white swan in marble by satyendra pakhalé at design miami/

‘white swan’ in white carrara marble by satyendra pakhaléphoto: tiziano rossi

cultivating a certain formal language through his practice, satyendra pakhalé thrives to create works which express a ‘poetic analogy of form’ – sculptural in manner – their purpose further extended through function. his latest ‘white swan’ and ‘black swan’ marble pieces are the conclusion to a project which he started in india in the summer of 2005 spending time on experimenting and developing edition pieces. designboom spoke with the indian-born amsterdam-based designer about the natural stone works which are being presented by gabrielle amman // gallery at designmiami/ 2012.

‘white swan’ in white carrara marble photo: tiziano rossi

designboom: please tell us more about your experience working with marble.

satyendra pakhalé: marble indeed is one of the most ancient materials we have on our planet. I have always been curious about it. for quite a while I have been studying marble and after long deliberation, I decided to use this natural stone capable of creating a sensorial feeling. the rigor of this piece is found in its design, in its development as well as in the chosen material.

designboom: is the ideal setting for these pieces indoors or outdoors?

satyendra pakhalé: I wanted the project to work in both settings, indoors as well as outdoors. especially for the outdoor version, we have worked out a detail at the base that is almost invisible from the human eye, which makes it appropriate to use outdoors. I love to explore such details that make the object work, but which people will hardly notice.

satyendra pakhalé with ‘black swan’ in black nero marquina marblephoto: tiziano rossi

designboom: how do you imagine the patina of time affecting the sensorial feeling of the work?

satyendra pakhalé: in the field of industrial design, we still have a long way to go to apply material and processes which will not only last long, but also age gracefully. being acutely aware of the lack of sensorial qualities in industrially mass manufactured products, I have been working for many years with materials such as ceramics, bronze, aluminium and copper to understand how beautifully these mediums acquire patina. working on edition projects gives me the possibility to prototype, allowing me to work and learn from the processso that I can eventually apply this knowledge and sensibility to industrial design pieces.

designboom: regarding the monumental presence of the ‘white swan’ – do you consider it more like a statue?

satyendra pakhalé: for me objects are like companions and I am fascinated by the possibility of bringing life, elegance and even dignity into them. I always want to create a stately physical presence into my work without compromising the utility, so people do not throw them away, but build a special life long bond with them.

‘aquarelle swan’photo: satyendra pakhalé design studio