CLAYDIESREVEALS IT ALL!

FOOD

DRINKS

FASHION

INTERIOR DESIGN

ARTICLE

HEAVY HAIRSTYLES!

CERAMICS AND CINNAMON

Filtered COFFEE beats them all!

CROSSWORDS SPECIAL

DISCOVER True feelings

A REVIEW ON CONTEMPORARY

CERAMICS

LIVING ROOM MAKEOVER

THE GRASS IS GREEN

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WWW.CLAYDIES.DK

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Claydies Magasin Annoncer.indd 2 05/04/11 14.50

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FEATURECLAYDIES 2011

CLAY is a fine-grained earthy material that is plastic when wet and hardens when dried and fired. Clay is widely used in the production of bricks, tiles and pottery. It is one of the oldest materials used for design and it can be processed in big computerized production machines or shaped with your own bare hands.

LADY is a polite term for a woman. The word is often interpreted as an elegant woman with a distinct sense of beauty and glamour.

CLAYDIES is a duo of ladies working with clay. FEATURE3/ A childhood dream

came true

14/ Focus on Claydies by art historian Rikke Helverskov Dahl

34/ Grass is growing – See the process behind the

product

LIVING10/ True feelings,

set your table with a personal fingerprint

18/ Living room makeover, Renew with

contemporary design

BEAUTY9/ Follow ten dogmas and

discover True feelings

FOOD20/ The Blueclay bakery

Appreciations to:

Danish Crafts, Denmarks Nationalbank’s

Anniversary Foundation of 1968,

Kähler Design,

Royal Copenhagen

Photos: morganmorell,

Anne Mie Drevers (Story behind Grass)

Retouch: Werkstette (fashion pages)

Words: Claydies and Rikke Helverskov

Graphics: Line at Smoke & Mirrors Studio

Cover and back: Photo-illustration

from the exhibition “True feelings”

at liljevalchs Konsthall in Stockholm,

Sweden 2007

www.claydies.dk, 2011

DEAR READER

CONTENTS

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34

18

6

20

10

4

12

32

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CONTENTSFASHION4/ Hairstyle Fashion – Claydies and Gentlemen

HEALTH26/ A Coffee Story

THRILLER12/ A Ceramist’s Worst Nightmare

TRAVEL32/ Travel – Get On The Train

PROBLEM PAGES28/ Letter Pages – Ask Inet and Keran

37/ Claydies Crosswords

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FEATURECLAYDIES 2011

A lready in their early years, Tine and Karen were interested in working with

clay. Since these pictures were taken, the two girls have shaped and designed a variety of items for everyday use. 6

Tine Broksø, Born in Holbæk 1971. Education: 1995-2000, The Danish Design School, Copenhagen.

Karen Kjældgård-Larsen, Born in Copenhagen 1974. Education: 1995-2000, The Danish Design School, Copenhagen.

Tine is working on a plate. Vester Sottrup 1981.

Karen is throwing a pot on the wheel. Nørrebro, Copenhagen

1984.

ACAME TRUE!

CHILDHOODDREAM

FEATURECLAYDIES 2011

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Latest fashion in ceramics! – try on one of these perky hairstyles. Each bowl is hand-modelled in high-fired stoneware and covered with thick coloured glaze. They are all unique pieces that can help you express your individuality.

CUTTHE

CLAY!

Hairstyle bowl “Billy” / Presented at the High Museum of Art, Atlanta, USA. 2010.

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FASHIONCLAYDIES 2011

Hairstyle bowl “Sally” / Presented at the High Museum of Art, Atlanta, USA. 2010.

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INDHOLD

Hairstyle bowl “John” / Presented at the High Museum of Art, Atlanta, USA. 2010.

7Hairstyle bowl “Liza” / Presented at the High Museum of Art, Atlanta, USA. 2010.

FASHIONCLAYDIES 2011

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INDHOLD

True Feelings at Liljevalchs Konsthall in Stockholm, Sweden, 2007.

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BEAUTYCLAYDIES 2011

This is an experiment.The production of the ceramic objects will take place from

January 2007.

