SELECTS02 Naomi Bikis CeramicistWORDS EMMA O’KELLY, INTERVIEWS BY DEBORAH FRIEDES GALILI, EDWIN HEATHCOTE, STEVEN THRASHER, AMEI WALLACHCeramicist Naomi Bikis claims to be both in awe of – and exasperated by – the clay that is fundamental to her work. ‘It is amazing and also incredibly temperamental,’ she says with a laugh. ‘I love getting messy with it and then suddenly creating a piece out of this lump of clay, it’s very satisfying. Ceramics as a medium is insane.’ In defiance of the insanity, Bikis has spent the past few years developing her ceramics practice after working as a fashion journalist.‘My work blurs the boundaries between sculpture and functional ceramics,’ she says. ‘I’m interested in that fusion between the wheel-thrown pieces versus hand building.’ Her pieces – which paradoxically often seem pared down in terms of design while being texturally rich – can appear functional at first glance, yet turn out to be more sculptural on further inspection… or vice versa. ‘They are experiments in form and cutting pieces away, throwing something on the wheel and then removing it,’ she says; ‘taking a piece and reinserting it back to the pot.’For Bikis, being outdoors, at the mercy of the elements, can be a stimulating and informative experience. ‘I love seeing the elements decaying something,’ she says. ‘That’s definitely been a big influence in trying to develop a number of glazes and slips that have that decaying, slightly weathered approach.’ This weather-beaten aesthetic often lends her pieces an almost ageless feel.As could be expected from a ceramicist, Bikis relates most to the earth (‘Literally, because that is what I’m playing with in the studio’). It is the raw form of clay as well as its natural movement that she finds inspiring – and what guides her towards her final forms. ‘But having said that, it’s nothing without fire,’ she adds. ‘It doesn’t become a form or a sculpture without the fire…’ bikisceramics.comPHOTOGRAPH PAOLA PANSINIINTERVIEWDimore’s elements for a good night…Enter a room designed by Milan architect-designers Dimore and you’ll want to mix yourself a large negroni, kick off your shoes and curl up in an armchair. Founders Emiliano Salci and Britt Moran use their magpie eye to blend vintage and modern furniture, textures, colours and patterns to create sumptuous settings that conjure a subtle, particularly Milanese, style. Here, Britt Moran provides insight into the elements for hosting a good evening – Dimore style, that is…How do you create a mellow mood?We like soft lighting – small lamps, wall sconces here and there, floor lamps positioned in corners. Sometimes we opt for ceiling lights, but table and floor lamps are the easiest way to create the mood for evening. If we could have an open fire, we would; it creates such ambience, but is forbidden in Milan for pollution reasons.It’s nice to have different types of seats; stools, comfy armchairs and sofas, and small tables that you can shift around and put your drink on are always a good idea. We started making furniture in 2005 and the armchairs form part of our collection that now extends to more than 500 works.We always start with a rich colour – one that’s a little unexpected. Last year we were in quite a 1970s mood and the room sets we created for Salone del Mobile had bubble-gum pink walls, with darker windows and doors. We started making our own fabrics in 2015, and the Matzinga Red and Lame curtains were new last year. We collaborate with Milan rug maker Illulian and we combined Tibetan rugs with shag pile carpets; it’s good to have something soft underfoot. I detest TVs generally, and have one shut away at home and only really watch films. I find it difficult when clients want one in every room. But technology and phones are inevitable. Although if you organise a soirée with a good mix of people, there’s conversation rather than people on their phones.How important is the soundtrack?Good music always sets the mood. Emiliano has very eclectic tastes and is great at putting it all together. The late Cuban soprano Esther Borja always gets things going…What other elements are important?We like to mix the company, so it’s not all designers together. Lots of our friends work in fashion and they are always fun to have over; our worlds are similar but different enough that we don’t talk about work. Most of them are Italian, or have lived abroad and come back to Milan. It’s a great place to live. Yes, it’s hectic during the week, but once work is over it’s easy to get home and relax.What do you like to serve?We haven’t given a dinner party in a long time, but our