OUR DAILY BREAD
7 glass reliefs
Even today, our daily bread remains a time-honoured tradition throughout the world. Several millennia have passed since the first sun-ripened grains were gathered in the vast plains and river valleys of the Near East, and until the first teams of oxen pulled seed ploughs across the fields. But then, suddenly, amongst the grain farmers who had settled in villages and their inventive housewives at the hearth, the miracle of bread came about.
Indeed, a grain that is close to nature yet processed in an extremely complex way finds its way onto our breakfast table, and it is also there for lunch and dinner. What the bread on our dining table so suddenly brings to mind are the sowing, the harvest, the grain mill and the bakery: here, the flour is mixed with water to form a dough and, through a process of fermentation and the heat of the oven, transformed into a crusty loaf of bread.
In short, everything that happens to the conventional grain in the bakery is now to be brought to life here in the form of a creative glass vision.
Hans Jürgen Westphal
THE CULTURE OF BAKING
7 glass reliefs for ‘IsernHäger. Die Backkultur’
Two years ago, Mr and Mrs Olms asked me whether I could envisage creating a piece on the theme of bread. My first, spontaneous response was ‘yes’, but before I began, I felt it was important first to get to know your business and its work processes.
My visit to the company ‘IsernHäger Die Backkultur’ immediately sparked a creative flow of ideas. The clarity and transparency of the business, as well as the building itself, inspired my thoughts. Two ideas made it onto my shortlist.
One idea was to create areas of colour, with the idea that every employee could find ‘their’ colour there. The second idea was to depict elements representing the miraculous multiplication of the loaves – five loaves and two fish.
The work begins in the mind – finds its way onto paper – glass is melted and gradually takes on more and more form, colour and expression. It takes effort, sweat and bread to translate what lies within one’s inner world into a form that can be depicted.
The work was inspired by creation, and the elements of water, earth, air and fire are recognisable.
All the glass reliefs feature seven dots, seven squares or seven loaves of bread. The number seven represents the week and begins anew after seven days. In one piece, the number twelve is recognisable; this symbolises the twelve solar months.
I began the series of glass reliefs with the yellow-orange landscape, as mindfulness of nature is paramount in bread-making.
The second piece is dedicated to the bull, a workhorse that was used by our ancestors for many tasks, such as pulling the plough, pulling the cart or even threshing grain. Alongside circles, dots and squares, the human figure appears time and again in the work – in groups, in pairs, working together and with one another.
I would like to thank you for the trust you have placed in my work. I would also like to thank my wife, Gudrun, for our many discussions on various topics, such as the creation and effect of colours.
Hans Jürgen Westphal
Keitum, May 2011
RESPECT FOR NATURE
L A N D . N A T U R E
Sun | Moon
ORANGE symbolises optimism and a zest for life; it has an uplifting, invigorating and positive effect and promotes good health in every way. It is the most dynamic colour, signifying expansion and extroversion.
YELLOW symbolises lightness, mental clarity and cheerfulness. Mentally, it aids clarity, insight and understanding. Yellow promotes the principles of communication, exchange and intellectual engagement. Yellow is the colour of wisdom and insight.
TAURUS
A N I M A L . E A R T H . W O R K
Dots | Stripes
YELLOW symbolises lightness and cheerfulness. On a mental level, it promotes clarity, insight and understanding. It encourages communication, concentration, exchange and intellectual engagement, and boosts mental creativity.
GREEN symbolises new beginnings and growth. Green has a balancing effect and helps one find one’s centre; it promotes harmony and stability. It is the colour of hope, contentment and trust.
TRANSFORMATION
G R A I N . E N E R G Y . B R E A D
Fire | People | Harvest time
YELLOW symbolises lightness and cheerfulness. On a mental level, it promotes clarity, insight and understanding. It encourages communication, concentration, exchange of ideas and intellectual engagement, and boosts mental creativity.
RED symbolises fire, heat, activity and movement; it has a stimulating effect. Red provides the impetus for change and movement. Red gives courage and strength to stand one’s ground in difficult situations.
AIR
F E R M E N T A T I O N P R O C E S S . B E G I N N I N G
7 Circles | Pair | Set Table
GREEN symbolises new beginnings and growth. Green has a balancing effect and helps one find one’s centre; it promotes harmony and stability. It is the colour of hope, contentment and trust.
BLUE symbolises calm, relaxation, vastness and depth. Blue helps us to gain perspective and rediscover the right balance in things. Blue is the colour of peace and brings us closer to the truth.
WATER
N I G H T . C A L M . W A T E RR
Wave | Stars | Metal | Fish
BLUE symbolises lightness and cheerfulness. On a spiritual level, it promotes clarity, insight and understanding. It encourages communication, concentration, exchange and intellectual engagement, and it enhances mental creativity.
OUR DAILY BREAD
C O N F I D E N C E . S E C U R I T Y
7 loaves of bread | Oven | Fire | People
ORANGE symbolises optimism and a zest for life; it has an uplifting, invigorating and positive effect and promotes good health in every way. It is the most dynamic colour, signifying expansion and extroversion.
YELLOW symbolises lightness and cheerfulness. Mentally, it aids clarity, insight and understanding. It promotes communication, concentration, exchange and intellectual engagement, and strengthens mental creativity.
BROWN symbolises the earth. It is within this that creative forces can unfold – the power of our roots, the sum of our experiences from the past right up to the present day. Brown gives us security, trust and a sense of safety; it gives us the calm and serenity to ‘pause for a moment’, to look back, so that we may move forward with confidence, gently but rather thoughtfully.
NUTRITION
M U L T I P L Y . T R U S T
5 loaves | 2 fish | olive tree
GREEN symbolises new beginnings and growth. Green has a balancing effect and helps one find one’s centre; it promotes harmony and stability. It is the colour of hope, contentment and trust.
TURQUOISE symbolises alertness, awareness, clarity, open-mindedness and freedom. Turquoise encourages and strengthens clear creative expression, perceptiveness and the power of imagination. It is the colour of the sea on a sunny day.