We swear to comply with the following set of rules, referred to as Dogma07:

1. Each object must be made out of clay. Only one sort of clay is allowed.

2. Each object must be shaped with hands or body only. No tools are allowed.

3. While in the process of creating the objects, the ceramic artist is to be blindfolded. The blindfold must not be removed until each item is

declared finished.

4. No adaptation of objects still unfired is allowed.

5. While in the process of creating, the ceramic artist is not allowed to discuss her work with others.

6. All creations must be functional for everyday use in manageable sizes.

7. After firing, all articles must be fully glazed – if possible.

8. Only blue glaze is acceptable.

9. No decoration is allowed.

10. Each object must be inscribed Dogma07.

As ceramic artists we furthermore swear not to be influenced by fashion or personal taste. We promise to respect all the Dogma-rules with no consideration for our personal ambitions or artistic vanity. In the process of creating these objects we are no longer reflecting

designers – we are merely hands at work.

CLAYDIES

and discover

Dogma07 – exhibited at the Biennale of crafts and Design, Trapholt, Denmark, 2007.

CERAMIC MANIFESTO – DOGMA07

FOLLOW TEN DOGMAS

TRUE FEELINGS

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ROMANTIC!

RAWAND

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LIVINGCLAYDIES 2011

Beautiful, unrefined and delicate.

The TRUE FEELINGS porcelain service sets the

perfect stage for a romantic afternoon tea with

your special someone.

Set the table with delicately hand-shaped cups and

plates; decorate with rosy buttercups, pale or pinkish

fruits, white chocolate, sweets and candles

to create an atmosphere that simply oozes

passion and cotton candy.

Hand-modelled porcelain service produced by Claydies. Part of Crafts Collection cc15.

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A CERAMICIST’S WORST NIGHTMARE

In many ways, working with ceramics is a tough and fright-ening experience. The clay must endure being punched and pounded, cut through, rolled, wrenched, dried, fired

and submerged into toxic substances only to be fired again. In addition, the ceramicist exposes herself to chromium and bari-

um carbonate and to a dreaded incurable lung disease caused by specks of dust. Not to mention all the sufferings related to the disappointment when opening a kiln where everything is com-pletely ruined. It is unbearable to watch pieces fracture, crackle, collapse or melt ... A ceramicist’s worst nightmare!

Prejudice weighs heavily when it comes

to ceramics. They can be absolutely

appalling and dreadful ... But can they

also be ghastly and frightening?

HORROR

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The exhibition Chamber of horrors at Malmö Art Museum 2005.

THRILLERCLAYDIES 2011

14

With The Murder of 12 Identically Shaped

Pots, which this performative shoot out was

a spin-off of, when it was shown at Malmö

Art Museum under the name of Chamber

of Horrors in 2005, Tine Broksø and Kar-

en Kjældgård-Larsen, the ceramists behind

Claydies, do in fact open up for what actually

could be described as art’s most distinctive

quality. That is, the ability to ask open and

inclusive questions, honestly and unfiltered,

that rather than giving possible answers forc-

es new thoughts and reflection forward. As is

often the case, the duo operates in a strong

contradictory, humorously associative and

opinion-forming universe. A universe span-

ning from the mundane to the reflective. On

the one hand as witnesses to the murder of

these 12 identical pots, we are given a glimpse

of the creative process and the feeling of clay

in the hands of the ceramists. How they

brutally cut into it, bash and hit it. On the

other hand we are, as spectators of this per-

formative action, naturally also bombarded

with connotative and significant expressions,

which reach beyond the work and form itself.

Should we, for example, take into consider-

ation this field’s polished image and how this

little shooting séance could mean the death

of an era in the history of crafts? Or as Clay-

dies obviously compromise the many stereo-

types associated with this profession and ask

the question: We know that ceramics can be

awful but can it be downright scary?

In their, humorous, ambiguous but above

all, conceptual universe, Claydies play with

the idea of the general characteristics of the

crafts, as well as with the design and stylistic

traditions historically attached to this field.

On one hand, we are invited into the craft

world’s private room, behind the scenes of

the ceramic process. At the same time, we are

apparently the audience for a piece of absurd

theatre, or maybe more aptly in this context –

witnesses to a crime, which seen in relation to

craft’s traditional aesthetic focal point, shows

a surprisingly ugly, raw and unrefined face.

