Nothing is new when you meet weird friends that become new friends – Kelly Rakowski and Alexandra Segreti stalked each others blogs for a while until they started to work together. They liked the selection, the presentation and attitude of the other. This adoration eventually lead to a collaboration that is based on fine handmade weavings. I saw it myself when I bumped into the girls at Matter gallery New York. Both started to work on a 3 meter long piece, specially made for the gallery, which has to be finished today. The large-scale weaving stretches from floor to ceiling on a custom built loom. There might be nothing new about weavings, handmade carpets and wall pieces, but they obviously developed a common language that makes working together a non effort activity.

Kelly’s weaving comb (Alexandra got exactly the same)

Detail of the large-scale weaving for Matter

A ‘New Friends’ wall piece

Alexandra & Kelly in the middle of the making

One end of the loom – the largest commission they made so far

Alexandra Segreti:
DRAW YOURSELF

DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN ONE WORD

DRAW YOUR FAVORITE OBJECT

Kelly Rakowski :
DRAW YOURSELF

DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN ONE WORD

DRAW YOUR FAVORITE OBJECT

Lola Lely is one of the designers that my Depot Basel colleague Rebekka Kieswetter and I put immediately on the list of the designers that we wanted to approach for our Craft & Drawing exhibition. For us she was a real find from last year’s London Design Festival. I visited Lola in her studio in East London a few months ago. She shares a a studio house in a backyard of an residential area with 2 other designers. The tiny space she has for herself is filled with colourful drawings and material samples that represents a diversity of marbling aesthetics. During our conversation she pointed out that she sees her work as a collection, not necessarily as individual projects – comparable to a fashion collection. That’s why you will see three of their projects at the show – they simply belong together.

Lola actually left England as a teenager for many years and lived in Mexico. One of her motivations to explore the country was to see Frida Kahlo’s blue house. “I wanted to see the Frida Kahlo Blue House in Mexico City. I was really into magical realism genre books as a young girl. My favourite books were and still: ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’ and ‘The Master and Margarita’. Then I saw a picture of this artist Frida Kahlo in a magazine. She looked so arrogant, knowing, assertive, rebellious and vulnerable. I could identify with this at age 15! So I read all about her (the days before the internet was common) and this blue house which she grew up and died in was so interesting, as it held so many memories and stories. There was a period of Frida’s life at the blue house were it was an artists and political sanctuary. Leon Trotsky, Paul Klee and marxist intellectuals stayed there.”

I had the biggest smile on my face when she send us a picture of the artistic drawing, a self-portrait, she made for the Craft & Drawing exhibition next month. I send her an email back immediately: “Dear Lola, on your drawing you look like Mexican gipsy, surrounded by your work, remembering your encounter with Frida Kahlo, that changed your way of looking at life and your work, back then when you spend flamboyant nights with her in her blue house.” I can’t wait to see it in a frame.

Material samples – Lola shares her way of working on her website The New Collectivism

Drawings of Patina Candlesticks for this year’s Wallpaper Handmade edition

Patina Candelsticks at Wallpaper at L’Eclettico during Salone del Mobile 2013

Drawings of Patina Lights

Patina Lights at Lola’s collective WORKs: Royal College of Art Graduates

Drawings of suspended lights

DRAW YOURSELF

DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN ONE WORD

DRAW YOUR FAVOURITE OBJECT

David Derksen and Lex Pott – looking smart

After 1 comes 2. Here is a second bash of images from last month’s Milan Design Week. Just faces, no objects = a lot of fun! For these who missed the first image drop check here: http://matandme.com/milano-digital-blast-chapter-1/

Ben Chiu and dapper Canadian designer Dana Cannam

Shikai Hikai, Lex Pott and Andrea Magnani – 3 of the ‘little daily wonders’

The Swiss: Livia Lauber, Laetitia De Allegri and Veronika Gombert

Rachel Griffin, Daniel Klapsing and Philipp Schopfer at the packed Wallpaper event

A fine couple – Vienna-based Maciej Chmara and Ania Rosinke

Idyllic – Till Weber and Miriam Vogel from Vitra

Barbara Bondi and Marco Raino from Inresidence together with some designers and students from their recent Workshop ‘Little Daily Wonders’

Simona Venier, Uli Budde, Philipp Schopfer, Maria Jeglinska, Daniel Klapsing and me (in the mirror) dinner around midnight

Johanna Agerman Ross at the Disegno breakfast

PR lady Olga Zhuravleva

Pascale Wakim and Nicolas Bellavance-Lecompte from Carwan Gallery

Dan Yeffet at the Nouvlle Vague opening

Architect Tomas Soucek with Jan Kloss and Matěj Činčera from Okolo at A-C-E

Ola Mirecka from RCA at the WORKS show

Smiley, cheeky Valentina Ciuffi from Abitaire

Willem van der Sluis and Richard van der Laken – What Design Can Do?

Christian Fiebig, Itay Ohaly, Thomas Vailly winners of the Frame Moooi Award together with Robert Thiemann & his colleague from Frame Magazine

Happily laughing Agata Karolina Niemkiewicz

Lunch at Latteria San Marco with Jill & Monica from the ubercoolest Blog Sightunseen and their Architect friend Alex Mustonen

Tal Erez, Tobias Revell and Mauri Monalti – city boys

Music entertainment at Wallpaper Party

Daddy and his kids? Jacob Brinck and Ania Bauer with Alfredo Häberli

Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin – waving goodbye

Hermès boys

Wilpert Dreesmann from Particles Gallery

Berlin loving galerist Francois Leblanc

Journalists Maya Dvash and Yuval Saar from Israel – ‘Write the next chapter’

1 – Alvin Chan, Will Yates-Johnson, Philippe Malouin, Connie Hüsser, Dieter van den Strom, Sacha Leong, me and Till Weber

2 – …

Spreading love at Bar Basso – James Patmore, Jacob Brinck, Rebekka Kiesewetter
and Arnaud Cooren

Italian Food designer Jacopo Sarzi with my sunglasses (he is a damn good dancer)

Another Italian Food Designer Francesca Sarti

Philipp C Schöpfer – similarities with a pig’s roast were not intentional :-)

Analog Blast was the title of the exhibition presented by Domus at this years Milan Design Week. Photographs of Italian and international designers captured by the lens of long-time contributor Ramak Fazel. Over the years I have collected many photographs of the weird, lovely and random encounters with designers too. I won’t dare to compare myself with him, but I do want to share some photographs form last weeks Milan Design Week with you. There are so many that are fun that I had to separate them in two parts. Here comes number one.

