Five years kkaarrlls. An interview with Professor Volker Albus

“How did you first hear about kkaarrlls?”

It’s perhaps not quite a question on a par with “Where were you when Kennedy got shot?” or “How many roads must a man walk down, before you call him a man?”, but when asked by Volker Albus, Product Design Professor and Prorector at the Hochschule für Gestaltung Karlsruhe and, together with Stefan Legner, co-founder and “boss” from kkaarrlls, you really have to respond.

“Pure chance”, being our less than brilliant answer. “Milan 2009, too early for a Belgian design showcase we drifted, unconsciously, unplanned, into the next nearest exhibition.”

It was kkaarrlls, the very first kkaarrlls exhibition, and the most fortuitous twist of fate…..

Conceived as a student platform kkaarrlls showcases selected works by Hochschule für Gestaltung Karlsruhe students and graduates, works which in the organisers own words, present an “…. open-minded view of the world of things, be it in terms of their construction, configuration, material or the handling.” Our personal kkaarrlls highlights include Kantbank 250 by Andreas Grindler – questionably the first kkaarrlls object which genuinely got under our skin – Clerk by Martha Schwindling, Ascher by Tina Schmid. And of course Nido by Eva Marguerre, even if there was a time when it irritated through its ubiquitousness.

During Cologne Design Week 2013 kkaarrlls premièred what could be seen as a new string on their bow, “kkaarrlls für Echtwald”. A cooperation with the Echtwald Trust “kkaarrlls für Echtwald” sees kkaarrlls objects being produced and sold to aid the trust’s forest renaturalising activities. The medial highlight is without question Tom Pawlofsky’s 7Xstool, or at least is when his robotic chainsaw kicks into action. However one shouldn’t underestimate Christian Klotz’s 4zig5zig stool, or the aforementioned desk Clerk by Martha Schwindling.

At Milan 2013 kkaarrlls celebrated their 5th anniversary, and so when we were in Karlsruhe for the Sommerloch 2013 exhibition we took the chance to talk with Volker Albus about the project, and started, somewhat logically, by asking about the background to the platform, or put another way, why kkaarrlls?

Volker Albus: It was a combination of circumstances. On the one hand we wanted to exhibit in Milan, however as a design school in Milan one needs something extra special in order to be heard.

At around the same time we decided that we ideally needed a platform to present and showcase the work of our students. We’re a relatively small school in a relatively small town and so we wanted a platform with which we could present more strongly what we do.  That said, we were also aware that works from our students we’re regularly being published in a wide range of magazines and online portals, something which indicated that our students’ works were being noticed and understood as good and high quality. And that was obviously something we wanted to support.

And so that was the initial motivation, to present the school and for all the students work better and in a more professional manner.

(smow)blog: As a school platform we presume that means you have to carefully consider what comes into the collection…

Volker Albus: Absolutely, absolutely. kkaarrlls isn’t a democratic platform where everyone is free to present what they want. kkaarrlls only shows the very best works that have been produced perfectly. And we also pay close attention to how a work conforms with the kkaarrlls vision.

(smow)blog: And who makes the decision…..?

Volker Albus: We do. Stefan Legner and myself. Clearly we receive regular input from teaching and technical colleagues here in Karlsruhe, so objects that they think could fit in the collection, and generally we’re of a similar opinion, but ultimately we decide. In principle it functions similar to the situation with a contemporary furniture producer, the responsible individuals decides what fits to a collection and what doesn’t. One can’t organise a collection along a majority vote, or democratic principle, because then the collection loses its stringency. Those design companies where a large team are responsible for such decisions also have very weak design. The contrast is of course a company like apple or BMW where a couple of individuals have the say, then you have very clear, linear design identity.

(smow)blog: And is a consideration also that objects could potentially be taken on by a producer? Or does the commercial aspect play a less important role?

Volker Albus: The commercial aspect plays less of a role, although we do pay attention that when the object is produced that the price remains in relation to the objects perceived value. Through, for example, the way in which you produce an object or the materials you choose you communicate an impression as to the object’s price. And our products must meet the consumers perception. We call the objects “Editions” but the gallery market isn’t our aim.

(smow)blog: The kkaarrlls collection grows annually, is it possible that the collection will eventually become too big, that will you have to remove objects from it?

Volker Albus: What’s in remains in! At some point it had earned its place in the collection and so remains in the collection.

(smow)blog: And briefly to end, it’s clear that kkaarrlls will continue, but where do you want to take the platform?

Volker Albus: We are aware that we are being taken ever more seriously and after 5 years we’re at a point where we must seriously consider how we develop the concept. If, for example, we commercialise things further or if we highlight the edition character more, but what we don’t want to do is become a label. We are a college platform and want to remain a college platform. We don’t understand kkaarrlls as a commercial brand. We are however open for cooperations with commercial labels whose philosophy corresponds to and is compatible with ours. The cooperation with Echtwald would be a good example of such. Or if an established brand was to come to us and say they wanted to take up objects in their collection, maybe as a sub-brand in in their collection, then we’re also open for such.

(smow)blog: Which means you’d rule out a move towards more controlled self production…..?

Volker Albus:  No, not at all. There are products that I can well imagine producing ourselves, for example, I’d be open for producing one or the other object in let’s say a 100er collection and then marketing it and distributing it as such. Then of course we’d have to be prepared to take on the commercial risk of doing such. One could for example work in conjunction with a shop somewhere that has the requisite customer potential, so in Munich, Frankfurt or Berlin. But then one notices that that already involves establishing a small commercial apparatus. But as I say these are all things that we are currently considering and through which are exploring how we can continue. And first comes Milan 2014!

Further details on kkaarrlls and the individual projects can be found at kkaarrlls.com