In 2013 we were asked by Micro-coffee-roasters ‘Koffiestation’ to collaborate on a site specific project. Koffiestation was approached by the ‘Grand Theatre’ in Groningen to bring some buzz to the entrance of the theatre during the quiet Summer months.

We decided to design and build a mini-factory together where we could show passers-by how a ‘cup of coffee’ is being made. From raw beans to coffee and from clay to cup. Koffiestation roasted their beans on the spot and made delicious hand-poured coffees. We brought everything we needed to design and produce coffee cups in the pavilion. We even fired the cups on location in our kiln…. Fresh coffee in a fresh cup!

Inspiration for the Kopje/Koffie cups

For the design of the cups we took our inspiration from the beautiful theatre building in Art Déco style. We also wanted to show our design process to the public. Every week we took another detail of the building that we integrated into our design. This way the cup evolved during a period of a month, resulting in a series of 5 cups. We made about 25 numbered pieces per model on location. Now we still produce the first model and the other models on request.

Wood and rope

The pavilion is made of wooden slats that are brought together just with rope. It was a big job to build it up, but when it was all joined together like a puzzle, it worked really well.
In the mornings we drove the pavilion out and in the afternoons back into the theatre again.
Now Koffiestation still uses the pavilion, in a slightly different version, as a coffee bar at the Noorderzon Festival in Groningen.

Weather and clay

It was a great experience to create work in the open air, right in the city centre and to make the hidden creative and production processes visible to the public. In the beginning people kept some distance and were hesitating to take a closer look. However, now people still remember the wooden pavilion in front of the theatre!

We experienced that casting in open air is not the same as in a studio. The weather circumstances had their influence on production. For example changing air humidity influenced the thickness of the cups and the wind had its influence on the drying process of cups and moulds.

This project still stands out as one of our most memorable projects.
What made the project extra special for us is that our few months old baby girl accompanied us most of the time.

Koffiestation & Unit 30

In 2015 we and Koffiestation became ‘work neighbours’. We still love each others products very much! And after 7 years our cups and Koffiestation coffee is still a perfect combination. Both made with lots of love and attention. Now also available as a set in our webshop.