the choice
and investigation of the idea, which encapsu-
lates the conceptual-
ism that runs, like a
red thread, through
the work of these
two ceramists. Re-
garding conceptual
art, Sol Le Witt once
said: “In conceptual art the idea or concept is the most important aspect of the work. When an artist uses a conceptual form of art, it means that all of the planning and decisions are made be-forehand and the exe-cution is a perfunctory affair.” It is perhaps
a bit misleading when dealing with these
ceramic pieces to talk about ‘execution’ as
a mere ‘perfunctory affair.’ Sol LeWitt’s ob-
servation was, after all made in reference to
an especially minimalistic and installation
related field of work. It is never the less in-
teresting that the carefully formulated dog-
ma rules from which Claydies created True
Feelings, more or less fits this definition of
conceptualism.
Conceptual art or not, it is crucial that Clay-
dies, through their own conceptual practice,
are able to shift the work from the aesthetical-
ly narrow, exclusively self-referential field of
meaning to the extended gaze of the specta-
tor. It is pretty certain that the viewer could be
inclined to smile about this original interpre-
tation of the grass vase’s every day motif. But
at the same time, through a rich, referential
and entertaining register of meaningful ele-
ments, the viewer will also be invited to enter
into a dialogue with all that this vase para-
phrases in relation to craft tradition. We meet
a world that in relation to art’s most distinctive
quality presents an unfiltered approach to the
presence of the idea, reflection and interpre-
tation in the work. It could be, that in the case
of Grass, it is the tools that lead us to mak-
ing associations regarding the object’s actual
function. There are elements that make us ask
questions about the legitimacy of a particular
mode of expression. Not to mention the ele-
ments, which open up for a range of nearly
unlimited considerations regarding a new
type of every day art (I naturally mean this
in the best possible way). Art, where the para-
phrased motif plays a vital role in the work’s
ability to appear welcoming to the viewer and
where the idea emerges as the fundamental
prerequisite for the final form.
We are so used to (and so bored by) the rhe-
torical question: What is art? But are we ac-
tually prepared for the rhetoric in: What is
craft? It may at any rate look like Claydies
are attempting to do just this with their most
noteworthy and acclaimed work, Claydies
and Gentleman. As the girls illustrate, a
bowl can actually also be a hat or a wig.
The so-called hairstyle inspired bowls were
first shown at Gallery Nørby in 2003 and
Designing with blindfolds.
“As beautiful and tactile as they
are, they also seem to be making a
critical comment on the tradition
for cleansing ceramic objects of the
very quality of the handmade.”
16
FEATURE
incorporated everything I have described
up to now and even more. Firstly, these
works emerge from a conceptual framework,
which in this case literally carries the design
forward. Placing an ironic distance between
this discipline’s flawless image, this series of
bowls that are meaningful as ceramic objects
in their own essence, as well as acting as a
type of catalyst for the unfolding of a specific
interdisciplinary discourse – naturally in con-
nection with a hairdresser who sets hair. But,
it seems that the purpose behind this form of
craft ideology goes even a step further within
its frame of interpretation, in this case with
its reference to hairdressing, which directly
unfolds and virtually becomes one with the
ceramic work’s actual intention. This can be
seen in the way in which Tine Broksø and
Karen Kjældgård-Larsen presented these
ceramic hair pieces in the most literal way
– on a catwalk accompanied by loud music.
In keeping with Grass, Chamber of Hor-
rors and True Feelings, the girls don’t just
give way to a whole new aesthetic based on
a viewer dependent context. Instead, they
equate the context with the work itself, which
of course allows for completely different and
perhaps transgressive questions: Can ceram-
ics be downright fashionable, maybe even
sexy? We are thus left with an especially
eye-opening series, which instead of finding
beauty in the realm of beauty itself finds its
qualities in the connotations that these bowls
actually imitate. A hairstyle as form, style,
and personal attitude.
It is interesting that the catwalk performance
isn’t just a spin off of a traditional ceramic
design process but that the bowls were in
fact modelled and created on lifelike plas-
ter mannequin heads. Claydies hereby step
out of the ceramist role and into the role of
hairdresser and are able to express the pro-
cess of craft’s essential premise: The con-
stantly elastic relationship between material
and the working of it. Within a conceptual
context, they open up to the fact that form
is never just form, but always contains some-
thing, which is more or less referential – a
narrative or a comment, so to speak. Com-
prehensively, this contributes to making the
bowls just as meaningful from the inside as
from the outside. Actually, it seems that as
the viewer you suddenly are able to expe-
rience something through the bowl, which
you wouldn’t expect to get from a hairstyle
and vice versa.
