Non Temporary
Date: 2005
Commissioned by: Royal Tichelaar Makkum (NL) (available here)
Type: Unlimited product
One of the most important challenges in product design today is to create objects that people will love so much that they will use them for years, as part of their daily lives. Once, it was enough for a new product to fulfill its function efficiently for a reasonable period of time, but we now take that for granted. Moreover, in an era when even the most advanced technologies are widely accessible, every company knows that its innovations will soon be copied.
Hella Jongerius is addressing this challenge by imbuing industrially produced objects with the same distinctiveness and meaning that we have traditionally loved in antiques and hand-craftsmanship. “People long for things that have significance,” she says. “I try to make products you will love and will want to have your whole life to pass down to your family.”
In her work for Royal Tichelaar Makkum, the centuries-old Dutch ceramics manufacturer, Jongerius draws on its industrial heritage and our memories to develop objects that appear familiar and, therefore, strike a rapport with us. Her Non-Temporary earthenware bowls, dishes and plates are made from the Friesian marine clay found near Makkum’s factories, and decorated with glazing and painting techniques that the company has used since the 17th century. “Those old skills create something that people recognize and with which they feel comfortable,” observes Jongerius. “I can build on that by using them in an unconventional way to make the product contemporary.”