VPTC by Dimitri Bähler
Dimitri Bähler in London:
London designjunction
Bargehouse & Oxo Tower Wharf, Bargehouse Street, South Bank, London SE1 9PH
20 and 21 September:
11:00 – 20:00
About Dimitri Bähler
Craftsmanship from around the globe has been a long-standing inspiration for Dimitri Bähler. He has taken part in multiple residencies and workshops abroad in places such as the European Center for Ceramics in Holland and Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso (together with Hors Pistes, who also feature in the Design Switzerland exhibition). Dimitri Bähler founded his studio in Biel after graduating from ECAL and works with international labels such as Hermès, HAY, Established & Sons and USM.
VPTC stands for Volumes, Patterns, Textures & Colours , a collection of ceramics by Dimitri Bähler Studio, to be presented in its whole at the exhibition Design Switzerland, during London designjunction.
Dimitri Bähler developed VPTC during different residency programmes: EKWC – European Center for Ceramic in the Netherlands (February-July 2013) and CERCCO – the Experimentation and Research Center for Contemporary Ceramics of the HEAD Geneva (October 2015-January 2016). All pieces from the VPTC collection exist in one single prototype. After a first presentation at the Villa Noailles in Hyères in 2016, it won the grand prize at the Interieur Biennale in Kortrijk. This collection has a very important place in Dimitri Bähler’s practice and inspired other projects such as the side tables he designed for Moustache.
«In the hands of Swiss designer Dimitri Bähler, the surface of both raw and fired clay forms become canvases. Arising from his desire to add a layer of 3D texture to a variety of volumes with the precision of a print transfer, Bähler’s personalised collection demonstrates what he calls a “dictionary” of processes. The diverse finishes of VPTC emerge from basic moulds laced with digitally impressed latex sheeting, from customised formwork for bespoke pieces and from modified glazes with heat-dependent properties. Gracing the gentle curves of plates, vases and pedestals, the fascinating finishes elevate ordinary objects from the domain of pure function to the realm of refines simplicity.» Lauren Grieco for Frame Magazine
Founded in 2014, Dimitri Bähler’s studio focuses on material experimentations and regularly tests the boundaries of «traditional» design: he explores different type of production processes ranging from the low tech to the high tech, sometimes mixing them together. Thanks to his particular attachment to materials, their transformation, and the craftsmanship to produce a piece, Dimitri Bähler is often involved in the actual realisation of his work.