Max Lipsey, Marco Lorusso and Maria Jeglinska – a la Nouvelle Vague

Frame Award winning Laura Lynn Jansen & Thomas Vailly with Andrea Simone

Philippe Malouin and Till Weber (no glasses) – chapter 1

Till Weber and Philippe Malouin – chapter 2

The New York boys: Pin-up Felix Burrichter and Alex Mustonen

Goldielocks Rose Etherington

Smiley Stephane Halmai Voisard and Philippe Albert Lefebvre, I always have to tripple check the spelling of their names!

Suited and booted Tal Erez

Feeling like Sardines at Wallpaper Max Lipsey and Adam Stech

Daniel Klapsing looking cheeky with elegant Barbara Bondi

Jon Stam, happy designer of the future

Beautiful Eva Feldkamp

Gregory Buntain – Knight of the Rose

I collected an array of images with people wearing my sunglasses – this is Jacob Brinck

‘Discovering Women in Polish Design – chapter 2′: Anka Simone Pietrzyk, Agata Karolina Niemkiewicz, Maria Jeglinska, Kasia Jezowska and me

Arwen Chou & Irene Shih OSB Style

Fredrik Paulsen & the Swedes with übercool Connie Hüsser

London & studio friends: Bernadette Deddens, a friend of them, Yeal Mer, Tetsuo Mukai and Shay Alkalay

Twiggy Rebekka Kiesewetter and Ania Bauer

Emmanuel Mbessé

Emmanuel Mbessé’s shoes & yellow socks

Will Yates-Johnson, Phillipe Malouin and Eva Feldkamp, team & family

Two days ago we went to the opening of Phillipe Malouin ‘s solo exhibition in Italy. A show curated by Maria Cristina Didero for PROJECTB Gallery in Milan – a fantastic venue separated in five sleek rooms with neon lights on the ceiling. Literally made for Philippe’s array of work that the team developed within the last two years. The presentation refers to the Brutalist architecture of Juliaan Lampens.

Shelf of the ‘Slat’series

’1-4′ bowls

Will Yates-Johnson and Corinna Gardner from the V&A

MDF Wall Pieces

Pendulum Installation

‘Functional Shapes’ bookstand

‘Type Cast’ chair

Philippe Malouin, Alvin Chan, Will Yates-Johnson and Sacha Leong, all his best friend came from London to celebrate with Philippe

As if the world knew Philippe loves to wear black, all dressed accordingly

Scenography by Valentina Cameranesi for Area Pavimenti

Well, you are simply rushing from one thing to the other in Milan during the Design Week. On the first day I was at the Garage Milano / Juice where the work of Valentina Cameranesi came to my attention. It took me a while to figure out that it is just a stand made by her for an Italian company. When I look at it all my choices seem to be a bit Memphis.

In the evening we went to the Discipline Opening with a food delight by Arabeschi di Latte. We stayed longer than expected. Good fun! Drinks at Bar Basso afterwards, of course. Random pictures below –

Jakub Zak from Oeuffice together with Adrianna Glaviano and Dimitra Louana Marlanti

Adrianna Glaviano and Dimitra Louana Marlanti for Oueffice

Marie lamp for Haymann by Toni Grilo

New stools and benches by 45 Kilo

Mirrors by Secondome

New Milanes Collection by Oeuffice

Glass collection by Secondome

Juice curated by Cristina Morozzi and executed by PS

Salad Ink by Chiara Andreatti

Triangles carpets by Bertjan Pot for Golran

Fancy footwear of Paul Loebach and Tetsuo Mukai at the Discipline Opening

In front of the Discipline showroom. Check out Adam Stech from Okolo on the right corner of the picture.

Parking garage

A snack

Above: the three sons of Lucas Maassen, determined hard workers of Lucas Maassen & Sons , Thijme, Julian and Maris

Earlier this year, in begin of February, Object Rotterdam had their first showdown at the Netherlands Architecture Institute (NAi), which recently became part of The New Institute (Het Institute), a collaboration between the NAI, Premsela and Virtueelplatform. Together they want to “stimulate and strengthen cultural innovation in the Netherlands by sharing knowledge”. I am curious what will come from this.

For now, I present you a very brief photo summary of what I found at Object Rotterdam, which was the first event in the collaboration. Some random images that spoke to me. Let’s say the penis ashtray was rather a ‘wtf’ moment than a moment of excitement and the Maassen boys were the real treat. And the Rotterdam station simply made me laugh for reminding me of thin foil. Does it also act as a complete barrier to light and oxygen?

Lucas Maassen & Sons

Presentation view of Lucas Maassen & Sons

Ceramics for plastics by Roos Gomperts

Learn to unlearn by Lina Marie Köppen

Lullen(asbak) by Maria Roosen

Latern like lamp at Witte de With Centre for Contemporary Art

The main station in Rotterdam looks like a giant aluminium foil tray

Jacopo Sarzi brought his own aprons with him – ‘food design workshop’ worn by Polish designer Maria Jeglinska, who was a great support throughout the whole event

Where to begin? My friend Valentin Loellmann asked me begin of the year if I would like to initiate an event at his beautiful space in Maastricht. I wasn’t up for a product or furniture related exhibition, neither was he. It had to be an evening that our guests will enjoy with all their senses and won’t forget. We both agreed it had to be a dinner!

The person that I had in mind for this was London-based Jacopo Sarzi who I met during a performance of him during last year’s London Design Festival. He mainly works within the kitchen environment, this concerns edible products, kitchen tools, food performances and workshops.

Jacopo is a food designer. He came up with the overall theme of the night, related to Wassily Kandinsky’s book ‘Point and line to plane’. Kandinsky explores the role of the line, point, and other key elements of non-objective painting. It was a revolutionary publication to understanding the evolution of 20th century art.

