While it takes the shape of the archetypical terra-cotta flowerpot, the Soft Vase is made from polyurethane and is in fact pliable. It is the first in a series of hard objects that Jongerius remade in the rubbery material, pairing an unexpected tactile experience with a familiar form. Rather than relishing machined precision, the vase celebrates its poured and molded polyurethane’s imperfections and irregularities. It was included in MoMA’s 1995 exhibition Mutant Materials
in Contemporary Design, which explored the innovative use of materials in more than two hundred objects and prototypes.
Jongerius frequently begins the design process by reexamining the object from scratch, reconsidering its material essence—pondering the thread of a textile or the clay of a pot, for example. Her affinity with unassuming, crafted, and oddly comfortable design (rather than foreign-feeling and grandiose objects) and her attention to tradition come from her interest in human feelings and rituals. She believes that we feel more affection for objects that carry the physical scars of the people who made and used them, and she therefore embeds and highlights these traces. Always in search of elegance, Jongerius enlivens the historical significance of an object by detecting its timeless, iconic, and most familiar features and making them the focus
of her updated editions.
Publication excerpt from MoMA Highlights: 375 Works from The Museum of Modern Art, New York (New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 2019)