Maison Sauvage Ceramics
This week I have been speaking with 30 yer old, German ceramicist Nicole Mueller about her ‘Maison Sauvage’ product range. Mueller’s eye-catching collection, characterised by her distinctive use of neon lines, (a direct inspiration by her regular use of highlighter pens), aims to reflect the nature of the ‘present day patchwork family.’ Her pieces work together, but are individually strong enough to hold their own.
Hot spot is one of the ranges featured in “Maison Sauvage’. It was her first project using materials different than those used in traditional ceramic work. The pieces in Hot Spot are a combination of porcelain and silicone and emerged from a closer look into a changing coffee culture in Germany.
In Munich the first Starbucks coffee shop opened only in 2004 and Mueller became inspired by the way people grapple with a handle-less paper cups and how people deal with immediate contact between their fingers and a hot surface. The result was Mueller tracing the journey around the cup, flagging the most interactive spots with silicone protecting fingers from the heat emitting from the hot liquid inside the cup.
A – Z is an ongoing tabletop concept derived from an earlier project Mueller called ‘Notation of a dance – the choreography of the table’.
She used the words of German philosopher Peter Sloterdijk, as a starting point for this idea when he sited that “Movement is the expression of modernity”. Mueller’s then asked herself how she could go about creating a ceramic product that reflects individuals in a modern, continuously changing society?
She first looked at dance choreography, which turns individual movements into a structure to create a series of images on stage. Next, Mueller used video footage of people interacting at a table so she could understand the structure and social interactions happening within that context. She then traced the movements and connections made between the people in her video, using it as the basis of her designs. The result is a range of products that revolve around dining, but also a reflection on tradition, society and the daily use of functional objects.
The following interview gives us more of an idea of the person behind these beautiful ceramic objects….
Tell us a bit about yourself, where are you from? Where and when do you work?
I am German. Before I came to London to do my MA at Central Saint Martins, I lived in Munich. At the moment I spend my time in both Germany and London. I work best very early in the morning or again later the day, 4pm to 8pm I’d say. Bright daylight seems to distract me too much.
Who first influenced you artistically?
Art influences me, as well as fashion and music. It is interesting for me to look back and to see that one of the artists I used to come across all the time, was Daniel Spoerri. I don’t think I actually liked or understood his work but somehow he got stuck in my mind. It wasn’t until I started working with Tabletop that he has become my most important reference, and influence.
Dutch ceramicist and designer Hella Jongerius also influences my work – I like her style. Besides all the concepts she uses and her Droog background, she just makes very pretty things, which are as sophisticated and at the same time down to earth and very feminine and always very ‘her’, I’d say. Her design seems to be honest and instinctive.
Did you study formally with a view to a professional career as a ceramicist?
Initially, I studied the science of language and literature. After two years I was sick of Uni, so I started an apprenticeship as a potter. In Germany you have to do a 3 year apprenticeship if you want to be trained in a crafts profession. I never intended to go in the studio pottery direction though, that’s why I focused on architectural ceramics during those 3 years. I soon noticed that ceramics gives you a broad range of career possibilities and I decided to stick with it!
Why do you like to use (porcelain/stoneware)? What specific feature of the medium appeals to you?
Colour and shape are very important in my work. I am not a big fan of coloured glaze though. I prefer colouring the body itself with coloured stains. I look for strong and intense colours on my pieces, and porcelain slip ensures the best result.
The pure quality and depth of the colour can be compared to the use of pure pigments in painting. Stoneware is the body I am most familiar with. Unlike porcelain it is plastic and has a lower shrinkage, but can also be fired at higher temperatures, therefore is also very strong. I use it for modelling.
How do you get inspired?
Inspiration…The best pieces are not rarely a result of a very immediate decision making, when something grabs my attention I go and work on an idea straight away. However most of the time it’s connected to an idea I had in my head to begin with. Inspiration might be the last needed ‘sparkle’ to make a good project an interesting one. But I don’t depend on it. At some point in your career you accumulate a collection of ideas in your head or on paper, visions of projects or products etc. For each idea comes a time and you start working on it. I guess that’s the day-to-day business of an artist or designer or craftsperson.
Your work is quite unique can you talk us through the process of creating a piece please and tell us about your technique…I guess you make your pieces by hand?
The A – Z collection for example is based on video footage, dinner set-ups, drawings, performances etc…research I then translate into 3D objects. Following preliminary sketches, each piece starts off as a prototype in paper, plastic or whatever works. Then I model them by hand in solid clay (that’s the fun part!), which can take up to a week on/off, and which provides the negatives for the plaster moulds. The final ceramic pieces are slip-cast into the drop-out moulds. I work with drop out moulds to be able to cast in layers. That’s where the stain coloured porcelain comes in again.
Are there any recurring themes in your work?
Opposites attract.
Do you think an artist born or made – or both?
Definitely not born, my nerves are not strong enough to be an artist. Nature literally works against me. Maybe made, I have a defiant oppositional character. To understand that I wasn’t born to be an artist must have been the key stimulus that made me do it anyway.
What role does the artist have in society?
Not sure anymore. A nice pet, that you can either abandon when you get sick of it, or you feed it until it bursts?!
What are the challenges you have found in your work?
To channel my concentration.
What have you learned from another artist lately?
Ai Wei Wei taught me lately that saying nothing about your work says either everything or just simply nothing.
Who do you feel has influenced art most this century?
The 20th? Hitler, Warhol, Hirst.
I am always interested in what holds artists back: is there anything holding you back from achieving the next level or accomplishing your next artistic mission?
Always. When I think about what I could achieve within one day it makes me dizzy. My theory is that the human being is inert by nature. Or at least I am. Together with the fear of not succeeding, the inner urge to create is blocked. My body is slower than my brain. Which makes it hard to motivate yourself. For me it can be physically painful to go back to work, to get things started. Then, it is best to just keep it going, never stop. Not losing momentum.
What do you do to get over the visual equivalent of ‘writers block’?
I try to remind myself that work can also be fun, not taking everything too seriously. Listening to loud music most of the time works.
We are more than what we make, what other activities do you enjoy?
Sitting in a nice cafe watching London passing by. And I sporadically play the double bass. Never ambitious enough to become a famous rock star though. Quirky instrument though it is…
What would you like to be better at, and why?
Playing the bass – to become a famous rock star!
The most interesting person you have ever met?
I am always interested in people who stand up for their ideas and beliefs. Especially when it has an impact in their everyday life and plays against all odds.
Has your passion for art detracted from your success in other areas (i.e. have you had to ‘suffer’ to do what you love)?
I’d rather say I have to suffer now to do what I know best. I don’t think I would have been ‘successful’ in another area though. I am not good in compromising.
What’s new for next year and where do you see things going in the future?
Next on the list is ‘talents’ at Ambiente Frankfurt, from February 12th -16th. After that I plan to go to the States to work on a project with my good friend and fellow ceramicist Andrea Faith Martin. You never know what happens next in life!
Visit Nicole’s website at: http://http://www.maisonsauvage.de