Last time I was in London Jacopo and I did a series of experiments for the event that took place last Friday. Titled ‘Point and line to plate’ – perceiving food through shape, colour music and taste – a memorable dinner in Maastricht.

Photographer Jonas Loellmann joined us in London in order to record some tunes of the cooking process that he later linked to the menu of the dinner.

Jacopo made a mould for the risotto cubes.

Red crunchy orange – cold beetroot soup. It wasn’t intended, but I think that the menu was very much a mix of Italian and Polish cuisine at the end: a Jacopo & Matylda mix

Abstract of diagram 8 by Wassily Kaninsky – strange enough we couldn’t get blood oranges in Maastricht that’s why we replaced the ingredient with pear. The outcome was less colouful, but still related to shapes.

Polenta triangles

Jacopo also came up with a new wine bottle hanging system. This were the first prototypes he did at home.

Earlier this year, also for the event, still-life photographer Christoph Sagel and I ssembled a series of photographs visualising combinations of ingredients. The diverse settings introduce the subtle and abstract nature of food. We called it ‘Premature dishes’.

Starting point were 6 people who we would like to have dinner with. Amongst these people were design consultant Brent Dzekciorius (Vanilla ice cream with olive oil), Felix Burrichter from Pin-Up (Houmous and Gummibärchen). , and journalist Sophie Lovell (Prawn cocktail) Sorry for the bad choice of lens!

Sophie made it to the dinner with her daughter Orlando Lovell. She assisted Christoph and me during the 3 days we were working on it. Check her website for incredible baked goods!

The final menu for the 40 guests and the team of ten was:

APERETIVO
Noodle bum bum – Zubrowka, plum juice, udon noodle, apple

FIRST
Red crunchy orange – cold beetroot soup with carrot cubes

SECOND
Square, circle and triangle – risotto, polenta, sweet potato

DESSERT
Diagram 8 – feta, mozzarella cone with ice cream and caramelised onion

Snack ‘grissini flowers’

Rebekka Kiesewetter, journalist and my colleague at Depot Basel came from Zurich to join us

Valentin Loellmann‘s studio is a magic place full of plants and handmade furniture

Valentin himself with his girlfriend Jip Linckens

Lovely Julia Aumann did me a favour and took some pictures of the evening. She usually doesn’t take pictures of events.

Fabian von Spreckelsen, Chequita Nahar and Johan

Michael Frahm, Sonja Schödel, Julia Fischer and myself. While we were cooking, making, laughing, observing and serving I had barely time to take pictures.

Best is if you watch the video by Dennis Engel. Thank you Dennis!

POINT AND LINE TO PLATE – A MEMORABLE DINNER IN MAASTRICHT from DennisEngel on Vimeo.

Model Oliver John Dale@AMCK

Almost 5 years ago, when my friends planned the first edition of Fashionclash, I came across the work of Madame Peripetie. They didn’t hesitate to invite her to the event after I showed them what she is able to present in a photograph. Since then I bumped into her many times. This year I have been assisting her twice so far (planning on more!) I am also the first she allowed onto her set with a camera, capturing her and the team in flagranti. Meet the people behind ‘Camouflage’, a fashion editorial for this month’s Vision China magazine. All images are here.

Face sculptures work in progress by Amy and Ana from multidisciplinary Studio Boo

This piece arrived together with the PR Manager of Issey Miyake, who was literally guarding it the whole time. You don’t want to know how much it is.

Model Christian von Pfefer@Select with more face sculptures by Studio Boo

Madame Peripetie and Stylist Stella Gosteva deciding on the next outfit

Model Christian von Pfefer@Select fooling around

Madame Peripetie while photographing

Stella Gosteva‘s assistant

Drew Studios London

Stella’s selection for the day

Hair artist Jazz Ah Belle

Make-up artist Marina Keri

Lighting by photographer and light specialist Natasha Alipour Faridani

Face sculptures work in progress by Amy and Ana from multidisciplinary Studio Boo

Applying the look for ‘Camouflage’

Model Oliver John Dale@AMCK in pose

The 3 golden girls: Stella Gosteva, Madame Peripetie and Natasha Alipour Faridani

Holon Design Museum designed by the most famous Israeli designer Ron Arad. The building is made up of red, brown, and orange bands of steel. Somehow I expected the museum not to be so close to an urban planning area. It is also much smaller when I remember from the images I used to see before. Funny how your mind tricks you and how reality becomes a habit. Because once you see it and you walk through it makes sense. However last year, after encountering many inspiring Israeli designers, I decided to go to Tel Aviv and to get an insight into their culture. As it happens the show ‘Common Roots – Design Map of Central Europe’ opened in the same week. That’s why I ended up at the opening in Holon.

Now, four months later, I am actually late with the images of the opening, because the exhibition closed down yesterday. However it doesn’t stop me from sharing it with you. Let’s call this a retrospective of the occasion.

Eyal de Leeuw, Head of External Relations at the Design Museum Holon who btw also runs a fashion style blog called The Garçonnière.

The entry area of ‘Common Roots – Design Map of Central Europe’ curated by Polish journalist and head of domestic design at School of Form, Agnieszka Jacobson-Cielecka.

Exhibition view ‘Common Roots’ – a fair like setting with huge banners and confusing numbers that were all over the place. It wasn’t just the hebrew writing that was the reason for my confusion. It was the lack of descriptions for the displayed work. There was a folder that you got for free but unfortunately that didn’t contain any text about the actual pieces in the show either. For me text is as important as the visual impression of an exhibition.

These put a smile on my face. A set of sand toys in the shape of a tit by Polish designers Babaakcja. It means ‘woman action’ or ‘female action’. Their website states that they are currently working on individual projects. No more action then.

