A basic bar for serving water, consisting of a plinth with a large jug and several cups.

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Basic Bar
A basic bar for serving water, consisting of a plinth with a large jug and several cups. In its simple form and familiar materials, it points as much to our shared human past as it does to the future. It may appear as a symbolic sign or a still life, but it also defines a functional place for the everyday act of having a drink of water, indoors or out. The inspiration for the bar came in part from Ole Jensen’s latest exhibition, The Opening, where all the works on display were related to the event of an exhibition opening. The MINDCRAFT15 exhibition venue, the San Simpliciano Cloister in Milan, inspired the simple and functional character of the object. In Ole Jensen’s own description, the production process was similarly basic: conception and drawing; shaping and firing; sawing and planing.

Produced with the assistance of Tommerup Ceramic Workcenter and Kjeldtoft Cabinetmaker.

Materials
high-fired red clay and pinewood

Dimensions
Plinth: 38 x 128 x 60 cm
Jug: height 50 cm
Cups: height 17 cm

Colours
reddish brown and natural

Ole Jensen
ceramist and designer, b. 1958
Although Ole Jensen’s primary material is clay, he also works in a wide variety of other materials, depending on the task at hand. His working process is generally analogue and hands-on with a clear focus on the function and usage context of the product. Typically, he draws inspiration from mundane and often humble objects and functions. An additional source of inspiration may be a particular word, an assignment, a theme or the material itself. Over time, his designs have covered a wide range of expressions and materials, but a consistent feature is his emphasis on transforming everyday phenomena to present them in a radically new light.

CV
1989: Graduated from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts
1985: Graduated from Kolding College of Design

Selected clients
Royal Copenhagen, Normann Copenhagen, Muuto, Louis Poulsen and Room Copenhagen

Selected grants and honours
2012: Honorary grant from Danmarks Nationalbank’s Anniversary Foundation of 1968
2006: Torsten and Wanja Söderberg Prize, Sweden
2004: The Thorvald Bindesbøll Medal from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts

Selected exhibitions
2013: ‘The Opening’, (with Claydies), Copenhagen Ceramics
2012: ‘Form and Imagination’, (with Louise Birch), Ann Linnemann Gallery, Copenhagen
2003: ‘Crafts’, Galleri Nørby, Copenhagen

Collections
Designmuseum Danmark
Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Röhsska Museum, Gothenburg

Website
www.olejensendesign.com