Danish Helle Damkjaer is a multi-talented designer who has worked internationally in countries like Italy, Japan, USA and France, where she has been living for the past 20 years.
Helle Damkjaer has worked with Luxury brands such as Georg Jensen, Carl Hansen & son, Guerlain and Emilio Pucci just to name a few. Within the past few years, she has also gained international recognition as a ceramic artist with her oversized organic sculptural forms sold exclusively at Galerie Decombe in Paris and Los Angeles.
How did you become a designer ?
With a background in advertising there very naturally was an urge for me to transform my graphical shapes into threedimensional pieces. But it was only while working as graphic designer for an architect in Italy that I got interested in design. For a long time, I woke up early to see Italian artisans before goint to work and I would spend all my money on buying their prototypes. Little by little I wanted to created myself and opportunities came my way.
What made you begin sculpting ?
A friend persuaded me to join her at her ceramic class, but it was only 10 years later that I picked it up again to make some handmade prototypes. For a presentation of a rug that i had designed for Taiping in Paris I made several ceramci forms that were part of the installation and people began to request my handmade shapes. Shortly after I followed my husband to Kyoto, Japan where we stayed for one year and I decided to concentrate on improving my ceramic work. I rented a space from a Japanese ceramic master and worked non-stop.
What is your main influence when creating ?
Im very much inspired by nature and the human body
How do you choose your materials ?
It depends - for ceramcic work I either use earthenware or stoneware - black or white. Very simple. For my designs it all depends on the type of product, what it should be used for etc
Can you tell us about your design process ?
I do a sketch and keep the image in my mind while working. My process is very important to me and almost meditiative.
What are the main challenges in your job ?
To reach a perfect harmony of a line or a shape. It is a continuous challenge each time.