One of the highlights for us of the student summer semester showcase season is always the annual Rundgang at the Universität der Künste, UdK, Berlin.
And while the Product/Industrial Design presentation at the 2014 Rundgang is/was somewhat smaller than usual, it was/is still the expected, and entertaining, mix of the theoretical, the conceptual and the practical.
In addition to the chance to once again experience projects such as Clair Obscur, a project which can of course also be viewed as part of the DMY Award exhibition at the DMY Gallery, or once again enjoy the Axel Kufus curated showcase Zwischen den Stühlen – Möglichkeitsmodelle als Sitzgelegenheiten, the UdK Rundgang also presents a selection of the 2014 graduate projects, free projects by students and the results of numerous semester seminars. And a couple of projects that genuinely excited us.
Yes only two, but lest we forget students showcases aren't about presenting market ready projects but explaining what the students have done all year and why. And at the UdK a lot of that is conceptual. And a lot of that, while interesting to view and analyse in person, on location, isn't interesting out of context.
Should however you be in Berlin this weekend and be looking to escape the sun, we can thoroughly recommend a trip to Charlottenburg.
The Universität der Künste Rundgang 2014 runs until Sunday July 20th. In addition to product design the Rundgang presents works from across the University spectrum, including architecture, art, music, theatre... Full details can be found at www.udk-berlin.de/rundgang
Gren Light by Gunnar Søren Petersen
Anyone who has read this blog at least once will be well aware of our passion for the Modo lighting family by Jason Miller for Roll and Hill. Less well documented is our passion for Jason Miller's outrageously decadent Superordinate Antler family of lamps. Largely because they are so outrageously decadent. One can't even begin to explain them. Far less justify them. Gren Light by Gunnar Søren Petersen beautifully combines the best of both the Modo and the Superordinate Antler families. Crafted from wood and ceramic Gren Light combines a refined, dulcet charm with an understated beauty in an extremely elegant object. An extremely elegant object constructed on the basis of a very simple, easily reproducible, infinitely variable construction principle. And an extremely elegant object that is well on its to becoming modular, or perhaps better put on the way to be being a freely configurable system. There is still a bit of work to be done, but when Gunnar Søren Petersen reaches that stage we believe he will have a family of lighting objects with a lot of potential applications in domestic, commercial, and for all gastronomy settings.
Fuller details can be found at http://gunnar-petersen.com
Dock by Florian Schreiner & Adeline Chimento
Projects exploring the future of working spaces and working practices have been a popular diversion for designers for decades. During the 2014 summer semester the course "Collaborate" asked UdK students to specifically explore systems that could be applicable for co-working facilities. A course that produced Dock by Florian Schreiner. There is, to be brutally honest, nothing especially new or innovative to be found in the Dock system; however something about Dock caught our imagination. Be it the mix of materials, the clear functionality of the components, the ease on the eye, the obviousness of its existence, the way the static island is continued into and over the wall. Or the fact that although created in context of a co-working space course it is very much a project that also has applications in more domestic settings. Either way it is a fascinating project, was a delight to see and we certainly hope Florian Schreiner is given the chance to develop it further.