This conceptual interplay between two dif-
ferent, although associatively alike form
giving practices, is also present in Blue-
clay from 2008. A series of dough bowls
where different dyed slips have been swirled
together, wet on wet, to create a marble-
like decoration, which more than anything
reminds us of the patterns created when a
baker mixes ingredients in a bowl. As with
the hairstyle bowls, the duo links quali-
ties and phenomena from one trade with
another, which is why these dough bowls’
abstract formations are representative of
the concept and the ideas flowing into each
other, just as with the materials. The result is
not only organically interwoven and rhyth-
mic but also has a touch of the psychedelic
like the decorations one finds in the techno/
trance culture. So it probably does not come
as a surprise that Claydies introduced this
decoration principle on record players as
rotating LP-like models accompanied by
flickering strobe lights. As the project title,
Tradition in Trance indicates, it was an
obvious attempt to show the craft tradition
going round in a trance. It is as if they were
freed of their ascription as usable objects as
well as all the connotations associated with
ceramic work in general. In line with Clay-
dies’ other work, this project will make you
smile about the immediacy of their message
and in many ways sums up Claydies’ artistic
approach:
To express a particular vision of ceramic art-
work where the object, above all must have
an origin that goes beyond the apparent func-
tion. In other words, to move boundaries for
the discipline’s ability to reach out from its
own objects and into a contextual and diverse
universe of interpretation, which essentially
must pertain to the viewer. 6
“Within a conceptual context,
they open up to the fact that form
is never just form, but always
contains something, which is more
or less referential.”
Claydies on the cat walk
“We are so used to
(and so bored by) the rhetorical
question: What is art? But are
we actually prepared for the
rhetoric in: What is craft?”
17
FEATURECLAYDIES 2011
Østerbrogade 70 ! 2100 København Ø ! Denmark ! Tel: +45 35 55 44 59normann-copenhagen.com ! shop.normann-copenhagen.com
GRASSName: Grass Vase
Design: Claydies Material: Stoneware
Size: 11 cm, 12,5 cm, 15,5 cmPrice DKK: 250 kr, 350 kr, 450 kr
Price EUR: 35 €, 45 €, 60 €
Claydies Magasin Annoncer.indd 1 05/04/11 14.49
BEFORE1 Vintage plaques 2 Old handpainted vase3 Cushion with embroidery4 Moroccan pouffe5 Oriental rug6 Homemade pillow
1
2
3
4
5
6
Tradition & RENEWAL
18
1
2
3
4
5
AFTER1 Unique plaques by Claydies2 Vase by Claydies and Normann Copenhagen3 Patchwork cushion by Claydies4 Puff and cushion5 Wollen rug by Claydies and Normann Copenhagen
Exambles of product design by claydies from 2004 to 2011.
19
LIVINGCLAYDIES 2011
20
21
BLUECLAY
FOODCLAYDIES 2011
22
The Blueclay bowls come in three sizes and four colours, and have been produced by Normann Copenhagen, 2008- 2010.
1 4
2 5
3 6
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FOODCLAYDIES 2011
Reinvent old traditions. Make your own home-baked buns in this redesign of an ancient earthenware dish. Blueclay is thrown on a potter’s wheel and decorated by hand with engobe, using a special Claydies technique in which the colours are mixed to create a marble-like decoration.
CINNAMON BUNS25 grams of yeast
100 grams of butter
half a liter of milk
one egg
half a teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of cardamom
half a dl of sugar
750 grams of wheat flour
FILLING150 grams of soft butter
100 grams of sugar
2 tablespoons of cinnamon
DIRECTIONS6 Mix milk and yeast in a Blueclay bowl.
6 Add egg and melted butter.
6 Add sugar, salt and cardamom and mix in the flour.
6 Knead the dough thoroughly until smooth and elastic.
6 Let it raise in a warm place until it has doubled its size.
WHILE THE DOUGH RAISES6 Mix the soft butter with cinnamon and sugar into a
spreadable paste.
WHEN THE DOUGH HAS DOUBLED ITS SIZE6 Place it on a lightly floured surface and roll into a
rectangle.
