Pieke Bergman

Pieke Bergmans is an autonomous designer from the Netherlands. She studied design in Breda and Arnhem, at the Design Academy in Eindhoven, and did her masters at the Royal College of Art in London. She works from her Studio Design Virus in Amsterdam and also used to have Gallery Design Virus in Milan. Her work has been exhibited by museums, including Centre Pompidou, Victoria & Albert Museum, Design Museum London, Design Sight Tokyo, among others, and is part of significant private and museum collections. In 2013 Bergmans became 'Designer of the Year' in Brazil. This year Het Noordbrabants Museum in The Netherlands has a retrospective of her works in a solo-exhibition.

Bergmans made a name for herself with mouth-blown crystal that coagulates into fluid forms. “No two people are the same. You won’t even find two hairs on your head that are the same. I really wish that was the case for more products we see on our shelves. The next step in mass production could be controlled imperfection of products, so that they become interesting personal objects,” says Pieke Bergmans.  She is fascinated by movement and the shapes that arise from it. She is amazed at how many materials are squeezed into straitjackets, with no room for the natural characteristics of the material to shine out. Distinctive in Bergmans’ work method is her close study of existing production processes that she then manipulates and reworks. Using this approach she gives the material room to choose its own way.

Bergmans collaborates with technical specialists -- various works are produced in series under her direction. She intervenes at a certain moment in the production process, so that the still freely moving shape is brought to a stop. Hence every object is unique.  The result is a ‘frozen’ moment.

Bergmans has not restricted herself to one sort of material in her repertoire, but works with glass, clay, steel, plastic and other synthetics. All are materials that become soft and malleable by heating during the production process. While cooling they become hard and the process of creeping, twisting and flowing is brought to a halt.