With that said, it does not mean that the aes-

thetic quality of the work becomes second-

ary, at the expense of the conceptual. The

exact opposite. It is more like that by virtue

of their work’s ability to open the viewers’

eyes to other contexts; the duo rediscovers a

new aesthetic through a particularly mean-

ingful form of expression. Or maybe, more

accurately, the duo is on a kind of voyage of

discovery through ceramic history, in search

of a reopening between form and idea, which

will to the same degree allow meaning to

come from the outside just as much as from

CLAYDIES – A NEW ERA FOR THE CRAFTS?

“A universe spanning from the

mundane to the reflective.”

I f you had popped by the basement of 10 Haderslevgade in

Vesterbro, Copenhagen in 2006 and witnessed the Ceramic

duo Claydies – armed with loaded shotguns – practically

shooting pots and jugs to create a ceramic collection battered with

bullet holes, you would have undeniably left again feeling rather

intrigued and amazed. It none the less gives one food for thought

and acts as a great retort to those who might be of the opinion that

in the very distinction between art and crafts, lays an implicit

distinction between the work’s greater or lesser ability to bring new

and more transcendental meanings into play.

BY ARTHISTORIAN RIKKE HELVERSKOV DAHL TRANSLATED BY HELEN CLARA HEMSLEY

Shooting in the workshop on vesterbro.

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FEATURECLAYDIES 2011

the inside. Essentially, all their pieces seem

to share the unique quality that the context

they evolve out of is not only paramount to

our experience and understanding of it, but

instead can compliment a range of essential

qualities within the ceramic form as such.

This is clearly illustrated in the work True

Feelings – created while blindfolded and

according to a carefully thought-out list of

dogma rules, but at the same time steered

by the ceramists’ random and instinctive ac-

tions. As beautiful and tactile as they are, they

also seem to be making a critical comment

on the tradition for cleansing ceramic objects

of the very quality of the handmade. We are

in Claydies’ hands and are as far away as we

can get from the self-reliant ceramic work’s

viewer-independent domain.

Just as the motifs in The Chamber of Hor-

rors and True Feelings playfully invite the

outside, inside in their crafting process, it is

important to point out the special quality il-

lustrated in Grass. The grass vase was con-

ceived and created for the exhibition Dansk (Danish) at Danish Design Centre in 2004

and has ended up becoming a bit of a Clay-

dies classic. Also here, it is implicit to talk

about a confrontation with a part of the

identity and motif world, which the ceramic

craft and especially porcelain manufactur-

ers have revolved around for centuries: The

noble and refined nature of the stylised floral

decoration. Loyal to their other work, Clay-

dies interfere with this motif tradition and fo-

cus on the normal and the ‘neglected’ rather

than in the rare and exalted. Specifically,

with the grass that of course bears a certain

meaning in a Danish context and which the

exhibition Dansk’s aim was naturally to ac-

centuate, represents the part of nature that

doesn’t actually do anything special. In other

words, it represents everything that in real-

ity is ordinary or unpretentious and for those

very reasons are of interest to Claydies and

their overall project: To turn the expectations

we have regarding the aesthetic principals of

ceramic design completely upside down.

These little, neat, green tufts of grass are

designed in such a direct, unequivocal and

honest way that they literally articulate

everything that is concretely devoid of the

flower – an ironic reflection on the vase’s

actual function.

Like the originality of using a shotgun to dec-

orate some pots, this pulls the duo’s ceramic

pieces into an artistic and reflective space of

content creation, as well as into an aesthetic,

designed and functional consumer culture.

More than anything, the uniqueness of these

‘functional grass patches’ lies in the choice

and investigation of the idea, which encapsu-

lates the conceptual-

ism that runs, like a

red thread, through

the work of these

two ceramists. Re-

garding conceptual

art, Sol Le Witt once

said: “In conceptual art the idea or concept is the most important aspect of the work. When an artist uses a conceptual form of art, it means that all of the planning and decisions are made be-forehand and the exe-cution is a perfunctory affair.” It is perhaps

a bit misleading when dealing with these

ceramic pieces to talk about ‘execution’ as

a mere ‘perfunctory affair.’ Sol LeWitt’s ob-

servation was, after all made in reference to

an especially minimalistic and installation

related field of work. It is never the less in-

teresting that the carefully formulated dog-

ma rules from which Claydies created True

Feelings, more or less fits this definition of

conceptualism.