After being disappointed that there was no attempt to present the common historical and cultural experiences in the exhibition set-up, because all countries were separated in their own groups with no visual link, I was amazed by the quality of the exhibition catalogue! It consists of three booklets containing: a preface with text by the head curator Agnieszka Jacobson-Cielecka and her assistant Klara Czerniewska, various texts about ‘mapping the narrative of Romainan Design’ and ‘From Applied Arts to Industrial Design’ in Polish desigh by Anna Frackiewicz in the booklet about the past and numerous writings about Estonian, Czech and Hungarian design in the third booklet called ‘present’. On top of that it is beautifully designed by a girl that I met while I was giving a lecture in the industrial design department at The Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem and her friend Guy Saggee. A lucky coincidence. Maayan Levitzky, you are one to watch!

Czech product designer Martin Žampach, our journalist and friend Adam Štěch and Klara Czerniewska, three of the co-curators (I believe there were 10 in total) that helped to make the selection of the designs. Technically Czech designer Klara Sumova is also portrayed on the image. Her ‘lamp love’ stands between Adam and Klara.

A highlight of the opening was the downstairs presentation of Eastern European post war design from 1949 – 1989. The section about the past brought together a common legacy of Eastern European countries based on everyday products like the Rubik cube or the the clock barometer by Estonian designer Helle Gans.

Apparently there is only 1 correct answer and 43 quintillion wrong ones for Rubik’s cube. Invented 1974 by Hungarian inventor and architect Ernő Rubik. I think everyone of us had one in his life at some point, right?

The M58 armchair, designed by Roman Modzelewski in 1959-196o. Since last year it can be purchased via the Polish company Vzor, who took it in production. Read about Modzelewski’s wife who I met in 2011 in Lodz here.

Architect Daniel Zarhy with his journalist wife Netta Ahituv. They took us to Daniel’s grandad’s house, where we met him and his artist wife Vera. Soon I will post some images of the stunning Bauhaus house. This encounter deserves a full set of images.

Tal Erez and Maya Ben David in the middle of the picture. I think I asked them to show me some emotions. This is what they gave me. At the end they made me laugh. That’s why the picture is out of focus.

Tom Vac Chair by Ron Arad – he designed the building and brought in the furniture too. Smart.

Four months ago I recieved an email from Ils Huygens, curator of Space Odyssey 2.0 at Z33 asking for support with Angelo Vermeulen‘s Seeker Project. I didn’t need to be persuaded to build a spaceship! So here I was, spending weeks with a wild mix of people who explore the possibility of flying into space or initiate projects related to stories around the subject. Last night the exhibition opened its doors. It will be running until 19th May of this year. It is needless to say that you should visit Z33 after you had a look at the images below.

Above: Team of Seeker Exploration Mission. All six members, Angelo Vermeulen, Lonny van Ryswyck, Gaston Wuestenbergs, Vera Thaens, Hanneke van der Werf and Giacomo Piona Piovan, spend 36 h in the spaceship without leaving it in order to find out if life in the co-creation sculpture is possible.

Seeker Spaceship at Z33. Check the Seeker Facebook page for more images of the process.

One of the bunk beds at Seeker

Space Class by Angelo Vermeulen

Vacuum sealed food for the Seeker

Spaceship kitchen supplies

Creazi in Hasselt supported us with a lot of material for the interior

Liese Lattrez and Cynthia Vertessen, the two directors of the documentary of Seeker. To be launched in May 2013. Note: It’s strange to have a camera to follow you pretty much all the time.

There is more to discover at Z33 at the moment – Astrobiology in the bakery by Michael Burton

Happy smiley Michael Burton himself during the build-up

Wim de Jaegher observing Edith Dekyndt‘s Major Tom, a pvc ballon filled with Helium that floats poetically through the space

Belgian artist & reseracher Frederik de Wilde pulling faces

Researcher Filip van Dingenen

Landing gear of Seeker – that colour was a damn good choice

Gaston Wuestenberg, local artist who lives in the woods and never switches the heating on

Ils Huygens, curator at Z33 and curator of Space Odyssey

Artistic director Jan Boelen is very pleased

Black rain by Semiconductor

Press Preview last Thursday afternoon

Online Communications Specialist Ellen Eurlings together with an Z33 exhibition supervisor

Are you a hot American looking for a smart, extroverted wife? Get on touch with Nelly Ben-Hayoun, who wants to become a member of NASA Astronaut Corp!! She even got recommendation letters to show!

International Space Orchestra in NASA Ames Research Center founded by the Director Nelly Ben-Hayoun. Don’t miss to watch this movie here

Jon Stam and his prototype of the ‘MirrorCam’ (name might change in the future), a new generation documentation device for artistic centers and museums

Project Mercury astronauts from ‘Where’s my space age? - The rise and fall of futuristic design, a book from curator Ils Huygens

Nelly Ben-Hayoun, Vincent Fournier and Filip van Dingenen, three of the artists who are involved with the exhibition

Moon Valley by photographer Vincent Fournier

A little Z33 visitor with Buzz Lightyear, the space ranger from Disney’s Toy Story

I tried to do some modern architecture photography. A dramatic angle for the converted banana warehouse that serves as museum since 1989. Back than I was 7 years old, just moved from Poland to Germany and had no idea that something like ‘design’ exists. Sometimes I like my naivety back. A fresh start to define design.

A model of the future Design Museum that will move to the ‘early-60s architectural splendour’ of the Commonwealth Institute in 2014

My visit to the Design Museum was end of last month for the preview of ‘Extraordinary Stories about Ordinary Things’. I enjoyed the short speech by Deyan Sudjic about what makes design a subject that is relevant in a museum. Not in a gallery. And that design needs a why, how and a who. I guess he means a appropriate explanation board, a story. He said that curator Gemma Curtain put a selection of 150 objects together that try to tell a stories about extraordinary everyday objects, all organised in 6 main areas like taste, plastics and fashion. The collection is very British, too much Anglepoise and very Modernism. It simply hasn’t convinced me yet. It struck me with excitement when I saw Jasper Morrison’s piece. When I left the building I saw that the table is printed on most of folders. Good choice.

A classic in the entry area of the museum. A Swiss railway clock. Did the British design got a classic clock? Big Ben?