housekeeper is a great cook. He will devise a menu that tends to be seasonal, with lots of vegetables as many of our friends are vegan and vegetarian. At our last dinner, we served pumpkin soup, fresh artichokes and melanzane alla parmigiano. We usually serve red wine, with champagne as an aperitivo. Despite the prevalence of prosecco in our region, our friends tend to prefer champagne.Can you tell us about a recent memorable soirée? One of our best dinners recently was in the 15th-century Scuola Grande di San Rocco in Venice. Fendi took over the building and 100 guests dined by candlelight surrounded by the most incredible paintings by Venetian artist Tintoretto. I love art, and studied classics, but we don’t have any really expensive pieces at home – we have modern Chinese works and photography.Do you prefer empty space or objects?Objects. Last year, during Salone we held four exhibitions and pretty much emptied our house; our things were spread all over Milan. One of my favourite pieces is a green bowl by Giò Ponti I found years ago in a vintage shop. It’s so good if you can declutter. Our house is so full! We are always searching for pieces for clients, but end up collecting a million different things. We have two warehouses in Milan that are packed – with what I’ve no idea! We never throw anything away. We can’t. It might come back into fashion, or we might like it again one day… dimorestudio.euPHOTOGRAPH RICHARD FOSTERFOCUSGeorg Jensen 1041 silver bowl In celebration of the centenary of Danish designer Henning Koppel’s birth, silverware brand Georg Jensen has launched a new piece, entitled 1041. Well, that’s not entirely accurate: the piece was created by the designer in 1954 for an exhibition celebrating Georg Jensen’s 50th anniversary. But, dissatisfied with its execution at the time, Koppel – who was notoriously uncompromising when it came to quality control – destroyed it. Koppel’s original drawing of the 1041 has remained in the Georg Jensen archives ever since, and has never been made again – until now. As a culmination of the year-long celebrations of Koppel’s centenary year, this true lost masterpiece has been remade, using 21st-century 3D modelling tools to forensically fill in the gaps. The final piece weighs an impressive 7.7kg and measures 74cm x 45cm x 24cm and each will be individually numbered and bear an imprint of Koppel’s signature. A fitting tribute to a legend of modernist design. £112,000; georgjensen.comEXPERIENCELook and learnHow the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Initiative continues to support the exchange of creative ideas – by turning the teacher-pupil dynamic on its head…Now in its 15th year, the Rolex Mentor and ProtégéArts Initiative is a philanthropic programme that acts as a matchmaker for young talent from all disciplines, coupling them with established mentors for one-to-one creative collaborations of up to two years.Since 2002, the initiative has paired experts with protégés – in disciplines from architecture to music, dance to literature – giving emerging artists ‘time to learn, create and grow’ while supporting individual excellence.The 2018-19 pairings include leading architect Sir David Adjaye with Mariam Kamara; Canadian choreographer Crystal Pite and Senegalese street dance pioneer Khoudia Touré; Indian musician and world-renowned tabla player Zakir Hussain with innovative jazz drummer Marcus Gilmore; and writer Colm Tóibín with Colin Barrett. But, as their collaborations are ongoing, we have taken a look at some of the 2016-17 pairings to see what each has gained from the experience.For Philip Glass, who partnered with Japanese-Peruvian composer Pauchi Sasaki (pictured right), the collaborative nature of the project was nothing new – it is an intuitive and integral part of the creative process for him. Glass was wary of giving any set rules to Sasaki as to how to become a composer. ‘I studied music, played music, and I went to college young,’ he says. ‘But first, I just copied things. I would take a piece of music, listen to it, and copy it. That’s not a bad way to start.’Quoting fellow composer John Cage (‘The audience completes the music’), Glass pointed out that the transaction always goes both ways: the composer equally learns from the protégé, the audience or the player… ‘Sometimes I will get asked, “How fast can I play a piece?”, and I answer, “I don’t know”. They’ll then say, “Well, how do you play it?” Then I’ll say, “Why do you care how I play it? If you play it like me, then what do I learn? I don’t learn anything!”’Opposite, clockwise from far left: participants in the Rolex