7 pots/3 centuries/2 materials
Date: 1998
Commissioned by: Jongeriuslab
Type: One off
Hella Jongerius’ love of artificial fiber seems diametrically opposed to her extreme love hate relationship with porcelain, a material that she simultaneously cherishes and mocks. Porcelain, the queen of ceramic materials, loses her aura of sanctity in Jongerius’ designs; she no longer maintains her ‘white gold cult’.
The 7 Pots were created in 1998 for a free restoration project with medieval shards given by the Museum Boymans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam. Old clay archetypes were cast in porcelain, which results in solid industrial pots. This playing with the boundaries of crafts and industry, gives the industrial products individuality and self-expression. The pots are decorated with porcelain labels of Hella’s thumbprint and other ceramic data. This was customary in the Middle Ages when illiterate potters would mark their pots with their fingerprints on the underside.