For this year’s Milan design week, the dutch-belgian Studio Job and the dutch designer Pieke Bergmans, in association with italian gallery Dilmos will present  “Wonderlamp” , a collection of 7 light objects.

Drawings of the seven light objects.

Both Pieke Bergmans and Studio Job work with archetypal materials.

Studio job creates monumental objects made of cast bronze, while bergmans has made a name for herself developing mouth-blown crystal forms which coagulate into fluid forms.

these are the points of departure for their collaboration ‘wonderlamp’, in which bergmans’ large glass light bulbs are linked to seven bronze objects from studio job. the seven playful, but monumental implements stir fantasy and imagination. where bergmans’ objects seek correlation with reality, studio job creates a fantasy world full of surrealistic elements. these differences offer enough points of contact for an interesting exchange of ideas.

soup pan – from the farm series by studio job

light bulbs by pieke bergmans a series of crystal lamps that refer to the archetypal incandescent lamp

Wonderlamp is a collaboration between Pieke Bergmans and Studio Job, presented by Dilmos last week in Milan. At the exhibit, we spoke with Nynke Tynagel, one half of Studio Job, who provided some insight into the studio’s working process: everyday icons, archetypical forms, contradictions as inspiration, castles, and answering the phone.

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Interview with Nynke Tynagel  by Core77 during the Fair

Tell us about Wonderlamp ?.

It’s a collaboration with Pieke Bergmans. She’s known for her glass Light Blubs. Sometimes, you see work and think ‘I wish I thought of that, I wish it were my idea.’ That’s why we approached her and asked her to collaborate. She also uses an archetypal material, using glass the same way we use bronze. It was very obvious to put these two together into one object. We also thought it was a nice idea to collaborate; this is our first.

What’s the idea behind the project?

There are 7 light objects. Each lamp has its own little idea. In each, the glass represents a different material. In one lamp its steam, in another it’s a beam of light. In another, it’s smoke.

Historical references and cultural icons are very visible in your work. How did you use these in Wonderlamp?

The pieces you see here, the 7 lamps, are everyday life pieces. The pots and pans your mother has in the kitchen, a torch, and a neon lamp. They aren’t really historical. This year we did some really joyful pieces, without a dark, heavy meaning.

How do intuition and research balance in your process ?

Of course, we look into history, visit a lot of places and are inspired by a lot of things, but intuition is really important. You develop a kind of language. Job and I, we speak the same language. That’s why we end up doing the work we do. For me its very hard to describe my thoughts, to translate them into words. I express my feelings through the pieces.

Does storytelling play a role in this ?

We always think about placing our work inside a castle. We see it as a small society with every aspect of life within it. You have the farmer and the big boss. You have religion, a chapel, a dining room, a kitchen. We like to think of a little story that happened in that small society and place our work in every room of that castle.

Can you discuss the graphic nature of your work ?

It is always the archetypical form we are searching for. They’re in our head but never really exist when we try to find them in life. We are always looking for those shapes. Sometimes we blow them up and they become more like sculpture.

What do you mean by archetypical form ?

For example, when you think of a teapot, the form that comes to mind.