Pernille Snedker Hansen

Marbler

©MadsRubaek

©KirstineAutzen

©SnedkerStudio

Marbled furniture

Pernille mostly works on paper and wood
She has a master's from Central Saint Martins
Her marbling technique stems from Japan

A drop of colour in a water basin is how Pernille Snedker Hansen’s magic starts. A new drop reacts to the former by spreading, interacting, and creating unique colour combinations. This antique refinement for book covers – the marbling technique – is Hansen’s tool. A tradition she repurposes to create one-off paper art, furniture pieces and unique floors that seem to flood the room. The colouring process is intuitive yet controlled, organic yet structured – and the polar concepts of attraction and retraction seem to be the dynamic that pushes her work and motivation forward. Working with this type of craftsmanship demands numerous experiments and hours in the studio. The result is interior spaces enriched with this slow, historical and colourful craft practice.

Interview

©MadsRubaek

©Kirstine Autzen

How did you start working with the marbling technique?: In 2016 I took a master's at Central Saint Martins in London. The education was very conceptual and academic. I missed working with my hands, so I began to play with the marbling process letting the intuitive, organic, and fluent process guide me.
Why does this method fascinate you?: I am inspired by the technique and the way it demands I work with it. The fleeting colours on the water surface constantly bring me into a meditative flow. Time disappears as I find new ways to apply the patterns to different materials and situations.
What does colour mean to you?: I choose a deliberate atmosphere or concept for the colours, pattern and surface it applies. I use a palette of 10 to 20 shades and play with their reactions in the water and to each other.
Is the site-specific room important for your work?: Colours, patterns and surfaces never stand alone but work with the architecture in the room. When you zoom in on one of my marbled surfaces, it consists of coloured lines – when you zoom out, the colours appear as a coherent motif.

Pernille Snedker Hansen is an expert artisan: she began her career in 2008