Lady Ritblat, Design Musem Trustee and Donator of a collection of fashion items together with Design Museum director Deyan Sudjic, who gave a short introduction during the press preview

Earlier this year I started reading Deyan Sudjic’s book ‘The Language of Things’. Indeed, I found some of the objects Deyan is mentioning in the book also in the exhibition. One of them is the Anglepoise lamp

Illustration of the Anglepoise Lamp
I enjoy drawings & illustrations that accompany objects by telling a story

Calculator Divisumma 26 by Ettore Sottsass
Massive, isn’t it?

Courier batter shaver by Kenneth Grange Read Justin McGuirk’s article here

Ekca Ac 65 Radio by Wells Coates

Radiotime by Wells Coates

Handlebar table by Jasper Morrison
A lovely surprise and soemething I have never seen before. Can we have more of that?

British Motorway signs
WOW, big things do impress. They also have a telephone box and a traffic light. See below:

National traffic light by David Mellor

Nesting table by Marcel Breuer

Pierrot by Afra and Tobia Scarpa, 1990
It comes unassembled and needs to be clipped together

Plastic Relicts II, 2008 by Committee
A mysterious object consisting of a plastic component from A Dyson vacuum cleaner and an extrusion made from black plastic

Exhibition view of Extraordinary Stories about Ordinary Things

I bumped into our friend Alasdair Thompson from Minimumblog

Minimal Vase by Ding 3000 for Discipline . It allows you to add your own taste to the design.

I planned to come to Cologne to go to the furniture fair. Yes, that was my initial thought. I was in the city for three days, but never made it to the IMM. Spending a day in artificial light is not what I like to do. Even though I know that you can meet a hell lot of people there. What I did there for three days? I worked in front of my computer at a friend’s apartment. Best decision ever. At the end my number of attended events this year was minimal:

I went to the presentation of fresh Italian furniture brand Discipline, who surprisingly presented their products neatly as if they tried to adapt to German values. I am just comparing the colorful and warm presentation they had last year in Milan. What I saw begin of the week is still pure quality but less Italian. Anyway, I am already curious what we can expect this year! Another exhibition was ‘Objects for the Neighbour’ that presented new work by a selection of designers like Swiss Florian Hauswirth, French Julien Renault and German Sarah Böttger. Set in a former garage in a tucked away courtyard the pieces are dedicated to an imaginary neighbour, the individual that could be the person next door. On my way to the show we passed a showroom of Cologne based funiture company Werkform. First the lamp and then the kitchen got my attention. But what I liked most in that kitchen was the exceptional exhaust hood: industry meets spaceship. I was also at the opening of ‘Isn’t it romantic?’ at Makk curated by Tulga Beyerle. I decided to come back to Cologne at some point and see it properly, without the masses of people that came to the event. Also I want to take pictures the exhibition deserves. Did I miss something from this three days? Ah, at the evenings we went twice to the Architonic Party at King George. If you think of Cologne, you usually think of friendly people. That’s not what I would say about the staff in this bar. I include the woman at the door the one at the cloakroom. Real bitch time! It was nice anyway, because of the crowd and great drinks. Also Susi form Architonic was a sweetheart. I just wonder if the place used to be a house of hookers? Too much red light. See yourself below.

Drifted by Lars Beller Fjetland for for Discipline . More cork please!

Last Stool by Max Lamb for for Discipline – available in many colours. But the shiny polished zapon treated copper stool is the winner.

Discipline catalogue 2012 styled by Arabeschi di Latte

Objects for the Neighbours, group exhibition concepted by German designers Karoline Fesser, Kai Linke and Thomas Schnur

Objects for the Neighbour invite/poster

Sample Avenue by Karoline Fesser. Based on the idea of the many levels of a house or a tower block.

Pets by Hanna Ernstigs . There is always a neighbour with a pet, init?

Park chair by Julien Renault – this seating possibility was not specially made for the show. I was glad to see it in real since I talked with Julien about it last year.

Reverso lamp by Werkform. It looks like a magnifying glass with a lightbulb socket.

Kictchen at Werkform Showroom

Architonic Party at King George – on the 2nd night we were early guests

Lex Pott and Rachel Griffin with Monkey47 Gin and Tonics, because wherever Architonic is, good Gin is not far. Do you get it? It’s the ‘tonic’in Architonic and Gin Tonic!

Bright, colourful and fun, that’s how we want 2013 to be, don’t we? That made me think of Yaacov Agam‘s fountain that I saw last year in Tel Aviv. My friend Ori Ben-Zvi dropped me off at the Dizengoff Square one evening, I sat down on a bench and looked at the kinetic sculpture fountain placed in the middle of the square in 1986, for a long time. Note: Willy Wonka needs this fountain in his factory.

‘Water and Fire’ is the name of the awesome landmark. More than 900 painted sheet metal triangles make up Agam’s style of abstract, colorful and kinetic art. Occasionally jets of water shoot upward from the rings and music accompanies the whole display in a 20 minute show that begins to play at the beginning of each hour. Starting daily at 11 am.

I guess I was lucky, because it took almost one year to refurbish the piece of public Art and was finally done in spring 2012. I visited Israel in autumn. Apparently Agam himself complained about the state of the fountain during a visit in his homeland. Fortunately the government had 2 million over to handle the job.

My friends’s from Okolo were also fond of the fountain. See here.

Down by the sea of Tel Aviv I found another work by Yaacov Agam. It’s the Dan Hotel with a rainbow-coloured facade. In a city with post modernist structures that is also called ‘The White City’, Agam is surely an aesthetic exception in the scene.

I am not familiar with this work, but I photographed it not far away from the square and I think it goes well with the theme. Let’s hope things will look more colourful for the Israeli’s in 2013 too!

It was all about chairs and benches at the Victoria & Albert Museum during this year’s London Design Festival. A slight overkill of seating possibilities, which came in handy for the many visitors that were happy to sit and rest. The ten benches in the courtyard were designed by British designers commissioned by Established & Sons and LDF. Inside the museum you found Nendo’s Mimicry Chairs that were sculptures rather than support of human activities. The surprise of my visit was Out of the Woods: Adventure of 12 hardwood chairs initiated by RCA tutors Sebastian Wrong and Harry Richardson who invited their students, as well as twelve well-known writers to create a work of art to tell the story of each chair made by the students. The pictures I took don’t give justice to the project but you can find more at Core77. When I left I stumbled upon my number one, which you see above. Unfortunately I won’t ever be able to sit in it myself.

