Japanese designer Nendo recently unveiled a collaboration with Gen-emon, a 260 y.o. ceramics company in Arita, Japan. For the Ume-play and Karakusa-play collections, Nendo re-configured two traditional Japanese patterns – a small, plum blossom pattern, and a foliage scrollwork – re-working the sizes and shapes, and their repeats into new adaptations. The results are a beautiful set of pottery that evoke tradition, with a modern twist.
There’s a lot happening these days at Wert&Co.–reflected in six books we would like to share with you. We’ve been preparing for a few talks and seeking to understand ourselves and our work more deeply, finding inspiration from the self discovery of childhood to the wisdom (hopefully) gained over the years. This month we also mourned the loss of John Berger who’s seminal Ways of Seeing provided us not just with a tool to view art in a revolutionary way, but a tool to understand critically the images that surround us. Finally with data ruling the day, in both politics and our work, we’ve found ourselves recently in a deep dive on both the mechanics, design and ethics of this fascinating subject.
I have a crazy,
crazy love of things.
I like pliers,
and scissors.
I love
cups,
rings,
and bowls –
not to speak, of course,
of hats.
I love
all things,
not just
the grandest,
also
the
infinite-
ly
small–
thimbles,
spurs,
plates,
and flower vases.
Oh yes,
the planet
is sublime!
Odes to Common Things by Pablo Neruda
(photo by Daniel Wert)
A day for reflection & dreaming & coming together in peace.