Image credit: Steckalbum by Nadine Werner, HANDMADE IN GERMANY – Manufactory 4.0 by Pascal Johanssen (ed.), Kerstin Rice
I first came across Nadine Werner when browsing through the fantastic book HANDMADE IN GERMANY – Manufactory 4.0 published by arnoldsche by Pascal Johanssen (ed.). I have since spent many hours enjoying the inspiring stories of diverse craftspeople in Germany told in the book, of both small independent makers and larger world-renowned manufacturies, such as A. Lange & Söhne and Meissen Porcelain. Pascal and his team are doing an incredible amount of work through the Direktorenhaus in Berlin and the Meisterrat to give German craft a new dose of life by supporting craftspeople and seeing the opportunities in combining craft and forward-thinking design.
A couple of weeks ago, I had the chance to speak to the excellent Nadine Werner. She is a designer working in paper. She is transforming sheets of paper into three-dimensional objects by the not so simple technique of folding. This allows Nadine to create adhesive-free books, such as the small one in the picture and other truly inspiring objects. Nadine allowed me a sneak peek of a three-dimensional interactive book that goes far beyond our common perception of books.
I followed the river Elbe north-west to visit Nadine in her beautiful workshop in the idyllic Wendland. We talked for a long time about books, formats, and ways to use Nadine’s craft to portray our craft and design. It was very inspiring meeting a like-minded designer and craftsperson who uses wood in a slightly different form to make her beautiful objects.