Sebastian Herkner for Pulpo. Pina: A Tribute to the Famous 'Pina Bausch Tanztheater'

18/12/2020 - The special symbiosis between Offenbach-based designer Sebastian Herkner and German design label pulpo has already produced a multitude of collaborations, bent, oda, stellar or mila are just a few of them. Many, of the products resulting from this productive collaboration, stand out for their exceptional craftsmanship, including Sebastian's 2020 design: the side table series pina.

The pina series, as its name suggests, is inspired by the abstract twists and turns of the famous 'Pina Bausch Tanztheater'. "Modern ballet, like my work, has its own strong message,” explains Sebastian Herkner about his inspiration.

In the 1970s, German dancer, choreographer and ballet director Philippine Bausch, known as Pina, developed one of the most revolutionary art forms of modern dance - the dance theater, a moving sequences of images on the border between reality and dreamworld. Her ensemble the 'Pina Bausch Tanztheater' with its innovative, cross-genre, dance performances and strong theatrical aspects, as a contrast to the strict, classical ballet, became a cult of the international dance scene and Pina one of the most important choreographers of her time.

But Pina Bausch's work is not only characterized by the reformation of dance thanks to the inclusion of other genres, the decisive enrichment is humanity, her strength to integrate empathy as a central element in a piece. In one of her rare interviews (Lothar Schmidt-Mühlisch: "Der Anfang bin ich." In: Die Welt, May 5, 2000) Pina once said: "It was and is always only about: How can I express what I feel?" The single gesture, the representation and expression of a certain feeling represented the starting point of each of her works.

With the pina collection of side tables, Sebastian Herkner wants to "capture the strength as well as the lightness in the tables as a tribute to Pina Bausch," as he says.

The basic figure of the pina tables appears in various combinations of rich green, corn yellow, aqua blue, light gray and transparent glass, with metallic brass or steel rods creating an elegant combination of light and heavy, flowing and static.

Glass runs through many of Herkner's designs like a fluid link. "When me and Patrick L'Hoste from pulpo first visited the glass manufactory in Italy, I was immediately inspired by the craftsmen and their possibilities," he says, "I love working with glass as a material. Unlike the Bell Table for Classicon, where we make the base by blowing glass, with pina the process is different. Glass is poured into heavy steel bowls and then cooled, creating the tabletop and base. Both elements are connected by a metal rod, so we have three elements. The character of the tables can be developed individually through different glass colors as well as metal tubes made of brass or painted steel."

In addition to pina, the glass manufactory in Veneto also produces the bent lamp series and the alwa tables, both designs by Sebastian Herkner for pulpo. 

In addition to his unconditional love of traditional craftsmanship, the designer also greatly appreciates the interpersonal relationships involved in a collaboration: "Over the years, a close friendship has developed with the pulpo owners, which makes the work very smooth. We can pursue approaches and experiment quite freely and thus easily create new products. I think the human component is crucial for a successful product." At this point, the circle closes as well as the connection to Pina Bausch, whose name already in the late 1970s stood for a dance theater of humanity and whose success was built on the special appreciation of compassion.