Pé de porco (pig foot) by Fernando Brizio. I know what you are thinking. You think this looks like a di**. It actually does, but it’s a pork foot made from cork.

Out of the Woods: Adventure of 12 hardwood chairs, a show that is the result of work by students of the RCA in London in collaboration with the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC). Stool above: Designed Legacy by Michael Warren

Front: Tree Furniture bench by Anton Alvarez
Back: Well Proven Chair by James Shaw and Marjan van Aubel

Floating Chair by Tom Gottelier & Bobby Petersen

One of the adventures of the Solitude Chair by Mary Argyrou, fighting in a world full of extra large insects that try to conquer the world

One of the Mimicry chairs by Nendo . Various versions of the white pressed-metal chair were positioned in the galleries, down corridors and on stairs.

Infinity bench by Martino Gamper with the American hardwood export council

Tube by Alexander Taylor with Caparo. Note to Alexander Taylor: tubes are not inviting anyone to sit!

Pier by Konstantin Grcic with Bisazza, glass mosaic

Western Façade by Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby. These two Chinese on the ‘Western Façade’ are my favourite image of all benches with visitors

Bench of plates by AL_A

Detail of Infinity bench by Martino Gamper with the American hardwood export council

OSMAN by NOMAN for Salon / Istanbul 2012 at Adahan Hotel

In October I took a trip to Istanbul together with the artistic director of Z33, aiming to see Joseph Grima’s show at the first Design Biennale of Turkey. I suddenly had many random encounters with old Dutch friends and also many unexpected cultural experiences that I will not forget so soon. During the day I had a look at what the Design Biennale and the city itself offers, in the evenings I went to see the people from Salon Amsterdam for Turkish food and Raki.

Old magic of Istanbul

Adhocracy, a show at the Galata Greek School curated by Domus editor Joseph Grima, my initial reason to come to Istanbul. See previous story here

Sometimes there is no real explanation

Embrace by Petrovsky & Ramone for Salon / Istanbul 2012

Detail of OSMAN by NOMAN for Salon / Istanbul 2012

Turkish rugs are ideally made of wool, knotted or woven by hand, often in complex designs

Cherish by Desiree Hammen for Salon Istanbul

Detail of Cherish by Desiree Hammen for Salon Istanbul

World of welcome by Irene Fortuyne for Salon Istanbul

Detail of World of welcome by Irene Fortuyne for Salon Istanbul

Reception for females at Suleymaniye Hamam, an historic Turkish bath in Istanbul, Turkey. Suleymaniye Hamam was built in 1557 by Turkish Ottoman chief arichtect architect Mimar Sinan

As much as an activity to catch some food, the night fishing seemed to be a social event. Groups of men would hang out for hours talking, smoking and casting.

A 3 day trip to Warsaw:
Palace of Culture and Science, a Stalinist architecture from the Soviet Union as a gift to the people of Poland, previously called Joseph Stalin Palace of Culture and Science. The name was changed after 1953

Polish designer Bashko Trybek at the opening of Galeria Pola Magnetyczne. The current exhibition deals with Wiktor Gutt’s work and was titled ‘Le Lieu des images’. The gallery is basically the livingroom of a Warsaw-based couple that plans to open their private space to the public on a regular basis

Action by Wiktor Gutt and Waldemar Raniszewski during the Rockowisko 1981 rock festival at the hala sportowa in Lodz at Galeria Pola Magnetyczne

Neon lights on the ceiling of Galerie Pola Magnetyczne. “Polish neon signage was renowned for its outstanding technical and artistic qualities. These signs originally were an attempt to increase consumerism in the time of economic standstill in Poland”.

More!! Neon lights on the ceiling of Galerie Pola Magnetyczne

Polish photographer Krystian Kozanowski in Piktogram Magazine

Architect Jan Strumiłło

Towarzyska, a cafe and club in one. The interior is done by architect Jan Strumiłło. Also a neon light!

Zacheta Warsaw, national gallery of contemporary Art, the name can be translated as encouragement or motivation

Ticket office at Zacheta gallery

Neon light at the cloakroom of Zacheta Gallery

Maria Jeglinska, designer & Dorota Stępniak, manager of Fashion Philosophy, Fashion Week Poland, watching Anna Molska’s ‘The Sixth Continent’ at Zacheta Gallery

Piotr Uklanski’s publication for Biało-Czerwona at Gagosian Gallery from 2008

Illustration by Maria Jeglinska

Warszawa Powisle , Polish post-war modernist architecture that was originally a ticket-selling booth of roughly 70m2 and now serves the best burgers and the best parties in town

Final construction of Zlota Tower by David Liebeskind next to the palace. The Poles say that the English got a Gherkin in their city centre and that they will have a tampon soon.

Wawa Express, daily from Berlin to Warszaw and the other way around, less than a six hour trip to the homeland. Other train’s don’t have as many coeathangers on a rail that you can easily move wherever you want them to be

Set of dustpan & brush designed by Matylda Krzykowski

Working with craftsman was a need I always felt. I previously did work with designers and some of them could be eventually titled artisans, but tradition is something that can’t be established within a few years. It is based on experience and history. In spring I got an email from Tulga Beyerle, one of the directors of Vienna Design Week, who invited me to participate at Passionswege, a project introduced in 2006 that brings designers together with Austrian craftsman. Three emails later she announced that I will work not just with one company but with two: a brush maker and a horn master. People get excited for many reasons but I pee my pants because of get-togethers with skilled and determined people. Here I was, in magic Vienna with two men that I regularly spend time with until we were happy with the set of objects I designed. During these times I came across sets of brushes, unseen and stunning, by Austrian architect Carl Auböck, who worked with both workshops in the 60′s and 70′s. I wanted to recall his work as well instead of presenting just what I have done. At the end we share a similar experience with horn and bristle. The presentation of my pieces was in October and today opens another exhibition around this project. WerkStadt Vienna hosts a selection of work from the last 6 years in this project, curated by Sophie Lovell and scenography made by Studio Makkink & Bey.

