[Title] TIME LAPSE
[Artist] Aldo Bakker
[Date] Dates July 27 – September 26, 2017
Aldo Bakker’s attitude towards the object goes against the grain of fast production for fast consumption. His works take time to be conceived. Many of the pitchers, bowls, spoons, stools, benches and tables have grown up slowly in the sheltered environment of the studio and during that process they often received nurturing by selected technicians and craftsmen. Even when an object finally stands on its own two feet, it can only be fully enjoyed when the observer is prepared to invest time and concentration to look beyond the appealing surface. The object that leaves the studio also needs to be resilient when it comes to the passage of time or changes of context. In fact, the different layers of meaning within the work help it to mature and seem to guarantee its survival.
The interaction between object and time is a main concern in Aldo Bakker’s approach. In response to the Hermès’ yearly theme ‘Object Sense’, Bakker responded with the effects of time on a product, which is the very heart of his ongoing research. A key element of the concept the studio developed is the choice to represent time using shadows. Shadows add drama to the displays, but they also suggest movement and continuity. In one of the two large windows framing the entrance, the mannequin with Hermès’ Autumn /Winter collection is standing in an almost pastoral natural environment, where a large shadow seems to create a wooden pavilion. This shadow is cast by one of Bakker’s major pieces, Swing, a wooden stool which has just passed a long phase of prototyping.
On the opposite window the scene is somewhat more mysterious. Again the shadow is cast by a unique piece created by Aldo Bakker: this time a small bronze version of Tonus. While the pastoral surroundings are sunlit and bright, displaying the shadow of a crane, this early evening tableau actually depicts the crane,a powerful symbol in Asian culture, as Aldo puts it, flying elegantly in the sky. High-gloss lacquered gingko leaves are scattered through these two installations.
Each of the sixteen smaller windows contains one Hermès product in combination with a shadow. The shadow highlights a specific feature or creates a new setting for the product. These displays are conceived as collages, as if they were stills from a time lapse movie, evoking different perceptions of the products.
Aldo Bakker
Aldo Bakker (1971) produces works in which his exquisite use of shape, material and colour is balanced with an almost disturbing tenacity in the way his products defy everyday perceptions about the relationship between man and object. Or more precisely: the relationship between object and man.