Pigeon Service by Christien Meindertsma | Fabric Pigeon | no.15

Pigeon Service is a pigeon made of fabric, from offcuts left over when furniture is upholstered. A design by Christien Meindertsma from the Offcuts collection for Kuperus & Gardenier. Under its left wing sits a pocket that holds the note supplied with it: a carrier pigeon in textile, for a secret or personal message. That makes it all the nicer to give as a gift.

This pigeon comes in beige, woven from two shades that alternate in a steady rhythm. The result is a softly mottled surface that looks finely striped up close and settles into one warm sand tone from a distance.

Every pigeon is one of a kind

Upholstering leaves furniture maker Gelderland with remnants of high-quality woollen fabric. Each pigeon is hand-sewn from them and filled with flaxseed, which gives it its weight and its steady stance. No two pigeons are alike, and the photographs on this page are of this very one. If it is sold out, sign up to be notified: as soon as a new pigeon takes this place, you will hear about it.

Specifications

• Brand: Kuperus & Gardenier
• Design: Christien Meindertsma
• Material: offcuts from furniture maker Gelderland
• Filling: flaxseed
• Dimensions: 30 × 20 × 10 cm (l × w × h)
• Weight: 730 grams
• Supplied with: note paper for a secret message
• Made in: the Netherlands

Pigeon Service

"Pigeon Service" from 2015 is part of a permanent installation at Texture, the museum of flax and linen in Kortrijk. During the First World War the German occupiers held thousands of pigeons captive there, suspected of carrying military information. Christien Meindertsma brought both stories together in a pigeon made of linen. Volunteers at the museum made more than three hundred of them, from a wide range of weaves, displayed throughout the building.

About Christien Meindertsma

Christien Meindertsma studied at the Design Academy Eindhoven from 1998 to 2003, taught among others by Hella Jongerius. Her work examines the lifespan and the use of products and raw materials. Careful research and documentation, and themes such as local production and untapped raw materials, characterise her work. She also sets out to make the origin of everyday products legible again, something globalisation and industrial production have largely put out of sight. Sometimes the research itself is the end result. In other cases her investigations lead to commercial products. Meindertsma's work is held in the collections of MoMA, the Victoria & Albert Museum and the Vitra Design Museum. She has won numerous prestigious awards, among them several Dutch Design Awards, the Index Award and the Future Award.

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