Various types of bristle. For most brushes the wild boar hair is used.

Norbert Meier , brush maker & craftsman

Untreated horn tips from the Ankole-Watusi

Thomas Petz , horn craftsman

Fiddling around with horn ends at home. Intending to use the natural shape of the horn in the designs, a shape that is given, but has barely been used with the material

A polished horn end with a row of bristle

Matylda Krzykowski

Old publication about brushes for the industry that Norbert Meier father left him

Clothing brush & beard brush designed by Carl Auböck, 1924 -1993

Clothing brush in the shape of an ‘M’ designed in the 70s, a gift from Norbert Meier that is now a precious souvenir to me

A small publication with images around the workshops of both artisans and work by Carl Auböck that accompanies the project

Dustpan designed by Matylda Krzykowski

Powder brush designed by Matylda Krzykowski

Lilli Hollein and Tulga Beyerle at Norbert Meier’s workshop

Children fooling around with horn

Presentation during Vienna Design Week at Norbert Meier’s workshop

Deutscher Werkbund at Museum der Dinge,
Matches from the 60′s

The Werkbund was founded in 1907 in Germany. A movement for industrial design. Hermann Muthesius who, influenced by the British Arts & Crafts movement,
set up the Deutscher Werkbund. It was explicitly aimed at bringing the highest standards of design to mass-produced output. The German Werkbund promoted its ideology on a number of fronts, examples of which are shown in the following images. Although still in existence today, the influence of the Werkbund is considerably diminished. Its history is nicely recorded in the Museum der Dinge (Museum of Things) Werkbund Archive. The collection opened its doors in 2007 and shows rarely exhibited everyday culture of the 20th century in glass display cases, ordered in categories. Nice and neat.

Gold medal XI : Triennale di Milano 1957
Arzberg 2025 by Heinrich Löffelhardt, 1957
Porcelain manufacturer Arzberg

Frankfurter Küche by Viennese architect Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, 1926
Cupboard with aluminum containers for dry foodstuffs

Usual size of a Frankfurter Küche
See previous story about the Frankfurter Küche here

Werkbund brand ‘Juwel’

Werkbund brand ‘Dreiring Seife’, 1920

Various stamps from Werkbund brands like ‘Manoli’ (German cigarette factory, 1894), ‘AEG’ (German General electricity company, 1883) and ‘Kaiser Brikett’

Decor brutalism vs. inappropriate jewelery motifs

Department of Aesthetic Aberrations: “If we want to discern what good taste is, we must first eliminate bad taste.” Gustav E.Pazaurek, 1912, about the consequences of industrial manufacturing and cheap substitutes supplanted precious materials

Cheap ‘avantgarde artistic style’ household ceramics with sprayed-on decoration from 1925 that were called ‘Communist crockery’ by Nazis from 1935

Electric water boiler by Peter Behrens for AEG, 1909

Schüssel-Fest-Halter by Heco
A device that holds your bowl attached to your table

Objects in the shape of body parts

Radio designed by Dieter Rams for Braun
‘Silent servants’

Blender & alarm clock by Dieter Rams for Braun
‘Silent servants’

Exhibition view & compartment design by Henry van de Velde for the Belgian national railway, early 30′s – shaping public space

Thanks to Jens-Ole Rey for the extended guided tour!

Stapelprogramm 740

When you think about Dieter Rams, you instantly think about Braun consumer products – the shaver, the radio, the blender. Tilmann Appel rather thinks about furniture. Especially about the original furniture series of German design icon for Vitsœ from around the 1960′s. That’s why he presented ‘Möbel’ earlier this year, during summer, as you can tell by the shorts Tilmann Appel wears on the last picture. A selection of furniture systems with the clearest visual language and an universal approach we miss with designers these days. But that’s why we love Dieter so much.

Good design is innovative.
Good design makes a product useful.
Good design is aesthetic.
Good design makes a product understandable.
Good design is unobtrusive.
Good design is honest.
Good design is long-lasting.
Good design is thorough down to the last detail.
Good design is environmentally friendly.
Good design is as little design as possible.

Copyright Dieter Rams, amended March 2003 and October 2009

Sesselprogramm 620, 1962

Beisteltisch 621

Stuhlprogramm 862

Stapelprogramm 740 Tisch, 1973

The hight of the table can be modified by removing or adding individual dices

Stapelprogramm 740 Tisch

Stapelprogramm 740

Various publications about Dieter Rams, including Sophie Lovell‘s ‘Less and More’ and ‘As little Design as possible’

Exhibition view

Storage of Dieter Rams classics at Appel Design Gallery

Christoph Sagel, who took the photographs for the exhibition catalogue together with Tilmann Appel, owner of Appel Design Gallery

At night

Noortje de la Haye, graphic designer & collector

I had the pleasure to meet all participants of this year’s Toegepast (Dutch for ‘applied’) edition, a program by Belgian Designplatform Limburg that selects recent artistic graduates and supports them for one year in preparation for a joint and final exhibition with new projects. The coaches were Maison Caro together with Kaspar Hamacher. During the summer I visited each of them for an interview for the publications of the 17th edition. It was a journey through Belgium with a stop in Eindhoven and all sorts of impressions of what they do and how they work. The results are on show until February 2013 at Z33.

‘Collecthings’ is an homage of Noortje’s personal everyday objects. She presents them as collectors items

One of Noortje’s desk at her flat – sometimes she works in the livingroom, on other days she prefers to be in the bedroom

Eline Cautreels and Maarten De Beukelaer, artists & light catchers

‘Catching the Sunlight’ is a photography project where a scenario was positioned in front of photographic paper, allowing the sun to burn the silhouettes into the paper. No camera involved.

A selection of try-outs for a difficult and quite expensive process

Veerle Tytgat, textile designer & detective

‘Belicht’, is a research project that harvests the natural surrounding to explore how to manipulate fabrics

By folding the fabric, dying it and leaving it in the sun, patterns evolve

Makiko Shinoda, social designer & material saver

‘Playing with Senses: Perceptible Chess Game’ is a toy with a haptic sensation for all generations

Beeswax was the first material choice, because it is not difficult to form plus a special feel and smell

Jenny Stieglitz, illustrator & fantastic optimist

Above is a banner commissioned by City Hasselt. At Z33 you find ‘Time is Funny’, an installation of illustrations that suggests time-saving solutions.

