Pia-Maria Raeder transforms the subtleties of nature into functional sculptures, capturing the beauty and vulnerability of natural forms through her artistic process. Known for her intricate use of beechwood rods arranged by hand, Raeder’s work brings to life the organic intricacies of the sea and the celestial bodies above. Raeder’s ability to forge a deep, emotional connection between her sculptures and the viewer has made her a celebrated figure in the spheres of design and art.
INTERVIEWS
Raeder’s collaborations with luxury brands and top interior designers, including the House of Dior and Kelly Wearstler, highlight her influence in the design world. Her acclaimed pieces, exhibited at prestigious venues like Design Miami and included in the permanent collection at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, highlight her significant impact on contemporary sculpture. In exclusive interview with DSCENE Magazine‘s editor Anastasija Pavic , Pia-Maria Raeder shares her journey from childhood explorations in nature to creating renowned sculptural series like ‘Sea Anemone’ and ‘Stardust’. She discusses her collaborations with luxury brands and her commitment to sustainability and environmental awareness in her evolving practice.
Your work often transforms natural elements into sculptural pieces. What first inspired you to explore biomorphic forms in your designs?
I was always fascinated by the wonders nature offers to us. When I was a little girl, I spent hours climbing and sitting in my favorite tree, walking through the forest, listing to the sound of wind and rain. When I started to create, I was driven by the desire to capture the beauty of nature, without wanting to imitate this perfection but rather finding an abstract interpretation, my own DNA. I looked at shapes and forms, movements, reflection, influence of changing seasons and I began to shape organic sculptures from natural materials, which eventually turned into my sculptures.
The Sea Anemone series is one of your most recognized works. How did the idea for its creation come about?
At that time, I lived near a lake, and every day I observed how the water changed under the influence of sun, wind, and seasons. I wanted to capture these magical moments nature offers us and the inner peace it evoked inside of me. I tried to translate these emotions into material language and at one point a certain material, movement and arrangement felt right. This is how the Sea Anemones came slowly to life.
Your sculptures encourage both visual and tactile engagement. How does the sensory experience shape your artistic approach?
We live in a very abstract world, exposed to permanent artificial impact – mails, social media, video on demand. All this may be important or even necessary, but the sheer volume has from my point of view become too overwhelming in our everyday life. The brain has hardly any chance to calm down and many feel estranged or exhausted. By creating sculptures with a sensory aspect, my hope is to reconnect people with themselves. One of my works, a large Stardust Bench called Ultimate Shelter, is right now exhibited at the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich. Every day people sit on it, feel the structure with their legs and hands, breath in and out and relax a little. It is important to be aware of yourself and your senses to gather new strength. Hopefully my pieces being inspired by organic shapes will remind others also to spend more time in nature, touch a real tree, look at a night sky full of stars, swim in a lake.
“I was always fascinated by the wonders nature offers to us. When I was a little girl, I spent hours climbing and sitting in my favorite tree, walking through the forest, listing to the sound of wind and rain.”
How does the functional aspect of your sculptures influence their design and artistic intent?
I consider each creation generally as a sculpture and some of them have a function as well. My Sea Anemone Floor Lights for example can be illuminated but they also can be installed without ever switching the light on. It is up to the viewer how to interpret my works, is it a light, is it a sculpture, is it both?
The Stardust series reflects cosmic influences. What inspired you to translate celestial imagery into sculpture?
For a couple of years, I lived outside the city next to a lake. During clear nights, the starry sky felt extremely close. Living organisms are all made of this stardust that has crossed the universe for billions of years. We all instinctively feel the magnetic attraction of these suns’ final splendors, as far as they may be. I wanted to create my own interpretation of this natural phenomenon. We should be thankful for our existence and use the short life span to live in harmony with nature and in best case make this planet a better place.
With such detailed craftsmanship in your work, what part of the creative process requires the most patience?
Patience is one of the most important aspects of my work. But I like to compare the process more to a meditation, rather than disciplining yourself to be patient – it is a process in which you completely devote yourself to this specific sculpture, where all other thoughts are silent, where you calm down and relax your mind.
When working with prestigious brands, how do you combine your artistic expression with their established design language?
I try to find a connection between my universe and the universe of the brand. For Maison Dior this connection was Christian Dior’s love and passion for flowers and gardens. I could immediately connect to that feeling. I looked at pictures showing him in his garden, studied how he used natures beauty in his creation, in parfums scents, shapes and choice of colors.
“It is up to the viewer how to interpret my works, is it a light, is it a sculpture, is it both?”
For the Miss Dior project, you joined 11 international women artists in reimagining an iconic perfume bottle. What was your creative approach to this reinterpretation?
I thought of three aspects: the colorful flower gardens in the Provence, Christian Dior’s iconic new look from 1947, a tulip silhouette with the very tight waist and a blossom like skirt as well as his relationship to his beloved sister Catherine, the woman behind the Miss Dior Parfum. I realized quickly I needed to create two connected sculptures. I used the geometric flacon in a larger version and arranged beechwood pearls, the once I use in my Stardust Collection. I chose several shades of green and yellow combined with the iconic coral pink colored perfume inside the bottle surrounded by a frame of white and silvery pearls to create the vision of blooming rose flower fields being embraced by the mist and dew on a fresh new morning. For the dress silhouette sculpture, I chose the signature silvery bow of the perfume bottle to underline the waist. I used several shades of pink along some touches of green and yellow and colored the rods that I usually use for my Sea Anemone Collection to create the idea of blooming flowers. The sculptures are meant to be a couple. To me the flacon sculpture symbolizes Catherine Dior, the tulip shaped silhouette sculpture Christian Dior.
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What challenges do you face when bringing your work from the studio to large-scale public presentations?
Through my creations, I aim to highlight the marvels of nature. But at the same time, I want to remind viewers of our collective responsibility to safeguard this invaluable treasure and approach nature’s resources with mindfulness. Every time I present my work to a large-scale public it is more a chance than a challenge – an opportunity to raise awareness. Art and Design have the power to provoke thought and inspire awareness.
How do you envision the future development of your artistic practice?
To me it’s like an inner call, a never-ending search for new ways of expressions, materials, and shapes. The moment of pieces coming to life is to me the best feeling in the world and I want to continue creating as long as I live. My wish and vision are to remind the viewers trough my creations of nature’s wonders and our responsibility to protect this incredible treasure. To use the sources of nature with care, not to consume too much and avoid producing waste as best as possible. Art and Design may not change the world or solve all problems, but I am convinced it can make people overthink their decisions and hopefully create an awareness. If I could achieve awareness and overthinking through my creations, it would mean everything to me.