Conceptual art or not, it is crucial that Clay-

dies, through their own conceptual practice,

are able to shift the work from the aesthetical-

ly narrow, exclusively self-referential field of

meaning to the extended gaze of the specta-

tor. It is pretty certain that the viewer could be

inclined to smile about this original interpre-

tation of the grass vase’s every day motif. But

at the same time, through a rich, referential

and entertaining register of meaningful ele-

ments, the viewer will also be invited to enter

into a dialogue with all that this vase para-

phrases in relation to craft tradition. We meet

a world that in relation to art’s most distinctive

quality presents an unfiltered approach to the

presence of the idea, reflection and interpre-

tation in the work. It could be, that in the case

of Grass, it is the tools that lead us to mak-

ing associations regarding the object’s actual

function. There are elements that make us ask

questions about the legitimacy of a particular

mode of expression. Not to mention the ele-

ments, which open up for a range of nearly

unlimited considerations regarding a new

type of every day art (I naturally mean this

in the best possible way). Art, where the para-

phrased motif plays a vital role in the work’s

ability to appear welcoming to the viewer and

where the idea emerges as the fundamental

prerequisite for the final form.

We are so used to (and so bored by) the rhe-

torical question: What is art? But are we ac-

tually prepared for the rhetoric in: What is

craft? It may at any rate look like Claydies

are attempting to do just this with their most

noteworthy and acclaimed work, Claydies

and Gentleman. As the girls illustrate, a

bowl can actually also be a hat or a wig.

The so-called hairstyle inspired bowls were

first shown at Gallery Nørby in 2003 and

Designing with blindfolds.

“As beautiful and tactile as they

are, they also seem to be making a

critical comment on the tradition

for cleansing ceramic objects of the

very quality of the handmade.”

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FEATURE

incorporated everything I have described

up to now and even more. Firstly, these

works emerge from a conceptual framework,

which in this case literally carries the design

forward. Placing an ironic distance between

this discipline’s flawless image, this series of

bowls that are meaningful as ceramic objects

in their own essence, as well as acting as a

type of catalyst for the unfolding of a specific

interdisciplinary discourse – naturally in con-

nection with a hairdresser who sets hair. But,

it seems that the purpose behind this form of

craft ideology goes even a step further within

its frame of interpretation, in this case with

its reference to hairdressing, which directly

unfolds and virtually becomes one with the

ceramic work’s actual intention. This can be

seen in the way in which Tine Broksø and

Karen Kjældgård-Larsen presented these

ceramic hair pieces in the most literal way

– on a catwalk accompanied by loud music.

In keeping with Grass, Chamber of Hor-

rors and True Feelings, the girls don’t just

give way to a whole new aesthetic based on

a viewer dependent context. Instead, they

equate the context with the work itself, which

of course allows for completely different and

perhaps transgressive questions: Can ceram-

ics be downright fashionable, maybe even

sexy? We are thus left with an especially

eye-opening series, which instead of finding

beauty in the realm of beauty itself finds its

qualities in the connotations that these bowls

actually imitate. A hairstyle as form, style,

and personal attitude.

It is interesting that the catwalk performance

isn’t just a spin off of a traditional ceramic

design process but that the bowls were in

fact modelled and created on lifelike plas-

ter mannequin heads. Claydies hereby step

out of the ceramist role and into the role of

hairdresser and are able to express the pro-

cess of craft’s essential premise: The con-

stantly elastic relationship between material

and the working of it. Within a conceptual

context, they open up to the fact that form

is never just form, but always contains some-

thing, which is more or less referential – a

narrative or a comment, so to speak. Com-

prehensively, this contributes to making the

bowls just as meaningful from the inside as

from the outside. Actually, it seems that as

the viewer you suddenly are able to expe-

rience something through the bowl, which

you wouldn’t expect to get from a hairstyle

and vice versa.