6 Spread the cinnamon paste evenly on the dough.
6 Starting at one end, tightly roll up the dough.
6 With a serrated knife, cut into slices approximately 2 cm thick.
6 Place the snail-like slices on a prepared baking tray.
6 Let the buns rest until they have doubled their size.
WHILE THE BUNS REST6 Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C.
6 Whip the egg lightly and brush the buns with the eggmix.
6 Bake them in the preheated oven for 25 – 30 minutes, until golden.
6 Let them cool and serve on your matching Blueclay plates.
Serve with tea or coffee in your Blueclay cups.
BLUECLAY
24
INDHOLD
COMBINE AS YOU LIKE Since
1775
www.royalcopenhagen.com The Blue fluted mega decoration is designed by Karen Kjældgård-Larsen (one of the two Claydies), 2000-present.
25
FEATURECLAYDIES 2011
COMBINE AS YOU LIKE Since
1775
www.royalcopenhagen.com
26
According to new American studies, coffee can be an actual health-booster, reducing the risk of Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, kidney stone and variuos types of cancer. But in
order to really benefit from the positive side-effects of this energizing drink, you should lay your hands on the new, innovative Claydies two-in-one coffee percolator.
Espresso and press coffee contain the fats cafestol and kahweol, which increase your level of cholesterol as well as the risk of cardiovascular disease. Percolated (filtered) coffeee, on the other hand, will not only enhance the rich taste of the beans, it will also capture the unwelcome fats in the filter.
So, find your filters at the back of your cupboard, limit your intake to three to five cups a day – and enjoy your coffee the cool way!
Source: POLITIKEN
HOT COFFEE THE COOL WAY!
FORGET INSTANT AND PRESS FILTER COFFEE
IS BY FAR THE HEALTHIEST!
Coffeepot prototype and cups/plates with hand-painted decorations.
Designed by Claydies 2010/2011.
HEALTHCLAYDIES 2011
27
28
LETTER PAGES
Puzzled by something? Feel free to contact Inet and Keran with your questions
regarding art and design
I have these three jugs. They look really odd and they don’t seem to be very useful or practical. Do you think they might be valuable? Do you have any idea why they look so silly? Love LydiaDear Lydia, You are looking at a one-off project by the ceramic duo Claydies. These three jugs are made by the artists themselves, and have never been shown in public.They are the result of an experimental project, in which the duo made each jug jointly, but with no knowledge of each other’s design. One has made the foot, the other the lower part with handle etc ... ending with the lid.If we are to put a value to the three jugs as one complete work, our estimate would be around 25.000 DKr. Kind regards, Inet and Keran
I found these abnormal beer bottles in a recycling depot. They are almost identical to the archetypical Danish beer bottle; however the dimension of the bottleneck seems somewhat enlarged. I have found that it has just the right size for holding a candle! Is this the real purpose? Or do you have any suggestions on what they are really for? I suppose I can get my 2 kroner deposit on these bottles ... would that be wise? Bobby
Dear BobbyIf you return the bottles to us, we are willing to pay you quite a lot more than the deposit on a regular beer bottle. It looks like you have a whole six-pack. And yes – they are candleholders, as you yourself suggest. They are unique prototypes made by Claydies, and have never been put into production. Quite a treasure you found there!Kind regards, Inet and Keran
I came across this picture in some old clippings. Can you tell me who made this quirky bike helmet? The housewife.Dear housewife, The bike helmet was made by the ceramic duo Claydies. They made it in 2005 as an exhibition project for the Biennale of Arts and Design in Denmark. You can see other helmets from the same project on their web site www.claydies.com.Kind regards, Inet and Keran
WEIRD JUGS
ABNORMAL BEER BOTTLES
QUIRKY BIKE HELMET
6
29
PROBLEM PAGESCLAYDIES 2011
I found this strange brush in my aunt’s attic. I was wondering if it was a one off from a brush factory; a mistake of some kind. Or perhaps it served a special purpose in the good old days? I quite like it, but should I use it? Regards,HenryDear Henry Please do not use the brush for ordinary brush purposes! You are the lucky owner of a unique piece of art. The brush is made at a blind peoples’ workshop. But the work was initiated by Claydies and the Danish design group RÅ around year 2000. The piece originates from an exhibition by RÅ at the Museum of Arts and Crafts called: Totem, En udstilling om hverdagen.Kind regards, Inet and Keran
