Material Tendencies: Ineke Hans

If you had to restrict yourself to working with just one material for the next three years, which one would you choose? And why?

I would really like to work with pressed glass. It is challenging and I like to think about shapes that can be made out of one mould, because I like the cleanness of things. There are not so many companies left who produce pressed glass, because production is moving into smaller quantities and glass is quite an investment to begin with.

Another material would be textiles. It is about the tactile sensation and the warm ambience that the material brings along. In a way, textiles are very close to you. I am a maker and often my work is more handmade. But besides my interest in crafts and traditional methods, for me working with textiles is opening a whole new field that I would like to explore more. It is much more than just a square cushion on a sofa. There are many new technologies developing and you can do incredible three-dimensional things with textiles.

Have you identified certain trends in materials?

Actually I do see quite a lot of textiles at the moment. (She smiles.) I think sustainability is increasingly important, but not only when choosing the material itself. The innovation should take place not only at the material level, but also at the technical and visual level. When the design piece doesn’t stand out visually and is being used for only three years, you begin to wonder what the sustainable part is.