Wiebke Pandikow

Wiebke Pandikow grew up in the middle of the forest, so nature and biology have interested her since a very young age. Wiebke developed a passion for creating things, first expressed through writing and drawing as a child, that drove her to choose a career in craft and design instead. She studied in Germany, Finland, and Japan, leading to developing work with urushi, a Japanese lacquer, something that has taught Wiebke a great deal about how to be patient in craft.

"Since 2014 I have been working with plastic bags. Without the ubiquitous plastic, our civilization could hardly have become what it is today, but at the same time it is a burden on the environment with far-reaching consequences. Especially plastic bags are an obvious symbol for mindless consumerism and a throw-away society. This makes them so interesting for me to work with, to create from them textures and structures that recall forms of a natural world which we have set ourselves apart from. In our culture, plastics are commonplace, invaluable yet insignificant. For me they bear the possibility of beauty.”