A CONVERSATION WITH PHILIPPE CRAMER
STATEMENT
Philippe Cramer explores the balance between intuitive form and gestural precision. His work stands out thanks to the way organic lines meet geometric volumes in an encounter between references to nature and reminiscences of the aesthetics of Antiquity. By privileging natural materials and an audacious colour palette, he gives each of his pieces a unique physical presence. As much an artist of form as one who thinks about the sensory, Philippe Cramer collaborates closely with different craftsmen. Working in wood, metal, cut stone, embroidery or enamel, these long-term exchanges combine traditional skills and experimentation. At the crossroads of design and the visual arts, Philippe Cramer’s artistic approach is not limited to creating objects; through his craft, he expresses a connection to the transmission of knowledge and to a form of spirituality.
His studio in Geneva, which is open to the public, has been designed as a space for exchange where visitors can approach the art directly and tangibly.
1 — AN INTERNATIONAL TRAJECTORY
Born in New York and brought up in Switzerland, I have constructed my identity around this geographic and cultural duality. While my studies in the history of decorative arts in London laid the foundations for my passion, it was at the Parsons School of Design in New York, in the 1990s, that I found my path. Back then, New York was a laboratory of creative freedom; at the age of twenty, I had the opportunity to explore photography, cabinetmaking and glassblowing, giving me the chance to understand how bridges could be built between the disciplines, without being weighed down by labels. Now based in Geneva, I am able, thanks to my family and professional roots and in partnership with Swiss and European craftsmen, to deploy the full extent of the boldness and taste for freedom that London and New York allowed me to acquire.
2 — AN ASSERTED INDEPENDENCE
I began my career as a freelance furniture designer. I very quickly realised that I had to control the development chain for my pieces from start to finishin order toachieve the outcome I wanted. As a result, I learned to produce my own work and supervise every stage in the creative process. Not only did this offer me great freedom, it also allowed me to explore both the applied and plastic arts, while fully acknowledging the financial reality of my studio and its ability to develop solo projects as well as collaborative commissions.
3 — A DISTINCTIVE WORKING PROCESS
My artworks are always based on initial sketches subsequently translated into execution plans, which are then followed by several visits to the craftsmen while the piece is being made. This creative method is vital for me because it allows me to end up at a finished work that embodies my artistic intentions to the full. This commitment is also reflected in my choice to work directly with craftsmen with whom I have a close relationship, both geographically and professionally, and by doing so, to play my own part in showcasing and preserving exceptional expertise that is both fragile and precious.
4 — ART AND DESIGN
One of my distinctive traits is that I take on different creative roles simultaneously, sometimes in the fine arts, sometimes in object design. I have been profoundly influenced by figures such as Isamu Noguchi or Charles and Ray Eames, who moved between design, sculpture and cinema without being burdened by labels. What interests me is understanding how a seemingly utilitarian object, such as a seat or a lamp, can become a sculpture, and vice versa. With this in mind, the benches I designed for an exhibition in the public space can also be hung vertically, like a sculptural form that would otherwise be self-sufficient. Similarly, my lamps are not so much designed to illuminate as to evoke the passage of time, like memento mori that light up.
5 — FORM AND FUNCTION
I do not make any difference between objects that have a use and those that don’t. And while this use remains in my mind, it doesn’t necessarily dictate their form; the artworks and objects I create have an autonomous presence that goes beyond their mere function. My pieces evolve and grow with me through their various iterations, which means I can adjust them, perfect them and transform them throughout. I continually come back to these questions: is it a unique item or a serial piece, a utilitarian object or something with a pure presence? The assembly or production technique is never neutral – it influences the form, material and how the object comes into being physically.
6 — MAGIC AND POETRY
What I try above all to reveal when I design an object is its magical dimension – most often in reference to the great mythological stories, non-Western civilisations, and the world of dreams and archaic symbols. This totemic dimension draws its imagery from a form of paganism and our relationship to the cosmos that gives my creations an added density. The overall way I think about the question of craftsmanship pushes me to break free from unbridled rationalism and mass production in favour of magic and poetry – in other words, everything that cannot be expressed by language.
7 — COLOUR AND MATERIALS
For me, colour is a form of permanent liberation. When I founded my studio in 2003, at the dawning of an electronic and technological world, I instinctively focused on natural and traditional materials. Today, I am attracted by warm colours – reds, ochres, fire hues – which I sometimes counterbalance with cooler blues. As for materials, I don’t think twice about moving from wood to stone or from metal to marble depending on the project. Every material imposes its constraints, but also its surprises: the vein of a block of marble, an imperfectly welded joint, a lacquer that cracks, and so on. Natural nuances that only craftsmanship can turn into a signature.
8 — THE PRECISION OF THE CRAFTSMAN’S GESTURE
I have an ongoing conversation with the craftsmen who work with me. Their role is central; while their techniques and suggestions feed into my creations, my projects push them to explore new horizons. I always come with an initial idea that has to remain malleable, often while wanting to put a twist on specific expertise so that it can be used in a new way. This dialogue with the craftsmen – cabinetmakers, ceramicists, marble workers, embroiderers or glassmakers – allows me to measure my intention against the reality of the material. When we look at the piece together, we bring out different directions in which to take it that enrich our respective knowledge.
These craftsmen are partners who allow me to push the limits of my art while I ask them to shake up their own. This is the stage in the working process that I enjoy the most; collaborating with professionals with whom I can move forward and to whom I entrust, in part, the continuation of the artwork.
9 — THE CREATIVE POSSIBILITIES OF INDUSTRY
I regularly work with companies that specialise in manufacturing industrial components – including panel beaters, locksmiths or lacquerers – and I’m very interested in contemporary techniques, from laser cutting to five-axis machining, as well as carbon sublimation and deposition on substrates. The aesthetic of these machines themselves – and the components they produce – is a source of inspiration for me; the forms that result from this cutting or shaping reflect a new visual language that is sometimes akin to science fiction films. What strikes me is that these forms that seem to herald a world in the future nevertheless bear a striking resemblance to artefacts from past civilisations; here again, I try to translate and update elements imagined by our ancestors.
10 — THE ESSENCE OF TIME
I believe in allowing ideas to mature. My role is to interpret what surrounds me without ever giving in to an urgency that might damage the quality of my projects or commissions. This element of time is an indispensable stage in my creative process. I often carry out tests on materials and then leave them to mature for years before I find the right way to make use of them. This rhythm allows my objects to evolve, to be refined through several iterations and prototypes. Even when it comes to private commissions, I impose this necessary rhythm on myself. It is this luxury of time that allows me to go from a simple idea to a finished artwork, nourished by the thought process and successive attempts.
11 — FROM THE STUDIO TO THE FINISHED WORK
My studio works according to a balance between real and virtual. Mornings are dedicated to research and experimentation, and afternoons to 3D design work; my partners and I model volumes together and simulate textures to refine the object as closely as possible before it goes into production. My Plainpalais studio is not a private space; it is deliberately open to the street, allowing passersby to enter, react and sometimes inspire new directions. Since the early days, my practice has always fed off this permeability between the private and public space – between manual and digital.
12 — FROM ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TO CREATIVE GESTURE
I find myself squarely at the crossroads between these two seemingly contradictory worlds: the development of artificial intelligence and the attachment to traditional expertise. On the one hand, Iam curious to understand how the most recent technologies can be integrated into a practice based on craftsmanship. On the other, I am committed to preserving techniques that are disappearing, for example, by working with one of the last enamel factories in Europe capable of producing street signs. My artistic future probably lies in the fertile tension that arises from using the most contemporary tools to reinvent and perpetuate the gestures of our ancestors.