Can you say anything about this bed spread? I found it in a second hand shop in New York. GregDear Greg , Put your bed spread on your lawn and go to the top window of your house to have a look at it. Now you will see the motive of a sky with clouds appearing. And you are quite right: it is a bed spread and it was designed by Claydies around 2008-2009. As far as we know it is a patchwork quilt made solely with white and blue squares of fabric, and we also believe your bed spread is the only one ever made, so take good care of it!Kind regards, Inet and Keran
I am a true Claydies fan and I have once heard that they made some towels that are just like dresses. Sounds awesome, I think. Is it true? Do you know anything about this? A fanDear Claydies fan We have asked around and can confirm that Claydies really did make towels at one point. We have found a picture of them wearing the towels in their old workshop at Vesterbro in Copenhagen. The picture is from September 2004.The towels are made of towel cloth and are sewn with a smock technique that adds shape and character to the cloth. There is a lady-like version that resembles a dress when worn, and a more masculine version that looks like a king’s cape.Unfortunately, these are not yet put into production and therefore cannot be acquired anywhere.Kind regards, Inet and Keran
DRESS’NDRY
PONYTALE
PIXELATED SKY
Stitched CoffeepotI once saw this jug in a shop window on the outskirts of Vesterbro in Copenhagen, and I utterly regret that I didn’t buy it. Please, can you tell me where I can get my hands on one? Best wishes, BettyDear Betty , I have checked your request and we are sorry to say that it is no longer purchasable. The jug was made by Claydies and it was exhibited for the first time at the New Nordic exhibition at Gallery Nørby in Copenhagen in 2001. It is part of the series: Claydies Kitchenwear. The duo made a few jugs and at that time they were sold for 1800 DKr. If you’re lucky, you might find it at an auction or so. We wish you luck!Kind regards, Inet and Keran
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PROBLEM PAGES
I am very puzzled about a certain object that I saw a few years ago in a Gallery window in Norway. It really piqued my curiosity. Can you tell me more about the object and the context it should be seen in? Yours sincerely, Mrs. HorraceDear Mrs. Horrace, The object you are referring to originates from an exhibition in Stavanger, Norway in July 2008 called: Tradition in Trance. The artists behind are the Danish ceramicists Claydies. At this exhibition they were working with old ceramic methods and they used local clay dug out of Danish soil. We were told that they later used this exhibition as a source of inspiration when they developed their popular Blueclay dishes.Hopefully, you will find our answer satisfying. Kind regards, Inet and Keran
What is this? It was swimming in a pond in my neighbourhood. I posted it on the local library’s notice board but nobody has claimed ownership. I have cleaned it up and it looks quite dashing. Hope you can enlighten me. Best wishes, BrendaDear Brenda, The object, as you describe it, is a unique Water Lily Cup designed by Claydies. The water lily cup has a keel and actually floats on water like a real water lily. It is from the autumn exhibition at Charlottenborg in 2001. An exhibition called: ”Langtbortistan” made with the exhibition group RÅ (you can learn more about RÅ somewhere else on these pages). The last time we checked, they cost around 1800 DKr. apiece. Today, however, their price has most certainly gone up. Kind regards, Inet and Keran
I am what you might call “gambling-mad” and I have heard a rumour that the ceramic duo Claydies have made some tablecloths decorated with board games.Can that be true? Best regards, TrudyDear Trudy, We are happy to tell you that you are right. In 2005, Claydies designed several tablecloths decorated with board games. One was called Halma, another one Nine Men’s Morris. We found a picture of a colourful one with a Ludo game. Unfortunately, We cannot tell you if the tablecloths have ever been put into production. But it would certainly be a good idea to do so! Kind regards, Inet and Keran
I just bought a new apartment and these hooks hung on the kitchen wall when I moved in. Do you know what they are? The curious girlDear curious girl, The hooks on your wall are art pieces by Claydies, the two Danish ceramicists who work with conceptual arts and crafts. The hook is made from a special cone that ceramicists use when firing their kilns. The cone is straight when it is put into the kiln and melts when the kiln reaches the right temperature. This cone melts at 1280° Celsius. They don’t make the hooks anymore, and we don’t think many were made. So, you can either keep it or sell it. My guess is that many would be interested in buying it. – We know we would! Kind regards, Inet and Keran
FLOATING CUP
PSYCHEDELIC RECORD PLAYER
TABLE CLOTH FOR THE GAMBLING-MAD
IS IT ME, OR DOES THIS LOOK LIKE ..?