This conceptual interplay between two dif-

ferent, although associatively alike form

giving practices, is also present in Blue-

clay from 2008. A series of dough bowls

where different dyed slips have been swirled

together, wet on wet, to create a marble-

like decoration, which more than anything

reminds us of the patterns created when a

baker mixes ingredients in a bowl. As with

the hairstyle bowls, the duo links quali-

ties and phenomena from one trade with

another, which is why these dough bowls’

abstract formations are representative of

the concept and the ideas flowing into each

other, just as with the materials. The result is

not only organically interwoven and rhyth-

mic but also has a touch of the psychedelic

like the decorations one finds in the techno/

trance culture. So it probably does not come

as a surprise that Claydies introduced this

decoration principle on record players as

rotating LP-like models accompanied by

flickering strobe lights. As the project title,

Tradition in Trance indicates, it was an

obvious attempt to show the craft tradition

going round in a trance. It is as if they were

freed of their ascription as usable objects as

well as all the connotations associated with

ceramic work in general. In line with Clay-

dies’ other work, this project will make you

smile about the immediacy of their message

and in many ways sums up Claydies’ artistic

approach:

To express a particular vision of ceramic art-

work where the object, above all must have

an origin that goes beyond the apparent func-

tion. In other words, to move boundaries for

the discipline’s ability to reach out from its

own objects and into a contextual and diverse

universe of interpretation, which essentially

must pertain to the viewer. 6

“Within a conceptual context,

they open up to the fact that form

is never just form, but always

contains something, which is more

or less referential.”

Claydies on the cat walk

“We are so used to

(and so bored by) the rhetorical

question: What is art? But are

we actually prepared for the

rhetoric in: What is craft?”

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FEATURECLAYDIES 2011

Østerbrogade 70 ! 2100 København Ø ! Denmark ! Tel: +45 35 55 44 59normann-copenhagen.com ! shop.normann-copenhagen.com

GRASSName: Grass Vase

Design: Claydies Material: Stoneware

Size: 11 cm, 12,5 cm, 15,5 cmPrice DKK: 250 kr, 350 kr, 450 kr

Price EUR: 35 €, 45 €, 60 €

Claydies Magasin Annoncer.indd 1 05/04/11 14.49

BEFORE1 Vintage plaques 2 Old handpainted vase3 Cushion with embroidery4 Moroccan pouffe5 Oriental rug6 Homemade pillow

1

2

3

4

5

6

Tradition & RENEWAL

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1

2

3

4

5

AFTER1 Unique plaques by Claydies2 Vase by Claydies and Normann Copenhagen3 Patchwork cushion by Claydies4 Puff and cushion5 Wollen rug by Claydies and Normann Copenhagen

Exambles of product design by claydies from 2004 to 2011.

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LIVINGCLAYDIES 2011

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BLUECLAY

FOODCLAYDIES 2011

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The Blueclay bowls come in three sizes and four colours, and have been produced by Normann Copenhagen, 2008- 2010.

1 4

2 5

3 6

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FOODCLAYDIES 2011

Reinvent old traditions. Make your own home-baked buns in this redesign of an ancient earthenware dish. Blueclay is thrown on a potter’s wheel and decorated by hand with engobe, using a special Claydies technique in which the colours are mixed to create a marble-like decoration.

CINNAMON BUNS25 grams of yeast

100 grams of butter

half a liter of milk

one egg

half a teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of cardamom

half a dl of sugar

750 grams of wheat flour

FILLING150 grams of soft butter

100 grams of sugar

2 tablespoons of cinnamon

DIRECTIONS6 Mix milk and yeast in a Blueclay bowl.

6 Add egg and melted butter.

6 Add sugar, salt and cardamom and mix in the flour.

6 Knead the dough thoroughly until smooth and elastic.

6 Let it raise in a warm place until it has doubled its size.

WHILE THE DOUGH RAISES6 Mix the soft butter with cinnamon and sugar into a

spreadable paste.

WHEN THE DOUGH HAS DOUBLED ITS SIZE6 Place it on a lightly floured surface and roll into a

rectangle.

6 Spread the cinnamon paste evenly on the dough.

6 Starting at one end, tightly roll up the dough.

6 With a serrated knife, cut into slices approximately 2 cm thick.

6 Place the snail-like slices on a prepared baking tray.

6 Let the buns rest until they have doubled their size.

WHILE THE BUNS REST6 Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C.

