Being a designer, I like direct contact with my material. I design as I go. Thinking and acting simultaneously I get to form and idea. Designing is making decisions while trying things out.

I am fascinated by details and have an eye for what the material expresses, especially small irregularities in form and substance. I love watching small things around me attentively. Tactile sense is also very important to me.

I prefer to make small utensils en accessoires e.g. bags and china.
Functionality is not the main goal; it is the “image” that counts. I don´t think one should talk or write too much about my designs; one has to look at them.

I would love to work in a group; continuous feedback can bring a design to a higher plane. Actually producing my designs is important to me. Some of my designs can be mass-produced, some remain unique. Others are made in very small quantities.

I want to give my designs a personality, encountering them should be an intimate experience. To me they are like unique individuals.
The difference between what it looks like, and what it is when you feel it, brings on a sense of alienation, thus capturing the attention of the beholder. I emphasise the three dimensional form and the texture of my designs equally. One needs to take time to see what I make, you have to look from a distance and scrutinize carefully for all the details. You can compare this way of looking with the way you look at a still life.

I have chosen ceramic art because of the way it can express all the subtlety of the fabrics I use. This material allows freedom in design and easily makes utensils at the same time. Because of the handling of the raw material, every design literally has my personal touch.

To summarize: What the material expresses and the qualities the designs appear to have are important for the realisation of my ideas. Emphasising physical appearance, I make hard material look soft and transformable. My love for detail is made obvious by the irregularities of the fabric and the care for shape and finish.


Madieke Fleuren