Sebastian Berge, Designer
GAIA & GINO COMPANY IS THE FIRST IN ITS KIND OF THE TURKISH HOUSE OF THE "LUX" CLASS INDUSTRIAL DESIGN CREATED IN 2004 IN ISTANBUL. FOR THE DESIGNER OF GAYA CHEVIKEL, IN HONOR WHICH THE COMPANY HAS RECEIVED THE FIRST HALF OF THEIR NAME, EVERYTHING MADE BY HUMAN HANDS HAS ITS UNIQUE HISTORY AND THIS. Therefore, EVERYTHING marked by the brand name GAIA & GINO (the name GINO is the SECOND BRAND in the brand name belongs to the pet dog of Gaia) is made by hand from an optic oil store. One of these masters is designer Sebastian Berge, in collaboration with which the brand GAIA & GINO has released an exclusive collection of vases called “EYE” (“EYE”).
I meet with Gaia and Sebastian in the Dubai Boutique-1 department store, where an extraordinary collection of vases “Eye” is exclusively presented, which was born as a result of cooperation between Gaia & Gino, Sebastian Berge and Swarovski Elements.
Sebastian, why the theme of your pottery collections for Gaia & Gino was precisely the white and blue “evil eye” symbol, which protects from damage and the evil eye, which is so believed in all countries of the East?
You answered your second part with your question. The first is the idea to embody a symbol known in the East in the form of desktop vases of various sizes, protecting a person and a house from evil spirits. My innovation was the use in this collection of ancient ceramic technology, which was used by the potters of the Turkish city of Iznik, in western Anatolia, many centuries ago. It was interesting for me to study this unique technique, which uses clay based on quartz, since I know that Iznik ceramics are very durable (samples were found over 1000 years old).
And the use of unique white, blue and blue colors, complemented by a central element made of black Swarovski crystals, allowed me to achieve an amazing effect.
Gaia, why did you invite Sebastian Berge to work on this collection?
The concept of my company is based on work with the most famous and interesting artists, decorators, designers who are able to create unique art objects. I used to work with Andre Putman, Eric Levy, Christian Gion, Konstantin Boim, Defney Koz, Harry Allen, Jamie Aayun, Karim Rashid and Yves Vejar. Having seen the work of Sebastian, I realized that I would like to invite him to cooperation. It seemed to me that he would be able to feel the traditions of Turkish folk crafts and be able to translate them into a modern vision. And I was not mistaken! The main task of my company is to combine in one traditional motifs and innovative forms that harmoniously fit into the home space, due to its dynamics, organicity and versatility. This aspiration of mine was appreciated by TIME magazine, which named the Gaia & Gino brand the best design house of 2005 and 2008, which I am very proud of. In fact, in a new joint project with Swarowski Elements, 10 of the most talented international designers and 9 of the best manufacturers, including Gaia & Gino, are combined to find a new unusual use for crystals and rhinestones in industrial design. The result of the collaboration of Gaia & Gino and Swarowski are two extraordinary collections of “Eye” and “Puzzle”, which can be found in leading boutiques in the USA, Italy, France, Portugal, Greece, Hong Kong and Turkey. In the UAE, the Eye collection is exclusively represented at Boutique-1.
Did I understand correctly that the Eye collection is a limited edition of vases and bowls?
That's right. The collection consists of two limited series, one is a line of 250 pieces, which presents large and small vases, as well as fruit bowls. The second is a line of 300 copies, which includes small bowls and candlesticks. All items from the Eye collection have their own serial numbers from 1 to 250 or 300, and bear the brand name Gaia & Gino. In total, the Eye collection contains 5 types of vases and bowls of various configurations and sizes. It seems to me that buyers of the United Arab Emirates should like them, because a beautiful and richly decorated house for residents of eastern countries is of paramount importance.
