Pelyhes — Blue Sculptural Vase

Pelyhes is a handmade vase that pretends to be something it isn't — a hard form shaped to look soft, inflated and full of air. The body divides into several cushioned segments cinched at the waist, as though someone had gripped an inflatable bag in a few places. The resulting creases, folds and puckers run the full height of the piece, while the top edge gathers into an uneven, rippling rim.

The intense cobalt blue is finished in a lacquer-bright gloss, so every cushion catches its own pale highlight while the colour deepens almost to navy in the hollows. That play of light is what makes the form legible at all. The work is handcrafted in a small studio, which means the arrangement of the folds, their depth and the line of the rim are unique to every piece. The object reads first as sculpture and looks best standing alone, against a neutral, pale background.