6 Whip the egg lightly and brush the buns with the eggmix.

6 Bake them in the preheated oven for 25 – 30 minutes, until golden.

6 Let them cool and serve on your matching Blueclay plates.

Serve with tea or coffee in your Blueclay cups.

BLUECLAY

24

INDHOLD

COMBINE AS YOU LIKE Since

1775

www.royalcopenhagen.com The Blue fluted mega decoration is designed by Karen Kjældgård-Larsen (one of the two Claydies), 2000-present.

25

FEATURECLAYDIES 2011

COMBINE AS YOU LIKE Since

1775

www.royalcopenhagen.com

26

According to new American studies, coffee can be an actual health-booster, reducing the risk of Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, kidney stone and variuos types of cancer. But in

order to really benefit from the positive side-effects of this energizing drink, you should lay your hands on the new, innovative Claydies two-in-one coffee percolator.

Espresso and press coffee contain the fats cafestol and kahweol, which increase your level of cholesterol as well as the risk of cardiovascular disease. Percolated (filtered) coffeee, on the other hand, will not only enhance the rich taste of the beans, it will also capture the unwelcome fats in the filter.

So, find your filters at the back of your cupboard, limit your intake to three to five cups a day – and enjoy your coffee the cool way!

Source: POLITIKEN

HOT COFFEE THE COOL WAY!

FORGET INSTANT AND PRESS FILTER COFFEE

IS BY FAR THE HEALTHIEST!

Coffeepot prototype and cups/plates with hand-painted decorations.

Designed by Claydies 2010/2011.

HEALTHCLAYDIES 2011

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LETTER PAGES

Puzzled by something? Feel free to contact Inet and Keran with your questions

regarding art and design

I have these three jugs. They look really odd and they don’t seem to be very useful or practical. Do you think they might be valuable? Do you have any idea why they look so silly? Love LydiaDear Lydia, You are looking at a one-off project by the ceramic duo Claydies. These three jugs are made by the artists themselves, and have never been shown in public.They are the result of an experimental project, in which the duo made each jug jointly, but with no knowledge of each other’s design. One has made the foot, the other the lower part with handle etc ... ending with the lid.If we are to put a value to the three jugs as one complete work, our estimate would be around 25.000 DKr. Kind regards, Inet and Keran

I found these abnormal beer bottles in a recycling depot. They are almost identical to the archetypical Danish beer bottle; however the dimension of the bottleneck seems somewhat enlarged. I have found that it has just the right size for holding a candle! Is this the real purpose? Or do you have any suggestions on what they are really for? I suppose I can get my 2 kroner deposit on these bottles ... would that be wise? Bobby

Dear BobbyIf you return the bottles to us, we are willing to pay you quite a lot more than the deposit on a regular beer bottle. It looks like you have a whole six-pack. And yes – they are candleholders, as you yourself suggest. They are unique prototypes made by Claydies, and have never been put into production. Quite a treasure you found there!Kind regards, Inet and Keran

I came across this picture in some old clippings. Can you tell me who made this quirky bike helmet? The housewife.Dear housewife, The bike helmet was made by the ceramic duo Claydies. They made it in 2005 as an exhibition project for the Biennale of Arts and Design in Denmark. You can see other helmets from the same project on their web site www.claydies.com.Kind regards, Inet and Keran

WEIRD JUGS

ABNORMAL BEER BOTTLES

QUIRKY BIKE HELMET

6

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PROBLEM PAGESCLAYDIES 2011

I found this strange brush in my aunt’s attic. I was wondering if it was a one off from a brush factory; a mistake of some kind. Or perhaps it served a special purpose in the good old days? I quite like it, but should I use it? Regards,HenryDear Henry Please do not use the brush for ordinary brush purposes! You are the lucky owner of a unique piece of art. The brush is made at a blind peoples’ workshop. But the work was initiated by Claydies and the Danish design group RÅ around year 2000. The piece originates from an exhibition by RÅ at the Museum of Arts and Crafts called: Totem, En udstilling om hverdagen.Kind regards, Inet and Keran

