Duplum

‘The mirror reflects its surroundings, including those imperfections that might just be the true source of beauty and character. That phenomenon is manifested in Duplum, which frames what it reflects.’
– Nicholai Wiig-Hansen

Nicholai Wiig-Hansen’s latest design for raawii is Duplum. A circular mirror embraced by a wide ceramic frame with a monochrome glaze available in both a matt and a glossy version as well as a version with a reactive glaze that varies in colour and expression from one frame to the next.

Duplum is Latin for ‘double’. Duplum celebrates reflection and duplication, as the mirror reflects and duplicates the space around it. The duplication is not exactly one-to-one, however, because the mirror image only shows a fragment and in a slightly distorted form, depending on the viewer’s vantage point. Similarly, no two Duplum mirrors are quite the same, despite the duplication, since both clay and glaze are living materials, and each mirror passes through a number of human hands. As a result, each mirror frame is unique.

Duplum is both a form in a room and a functional design, which is not necessarily intended for the user to gaze on their own reflection. Instead, it might be used to frame a detail in the interior it occupies. As Nicholai Wiig-Hansen puts it, ‘I imagine you might replace one of the paintings on your wall with a mirror, which would then depict a reflection of a detail from your home, inviting you to see your living space from a new perspective.’ The reflective Duplum thus frames a still life or a fragment of your home interior.