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Born in Szombathely, Hungary in 1953, student of architect Imre Makovecz, Ekler is one of the most interesting exponents of contemporary Hungarian architecture. His work is strongly influenced by the anthroposophic vision of Rudolf Steiner, as demonstrated by this evocative commentary on his cup designs.
“Have you ever noticed that traditional porcelain cups are always decorated with flowers? In fact, more often than not, their form is also flower-like. Even the very first porcelain cups, from one thousand years ago in ancient China, were fashioned in the form of flower-cups. They were very rare and very expensive, because they were specially made for sacral purposes. But what did flower-cups symbolize in ancient Chinese rituals? No less, than the cosmos itself!
Just as in many other ancient cultures, the Chinese too believed that the movement of celestial bodies exerted a direct effect on the form of things on earth, and the similarities between the forms of flowers and the paths of planets were no coincidence. As flowers turned to face the sun, they gently followed the rhythms and patterns of the planets, which in turn influenced and delineated their form.
Today, we know from David Attenborough that plants can see, count, and measure time. Scientists have discovered their time-measuring genes, which monitor the length of days and determine the ideal time for flowers to begin blossoming. Perhaps today’s scientists will soon substantiate some of those seemingly obscure ancient beliefs…?
I wanted to create cups that lent themselves to many different variations. And I realized that flowers embodied the most suitable form for my purpose. But not only that, they also offered precisely the form necessary for the shaping of a cup; the same form that the ancient Chinese discovered… in the cosmos.
I have designed twelve variations in all, and of these twelve “star-flowers”, the tulip is the first”.
Dezső Ekler
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