NN GROUP – THE HAGUE

FREEDOM TO EXPLORE

DNNA

2016

INTRO
NN GROUP has the largest private collection of glass art in the Netherlands. In 2015, it commissioned Dutch artist Pieke Bergmans to create a unique work of art for the reception area of its headquarters in The Hague.

“I come from a family of artists and shoe designers. My parents encouraged me to be curious about the world. To go on adventures. To see what is beyond the horizon.

This resonates in my work. I love exploring possibilities. Finding the edge of what can and cannot be done. That place, that tension, is exciting. It’s where I feel most present and alive.

And I don’t mind not knowing where I will end up. I am confident that everything will turn out right. And it’s okay when things break. Mistakes show me where the boundaries are.

To me, life is about practical learning. That is why I work with artisans, different materials and high-tech equipment. And why I work in series. It’s how I discover the underlying principle and how my understanding can mature.

DNNA is a work I made for the reception area of NN Group. A gorgeous space, light and transparent. Full of possibilities.

NN commissioned me to create a glass installation. They gave me lots of freedom, but were also engaged and had clear preferences. They became a partner in the creative process.

Which ended up taking half a year. I started from the company’s values: care, clear and commit.
I made quite a few mock-ups and explored the many possibilities of glass.

Such as different sizes and shapes. Adding elements such as stripes. But soon I realised that when you add too much, glass becomes kitschy.

Then I was struck by how it all starts: with a ball of molten glass. Blazing. Radiant. Gently balanced and turned by the glassblower. Who then breathes life into it.

In this beginning, in this fiery ball, I saw the logo of NN. This is the essence I returned to. I left everything out and then added the colour. Finding just the right fiery orange was extremely hard, though. It took many, many tries.

Throughout all of his I worked with a master glassblower and his assistant. I directed them to the edge of what they could achieve. And what the glass could handle. How thin it could be. How heavy.

And this is the result. Right at the entrance, a perfect fireball suspended in the air, just like NN’s logo. On the windows two large fiery stickers. And further in the back three pieces perfectly poised on the edge of a steel table. The company’s three values brought to life.

My hope is that people who see DNNA will pause for a moment. To feel the tension of the glass resting on the hard steel. To wonder about these large, coloured bubbles. To feel touched by their beauty.“