Artist in Residence - Daniel Heer
Daniel Heer makes mattresses made of horsehair. Personally, I had never heard of it before I found him on the internet last summer. Nonetheless I think the mattresses look amazing and I really enjoy the fact that he learned such a traditional craft from his father. The genuine horsehair mattress is a HEER classic, made by four generations since 1907.
It’s quite rare nowadays to be a craftsman. But to me it feels so nice and slow, as if someone is not really participating in modern life. Nostalgia. On top of that it’s quite rare that an object is so durable. If a horsehair mattress is properly maintained— with a sunbath each year and refurbishing every 15 years by expert hands — it will last a lifetime and can be passed down from one generation to the next.
Each horsehair mattress is made of at least 33 pounds of horsehair of more than 40 horses. Daniel layers the horsehair until its three feet high and then begins making at least 1000 stitches. In the final step, he creates tufts that give the mattress that beautiful look and feel.
Whenever I visit Berlin, I really want to visit Daniel and touch his lovely mattresses.
Discover more about Daniel Heer on their website.
Words by Kassandra Schreuder.