Kiki van Eijk’s Civilised Primitives presented by Nilufar Gallery

Dutch designer Kiki van Eijk has recently been looking at ways in which design interacts in a physical way. Using physics as a starting point and subsequently exploring nature’s balance, motion, warmth, light, electricity and construction. This physical theme refers to material in a tangible sense and how one interacts with an object. As society is increasingly entrenched in the digital world, the role of the designer in creating a physical experience becomes more important. The quest to give shape and substance to an object is a large responsibility.

A collection of bronze, handcrafted objects, Civilised Primitives is a conversation about the present value of survival in a modern world. Kiki looked to survival methods, which encourage inventiveness and joy in nature when combined with the basic forms that man has created: the circle, square, and triangle. The series includes an A-frame daybed, desk, candleholder, mirror, clock, desk light, curved lamp, and table lamp. Each work has been shaped from branches found in the forests surrounding Kiki’s home in Eindhoven.

Physical Interaction is a collection of light sculptures that highlight her passion for fusing handcraft with high tech. The wonder of a child playing has proved powerful inspiration for this piece. With this movement in mind, she made the switch interactive, such as blowing on a mobile, lighting a flint, covering a part with your hand to activate the dimmer or off-switch rather than using a traditional method.

The collections will be encapsulated in a Bedouin-style tent crafted by Dutch master printers Exposize, who have transposed one of Kiki’s abstract watercolors of the branches into the textile, Decotex.

Working alongside husband and renowned designer, Joost van Bleiswijk, Kiki combines old and new techniques on unexpected objects, delighting her audience with a poetic and personal style.