Can you say anything about this bed spread? I found it in a second hand shop in New York. GregDear Greg , Put your bed spread on your lawn and go to the top window of your house to have a look at it. Now you will see the motive of a sky with clouds appearing. And you are quite right: it is a bed spread and it was designed by Claydies around 2008-2009. As far as we know it is a patchwork quilt made solely with white and blue squares of fabric, and we also believe your bed spread is the only one ever made, so take good care of it!Kind regards, Inet and Keran

I am a true Claydies fan and I have once heard that they made some towels that are just like dresses. Sounds awesome, I think. Is it true? Do you know anything about this? A fanDear Claydies fan We have asked around and can confirm that Claydies really did make towels at one point. We have found a picture of them wearing the towels in their old workshop at Vesterbro in Copenhagen. The picture is from September 2004.The towels are made of towel cloth and are sewn with a smock technique that adds shape and character to the cloth. There is a lady-like version that resembles a dress when worn, and a more masculine version that looks like a king’s cape.Unfortunately, these are not yet put into production and therefore cannot be acquired anywhere.Kind regards, Inet and Keran

DRESS’NDRY

PONYTALE

PIXELATED SKY

Stitched CoffeepotI once saw this jug in a shop window on the outskirts of Vesterbro in Copenhagen, and I utterly regret that I didn’t buy it. Please, can you tell me where I can get my hands on one? Best wishes, BettyDear Betty , I have checked your request and we are sorry to say that it is no longer purchasable. The jug was made by Claydies and it was exhibited for the first time at the New Nordic exhibition at Gallery Nørby in Copenhagen in 2001. It is part of the series: Claydies Kitchenwear. The duo made a few jugs and at that time they were sold for 1800 DKr. If you’re lucky, you might find it at an auction or so. We wish you luck!Kind regards, Inet and Keran

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PROBLEM PAGES

I am very puzzled about a certain object that I saw a few years ago in a Gallery window in Norway. It really piqued my curiosity. Can you tell me more about the object and the context it should be seen in? Yours sincerely, Mrs. HorraceDear Mrs. Horrace, The object you are referring to originates from an exhibition in Stavanger, Norway in July 2008 called: Tradition in Trance. The artists behind are the Danish ceramicists Claydies. At this exhibition they were working with old ceramic methods and they used local clay dug out of Danish soil. We were told that they later used this exhibition as a source of inspiration when they developed their popular Blueclay dishes.Hopefully, you will find our answer satisfying. Kind regards, Inet and Keran

What is this? It was swimming in a pond in my neighbourhood. I posted it on the local library’s notice board but nobody has claimed ownership. I have cleaned it up and it looks quite dashing. Hope you can enlighten me. Best wishes, BrendaDear Brenda, The object, as you describe it, is a unique Water Lily Cup designed by Claydies. The water lily cup has a keel and actually floats on water like a real water lily. It is from the autumn exhibition at Charlottenborg in 2001. An exhibition called: ”Langtbortistan” made with the exhibition group RÅ (you can learn more about RÅ somewhere else on these pages). The last time we checked, they cost around 1800 DKr. apiece. Today, however, their price has most certainly gone up. Kind regards, Inet and Keran

I am what you might call “gambling-mad” and I have heard a rumour that the ceramic duo Claydies have made some tablecloths decorated with board games.Can that be true? Best regards, TrudyDear Trudy, We are happy to tell you that you are right. In 2005, Claydies designed several tablecloths decorated with board games. One was called Halma, another one Nine Men’s Morris. We found a picture of a colourful one with a Ludo game. Unfortunately, We cannot tell you if the tablecloths have ever been put into production. But it would certainly be a good idea to do so! Kind regards, Inet and Keran

I just bought a new apartment and these hooks hung on the kitchen wall when I moved in. Do you know what they are? The curious girlDear curious girl, The hooks on your wall are art pieces by Claydies, the two Danish ceramicists who work with conceptual arts and crafts. The hook is made from a special cone that ceramicists use when firing their kilns. The cone is straight when it is put into the kiln and melts when the kiln reaches the right temperature. This cone melts at 1280° Celsius. They don’t make the hooks anymore, and we don’t think many were made. So, you can either keep it or sell it. My guess is that many would be interested in buying it. – We know we would! Kind regards, Inet and Keran

FLOATING CUP

PSYCHEDELIC RECORD PLAYER

TABLE CLOTH FOR THE GAMBLING-MAD

IS IT ME, OR DOES THIS LOOK LIKE ..?

