conscious, simple – consciously simple: The Emergence of an Alternative Product Culture

Since the mid-1980s, in Germany in particular, different currents of fundamentally different design approaches have impacted the field of furniture and object design, whose common leitmotif has been, however, the piece of furniture that is conceived, produced and handled in a consciously simple way. In co-operation with curators Volker Albus, Markus Bach and Monika Wall, the Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen e.V. (Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations/ifa) offers the exhibition 'conscious, simple – consciously simple: The Emergence of an Alternative Product Culture', a presentation of New German Design which reveals the various trends and strategies with their different emphases on the aspect of the conscious and the simple. Objects and video films were chosen with a view to discussing their underlying design strategies, and the results, and to answering the question whether there is a chance of developing an alternative design culture on the basis of a consciously simple, individual approach. The selection of 65 objects and a total of 122 exhibits by 35 designers and designer groups focuses mainly on pieces of furniture, luminaries and home accessories. The objects chosen do not stand out for their luxurious materials or complicated and costly production processes, but for their robust materiality, plain configuration, simple and practical handling as well as comparatively low prices. In this exhibition design trends follow the traditions of typical home-living culture, with some objects referring to the functional furniture of Modernism, e.g. of the Bauhaus or the Ulm School of Design. Yet from the start, the New German Design has extended the notion of functionality to include narrative and emotional moments, the principles of 'objets trouvés' as well as the recycling of materials and set pieces as essential design factors. The demand for simplicity of materials and production processes leads also into a new design dimension, i.e. ecological quality which, however, is not the primary aim. Rather, designers try to create designs that also convey sensory pleasure. An exhibition catalogue is available. In the competition 'The most beautiful German books 1998' held by the Stiftung Buchkunst (German Book Art Foundation), it was awarded a promotion prize for the graphic design by Thomas Mayfried, Philip Radowitz and Béla Stetzer. In the competition 'The 100 best posters of 1998', the designers also won a distinction for the exhibition poster design. IFA Coming up: Feb 10, 2010 — Mar 2, 2010 Art Gallery of the University of Visual and Performing Arts, Colombo, Sri Lanka In co-operation with Goethe-Institut Colombo