Mentor Sasaki, who has scored over 30 short and full-length films, has experimented with wearable technology – including creating a dress made of 200 speakers in order to relay sound during a performative piece. For her, the benefit of the relationship was often in their lengthy discussions over tea – learning, for instance, how Glass learnt crucial lessons about composition from the playwright Samuel Beckett, for whom he wrote several pieces.The idea of a two-way exchange is one that artist Joan Jonas reinforced during her time with Vietnamese artist Thao-Nguyen Phan. Jonas – the recent subject of a major retrospective at Tate Modern – fully engaged in the project, visiting Vietnam and talking to artists and curators there, and later incorporated bamboo and paper kites made by a master kite maker she was introduced to by Phan. Similarly, Phan – whose mixed media approach incorporates moving image, installation and sculpture – found common ground in the themes she and Jonas explore. Both examine the idea of myth and storytelling: for Jonas this means the ‘magical haunted spaces’ found in from combining ancient cultural and literary sources with the contemporary – for Phan, it means unearthing her country’s past, challenging an education system ‘where history is erased and there is a big amnesia’…architect Simon KetzIsraeli choreographer Ohad Naharin, who mentored South African dancer Londiwe Khoza, treated the process as a meeting of equal talents, in which he was able to impart the learnings he has picked up over the years, filling in the gaps of experience. ‘Dancers learn by meeting people who can teach them the right stuff,’ he said – something Khoza acknowledged. ‘The best thing for me is to just be open to anything and everything… and be a sponge.’But in some fields of the arts, the learning process had to be more holistic by necessity. Rather than picking up on a specific building project, architect David Chipperfield instead opted to examine the wider picture with Swiss protégé Simon Kretz. ‘Architecture is a slow process,’ said Kretz, explaining how instead they concentrated their efforts ‘in thinking about the way the city works. This is really about the complexity of the city.’Protégé Initiative included Swiss‘The debate is about what a building can contribute to the city,’ said Chipperfield. ‘People feel that the city is something that happens to them, a process in which they have no voice.’In focusing on the empowerment of citizens and the social impact of allowing the public to engage in the shaping of their cities, the two hit on a powerful model that, for Kretz, brought a new perspective to Switzerland’s notoriously protected planning system. ‘It has enabled me to bring two cultures together. It has made me understand what planning is essentially about.’This hits on the essential importance of the initiative – enabling creative minds to learn from different cultures, attitudes and perspectives: each element combining to produce something greater than the sum of its parts. rolexmentorprotege.com composer Pauchi Sasaki and Vietnamese artist Thao-Nguyen PhanPHOTOGRAPHS BY BART MICHIELS, TINA RUISINGER, AMBROISE TÉZENAS, ROBERT WRIGHTFOCUSHIDES IN PLAIN SIGHT…Introducing Bill Amberg Print – leather printing as it’s never been seen before…When is a leather hide not a leather hide? When it’s been digitally printed. The result of two years of material research and innovation, Bill Amberg Print – which launches in September for London Design Festival – is a groundbreaking new product using specialist printing technology that allows complex designs to be imparted onto superior quality European bull hides. Although it has been attempted before, the results have been less than convincing: Amberg’s solution offers a finer dye penetration to the skin than has ever been achieved before. ‘The quality is something that should be seen and touched to be fully appreciated,’ says the man himself.To that end, he has collaborated with a series of design talents including Timorous Beasties, Alexandra Champalimaud, Natasha Baradaran, Tom Dixon and Faye Toogood to explore the full possibilities of the product.The results are as intriguing as they are ingenious: from Toogood’s graphic approach to Dixon’s metallic trompe l’oeil and the colourful folded hide print produced by Timorous Beasties (reminiscent of the famous Rorschach psychological test).
The hides are finished with a durable dressing that retains the grain and allows for an unprecedented scale and quality of production, with all manner of possibilities and applications. Watch this space… billamberg.com