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PROBLEM PAGESCLAYDIES 2011

My name is Lambard and I am 10 years old. My grandmother has a picture of an old crown in her living room. I have a project at school about royal symbols. Can you explain what this crown signifies? LambardDear Lambard, Your school project sounds very interesting, but we are afraid that our answer may not be of much help to you. And yet . . . the crown in your grandmother’s picture is a sludge crown made by the Danish design duo called Claydies. As far as we know, the crown itself is made of stoneware and then covered with sludge from under the sink in their workshop, before fired in the kiln. They use the crown symbol to underline the value of the sludge. Sludge is the word we use for the remains of a ceramic production and it is normally thrown away. But when used as decoration on a ceramic piece, the sludge acquires a whole new value. Kind regards, Inet and Keran

What is this? Found it on the web and want to buy. How much? Liam the lion.Hello Liam the Lion, You are looking at some spin-offs from an art project by the ceramic duo Claydies: A project called: Chamber of Horrors, which was exhibited at Malmö Art Museum in Sweden. We believe you can buy them directly from Claydies. You can find their contact information on www.claydies.com. Kind regards, Inet and Keran

I am a keen collector of Blue fluted MEGA and I once heard a rumour that Karen, (from Claydies) who designed The MEGA decoration, wrote a letter to the Royal Porcelain Factory when she was only a small child and suggested that they put the MEGA decoration into production. Is that true? UrsulaDear Ursula, We have heard many rumours concerning Karen Kjældgård-Larsen’s Blue fluted MEGA, but we have never stumbled upon the rumour you suggest here. Nevertheless, we found out that she actually did write the old factory a letter when she was only a child. You can see a photo of the letter here. Her proposal was to make stationery decorated with the original Blue fluted pattern. Her love for the Blue fluted decoration is certainly deep-rooted! Kind regards, Inet and Keran

KILLINGS

LOVE LETTER

THE SLUDGE CROWN

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TRAVELMake your train trip an unforgettable experience as you dine in style with the Claydies designed disposable parts for the various foods served on a train. To put you in a genuine picnic mood, the decoration imitates the traditional check tablecloth. And once you’ve finished eating, you can wrap your leftovers in the plate and take them with you.

BON APPÉTIT!

Claydies testing traditional table settings on the train.

TRAVELCLAYDIES 2011

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EATING ON THE TRAIN disposable tableware for the journey.

Design ideas for DSB (the Danish Railways) Initiated

by the Danish Arts Foundation in 2004.

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FEATURE

THE STORY BEHIND GRASS

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FEATURECLAYDIES 2011

The next time you go for a wander along the roadside and feel delighted by all the little flowers in

your path – bring them home!

Claydies have designed the perfect abode for the humble roadside bloom. A vase called Grass. Made from simple components (slaps, clay pipes and rolled clay), the vase imitates a small tuft of grass and encircles a single flower naturally.

Watch the process of Grass-making in the Claydies workshop.

Grass is designed by Claydies and has been produced

by Normann Copenhagen since 2007.

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INDHOLD detalje.com

PRIMADONNA DKK. 999,- DESIGN CLAYDIES WWW.KAHLERDESIGN.COM

With , cements its century-long tradition for art ceramics.

Behind the new objects stand the ceramicists and

, or , who have created some of the most acclaimed designs on the contemporary Danish ceramics scene.

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PROBLEM PAGESCLAYDIES 2011

CLAYDIES CROSSWORDS

CONNECT THE LETTERS 1 - 23 TO LEARN WHAT CLAYDIES IS ALL ABOUT.Browse the magazine for help or visit www.claydies.com

CLAYDIES

FOODFASHION

INTERIOR DESIGN

ARTICLE

HEAVY HAIRSTYLES!

THE GRASS IS GREEN

CERAMICS AND CINNAMON

DRINKS

Filtered COFFEE beats them all!

CROSSWORDS SPECIAL

True feelings

A REVIEW ON CONTEMPORARY

CERAMICS

LIVING ROOM MAKEOVER

DISCOVER

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REVEALS IT ALL! WWW.CLAYDIES.DK