Pettersen & Hein — Superbloom 02
ABOUT THE PROJECT:
Presented through an explosion of colour and texture, Superbloom 02 by Pettersen & Hein is a ceramic concrete vase that celebrates nature at its most vibrant. Referencing the rare desert botanical phenomenon, a superbloom occurs when an unusually high proportion of dormant desert wildflower seeds germinate and blossom at once. The spontaneity of the natural occurrence is captured through the hand-formed, flowing shape of the vase – mixed with vibrant ceramic concrete colours and a gloss glaze that mirrors the waxed foliage of the desert wildflowers.
Material and dimensions:
Ceramic concrete, glaze.
30cm x 19cm x 17cm.
Year:
2020
PHOTOGRAPHY BY:
Anders Sune Berg
VIDEOGRAPHY BY:
Benjamin Lund
LONG DESCRIPTION:
Produced by hand within their workshop during the lockdown of 2020, Superbloom 02 forms part of a larger series of 32 colourful, friendly and humorous beacons of hope created during a trying period for the designer/artist duo. Produced from ceramic concrete, the series has been coloured by hand to reference the vibrant desert wildflowers of the superbloom – within this vase pink mixes with red, yellow and muted tones of mint, orange, white and blue. The change in the desert from a dry, barren landscape to one full of colour and life provided the perfect metaphor for times spent indoors during a global pandemic – opening up through a creative burst of energy. The collection expresses the joy of creation, with organic and fluid forms completed by the rough texture of ceramic concrete. Colours flow in and out of each other and act as a canvas, highlighting the changing tones of the desert in full bloom – beautifully finished in a gloss ceramic glaze that lifts the vibrancy of each hand-formed object.
DESIGNER BIO:
Pettersen & Hein
Magnus Pettersen, Artist, born 1983.
Lea Hein, Furniture designer, born 1981.
Activated through observations of the urban environment and their everyday surroundings, the shared practice of artist Magnus Pettersen and designer Lea Hein aims to twist the perceptions of industrial materials through transformation and interruption. Championing a hands-on approach to form giving, Pettersen & Hein produce each object or surface within their Albertslund workshop. Approaching materiality through the aesthetic and ethical freedom of an art practice, they bypass conventional production methods in order to bring new life to concrete, steel, ceramic and wood. Their work contains an intuitive love for imperfections – turning hard industrial materials into poetic and sensuous functional objects through a combination of colour alterations, surface treatments and experiments in form. Focusing on contrast and friction within their work highlights the inherent relationships between materials, objects and the user, conceptually elevating their practice above conventional notions of form and function.
EDUCATION:
Magnus Pettersen:
2011: MFA, Fine Art, Royal Danish Academy, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Lea Hein:
2014: BFA, Furniture Design, HDK Valand, University of Gotherburg, Sweden.
2010: Cabinetmaker, Grebbestad Folkhogskola, Sweden.
GRANTS AND HONOURS:
2021: Craft of the year, Bo Bedre Design Awards, Norway.
2019: Working Grant, The Danish Arts Foundation, Denmark.
2017: Craft of the year, Bo Bedre Design Awards, Norway.
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS:
2021: Group Exhibition, Open & Closed, The Future Perfect, New York, USA.
2020: Solo Exhibition, Superbloom, Tableau, Copenhagen, Denmark.
2017: Solo Exhibition, Home, Etage Projects, Copenhagen, Denmark.
2017: Ovartaci & Galskabens Kunst, Kunsthal Charlottenborg, Copenhagen, Denmark.
2016: Group Exhibition, If it’s a Chair, Patrick Parrish Gallery, New York, USA.
Selected Commissions:
2023: Lejre Skatepark, Lejre, Denmark.
2022: VIPP, Copenhagen, Denmark.
2017: Copenhagen Contemporary, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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