Pigeon Service by Christien Meindertsma | Fabric Pigeon | no.27

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. There is a smaller one too: the Bird t., the fabric sparrow from the same series.

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. To see which pigeons there are right now, have a look at all the pigeons. 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 - See the full collection
• Design: Christien Meindertsma
• Material: offcuts from furniture maker Gelderland
• Filling: flaxseed
• Dimensions: L 30 | W 20 | H 10 cm
• 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.

About Kuperus & Gardenier

Kuperus & Gardenier is the joinery and woodworking workshop of Jan Kuperus and Rienk Gardenier in Lelystad. For years they produced Christien Meindertsma’s designs for t.e., the label of Thomas Eyck. After his death in 2023 they set up a label of their own and took on a number of those designs so they would not be lost — this pigeon is one of them.

We aim to deliver your order quickly. Orders placed on weekdays before 4 PM will be shipped the same day, unless otherwise stated. Sometimes delivery may be delayed, for example if a product is out of stock. In that case, we will inform you as soon as possible and you can cancel if you wish.

Within the Netherlands, shipping is free from €49,-, otherwise it costs €4,95. Returns cost €3,95. In Belgium and Germany, shipping is free from €69,-, otherwise it costs €4,95, and returns cost €4,95.

Returns within the Netherlands cost €3.95. You can cancel your order up to 14 days after receipt without giving a reason via the email from our shipping partner Sendcloud. This email contains a link to the return portal, where you can create a return label.
After cancellation, you have another 14 days to return the product at a PostNL point. You will receive the full order amount back, excluding any shipping costs to the customer. The product must be returned with all accessories and, if possible, in its original condition and packaging. We will refund the amount within 14 days of receiving the return shipment. For other European countries, a return fee applies, calculated via the Sendcloud link.