Bovist
Date: 2005
Commissioned by: Vitra, Basel (available here)
Type: Industrial product
Bovist is a floor cushion that can be used like a stool or simply as something to lean on. Its compact, round shape is reminiscent of the head of a young mushroom or, more specifically, a puffball (Bovist in German). It gets this sympathetic shape from the layers of textiles that are joined with multiple seams on the sides. The cushion is filled with a mixture of polypropylene balls and granulate. It offers good seating comfort and stability at the same time.
But the most distinctive feature of the Bovist is its embroidered cover consisting of two different coloured linen sewn together (the underside of the cover is made of light blue, washable polyester). Hella Jongerius developed several motifs that are full of innuendo and ironic allusions to clinchses.
The first motif, called Homework, shows the head of a girl engrossed in embroidery and is borrowed from a painting by the Dutch master Vermeer van Delft. The portrait is surrounded by a freely formed, looped pattern. The second motif, Porcelain, consists of an arrangement of ancient-looking pitchers with little embroidered hearts rising up between them like bubbles. Jongerious uses various stitching styles and different coloured threads for the embroidery, which is realised with the aid of a computer-controlled machine. It gives the images additional charm.