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PROBLEM PAGESCLAYDIES 2011
My name is Lambard and I am 10 years old. My grandmother has a picture of an old crown in her living room. I have a project at school about royal symbols. Can you explain what this crown signifies? LambardDear Lambard, Your school project sounds very interesting, but we are afraid that our answer may not be of much help to you. And yet . . . the crown in your grandmother’s picture is a sludge crown made by the Danish design duo called Claydies. As far as we know, the crown itself is made of stoneware and then covered with sludge from under the sink in their workshop, before fired in the kiln. They use the crown symbol to underline the value of the sludge. Sludge is the word we use for the remains of a ceramic production and it is normally thrown away. But when used as decoration on a ceramic piece, the sludge acquires a whole new value. Kind regards, Inet and Keran
What is this? Found it on the web and want to buy. How much? Liam the lion.Hello Liam the Lion, You are looking at some spin-offs from an art project by the ceramic duo Claydies: A project called: Chamber of Horrors, which was exhibited at Malmö Art Museum in Sweden. We believe you can buy them directly from Claydies. You can find their contact information on www.claydies.com. Kind regards, Inet and Keran
I am a keen collector of Blue fluted MEGA and I once heard a rumour that Karen, (from Claydies) who designed The MEGA decoration, wrote a letter to the Royal Porcelain Factory when she was only a small child and suggested that they put the MEGA decoration into production. Is that true? UrsulaDear Ursula, We have heard many rumours concerning Karen Kjældgård-Larsen’s Blue fluted MEGA, but we have never stumbled upon the rumour you suggest here. Nevertheless, we found out that she actually did write the old factory a letter when she was only a child. You can see a photo of the letter here. Her proposal was to make stationery decorated with the original Blue fluted pattern. Her love for the Blue fluted decoration is certainly deep-rooted! Kind regards, Inet and Keran
KILLINGS
LOVE LETTER
THE SLUDGE CROWN
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TRAVELMake your train trip an unforgettable experience as you dine in style with the Claydies designed disposable parts for the various foods served on a train. To put you in a genuine picnic mood, the decoration imitates the traditional check tablecloth. And once you’ve finished eating, you can wrap your leftovers in the plate and take them with you.
BON APPÉTIT!
Claydies testing traditional table settings on the train.
TRAVELCLAYDIES 2011
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EATING ON THE TRAIN disposable tableware for the journey.
Design ideas for DSB (the Danish Railways) Initiated
by the Danish Arts Foundation in 2004.
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FEATURE
THE STORY BEHIND GRASS
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FEATURECLAYDIES 2011
The next time you go for a wander along the roadside and feel delighted by all the little flowers in
your path – bring them home!
Claydies have designed the perfect abode for the humble roadside bloom. A vase called Grass. Made from simple components (slaps, clay pipes and rolled clay), the vase imitates a small tuft of grass and encircles a single flower naturally.
Watch the process of Grass-making in the Claydies workshop.
Grass is designed by Claydies and has been produced
by Normann Copenhagen since 2007.
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INDHOLD detalje.com
PRIMADONNA DKK. 999,- DESIGN CLAYDIES WWW.KAHLERDESIGN.COM
With , cements its century-long tradition for art ceramics.
Behind the new objects stand the ceramicists and
, or , who have created some of the most acclaimed designs on the contemporary Danish ceramics scene.
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PROBLEM PAGESCLAYDIES 2011
CLAYDIES CROSSWORDS
CONNECT THE LETTERS 1 - 23 TO LEARN WHAT CLAYDIES IS ALL ABOUT.Browse the magazine for help or visit www.claydies.com
CLAYDIES
FOODFASHION
INTERIOR DESIGN
ARTICLE
HEAVY HAIRSTYLES!
THE GRASS IS GREEN
CERAMICS AND CINNAMON
DRINKS
Filtered COFFEE beats them all!
CROSSWORDS SPECIAL
True feelings
A REVIEW ON CONTEMPORARY
CERAMICS
LIVING ROOM MAKEOVER
DISCOVER
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REVEALS IT ALL! WWW.CLAYDIES.DK