While you work you water your plants and feed the cat which saves 30 seconds every day, almost 2 hours a year for the things you prefer doing

It has been a while since I was in Eindhoven at Atelierdorp.. Back then, this summer, I came across the Stencil pieces by Julien Carretero that he showed to me first time last year.

Julien actually moved to Brussels where he became part of Studio with A View. But during my visit in Eindhoven I walked around the former company office where he had his previous studio and found the temporary storage. Here we go, there was an unplanned second look at the stencil project. Lucky me.

The work was presented during the Dutch Design Week in 2011 at the Mass, 10 designers on methods, material and manufacturing, exhibition curated by Earnest Studio. Since then he hasn’t published the material until now – it’s official and available via Brussels-based gallery Victor Hunt.

I had quite some footage of the mould, the material, the future touch and feel of the final project. But I am not very lucky with computers and harddisks at the moment, which basically means that I lost the material. But Designboom got some images of the process.


Julien’s stencil project is a series of aluminium furniture objects cast in fabric. He used heat resistant fabric, clamped it in a steel mould and poured fused aluminium in it. I quote design.nl here ‘The process creates no waste as the aluminium leftovers can be melted down and the fabric used repeatedly. The current collection consists of a table, stool, bench and a lamp.

Polish Maria Jeglinska and Swiss Livia Lauber met in Lausanne, Switzerland. Maria moved there in 2005 to start a Master at écal. Livia had just graduated and somehow they bumped into each other pretty quickly. After 6 months of endless “corridor parties” a friendship and a common creative understanding began.

Maria Jeglinska

This year they had their debut with a show called ‘Wonder Cabinets of Europe’ during London Design Festival. In a poetic space with huge mirrors in the second floor of a Victorian building were eight wooden boxes filled with curiosities of designers. The format they choose allowed them to link the content together and to create a narrative, which lead to the scenography.

Judith Seng

‘What the cabinet of curiosity conveys fitted very well our intentions, and the geographical context of the project: Europe. This setting created a more visible and clear background for the installations’, says Maria Jeglinska.

Kueng Caputo

The a room in a room, an exhibition within an exhibition – the idea was to give a more intimate view on the exhibited work processes. Maria & Livia wanted to show that each entity has a very precise way of working and varying. The stool in front of the cabinet invited to sit down and to explore the cabinet’s content.

Pauline Deltour

I asked Maria if she thinks that a designer should curate himself? She answers as follows: ‘In this context I think we initiated something, rather than curated… It’s a tricky thing since we were also part of it. But I think we both enjoyed this role, which for me was very similar to being a movie director: you create the entire scenario, the context and its actors… The important thing is that we left the designers free with their choices as to the content of the cabinet.’

Pauline Deltour

Fingers crossed for an eventual presentation at ICFF in New York in 2013 or a presentation in Maria’s homeland Poland. Check their Wonder Cabinets of Europe Website for updates.

Philippe Malouin

Philippe Malouin

Harry Thaler

Publication for Wonder Cabinets of Europe

Livia & Maria during the opening

Function Follows Fascination by Humans Since 1982 for Victor Hunt

This time I cut the lalala and the blablabla. Visited Design Miami Basel in June this year. Here are some images. Last image may offend mass consumerists. :-) Thanks to Rebekka Kiesewetter.

Detail of Functiom Follows Fascination by Humans Since 1982 for Victor Hunt

Craftica by Formafantasma

Craftica by Formafantasma

Craftica by Formafantasma

Daylight by Philippe Malouin

Daylight by Philippe Malouin

Multithread by Kram/Weisshaar for Gallery Nilufar

Beta by Eyal Burstein for Swarovski

Beta by Eyal Burstein for Swarovski

Exercice Stool by Robert Stadler for Carpenters Workshop Gallery

Glass Vitrine for Caroline van Hoek by Study O Portable

Detail of Glass Vitrine for Caroline van Hoek by Study O Portable

Quartz Mirrors by Study O Portable

Tree III by Andrea Branzi for Carpenters Workshop Gallery

Tom Foulsham

Detail of Tongue to Nose Tom Foulsham

Snout to Edge lamp by Tom Foulsham

Spot the Swedish infiltration unit at the swanky design fair

Divider by Mieke Meijer

Not far from Eindhoven train station, in an old industrial building that is usually used as studio spaces, was the opening of the Dutch Invertuals during Dutch Design Week 2012. On a Thursday evening, friends, followers and lovers of high aesthetics in products but also in exhibition design gathered to celebrate on another edition of Wendy Plomp’s curating skills.

Exhibition view

The setting was, as always, intriguing: you entered a giant space with high ceilings and spotlights directed into a circle of wooden panels that faced each other. Inside the circle the work of all participating designers was arranged. On one hand the scenario reminded me of a movie set and on the other it was more like the placards found durning a demonstration, a situation that is most likely to be compared to a conflict.

Detail of Divider by Mieke Meijer

As usual there are projects that I am specifically very fond of: Mieke Meijer’s divider that was standing heroic in the centre of the circle, like the protagonist of the movie ‘Conflict”. All surrounded by a diverse selection of designers from around the globe who all gather under the umbrella of “Dutch” Design.

Initiated and curated by Wendy Plomp

For me these events, have become less about the featured individuals and more about the actual execution of the exhibition and the graphic design. I left the event at ease, imagining how the panels start moving towards each other. Like in a scene of a movie.

This year’s edition during Dutch Design Week is themed: CONFLICT

To The Bone by Jetske Visser and Michel Martens

Index Collection by Raw Color

Index Collection by Raw Color

Colour Collision by Kirstie van Noort & Rogier Arents

Oxidations by EDHV

Phases by Jeroen Wand

Pipeline by Adrien Petrucci & Olivia de Gouveia

Steel yourself by Max Lipsey

Niek Pulles, curator of this year’s Modebelofte and Anna Bates, freelance writer