Enter "Stuttgart architecture" into a well known search engine and you''ll get an awful lot of responses relating to the Stuttgart 21 Central Train Station redevelopment project. A situation which, in our opinion, does the city and its architecture a great disservice. For Stuttgart's architecture tradition is perhaps richer and more interesting than anywhere else in Europe. And yes we're talking about modern, 20th century architecture. What happened before the flushing toilet and
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In our interview with the Stuttgart based designers Markus Jehs and Jürgen Laub one of the more interesting quotes is the pair's assertion that "...in Stuttgart people don’t talk so much about their success: an awful lot of creativity originates in Stuttgart but you don’t necessarily know that because no one talks about it." A quote which to be honest hasn't left us in peace since.... One organisation who do talk about creativity in Stuttgart, 20 times a year to be precise, is the Verein zur
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Until August 16th the architecture gallery Wechselraum in Stuttgart is presenting the exhibition "Aus allen Richtungen. Positionen junger Architekten im BDA" Organised by the Working Group for Young Architects within the German Architects Association "Aus allen Richtungen" presents not only the views of 30 young German architects on the role of architecture in contemporary society but also reflections on their own experiences. For the exhibition each architect was given a circa A3 sized box
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As many of you will be more than aware, it is very rare that a genuine expert reviews an exhibition for these pages; however, in the case of the 1951 exhibition "Design for Use, USA" we have one. The German silversmith, product designer and Bauhaus alumni Wilhelm Wagenfeld. At least indirectly. On January 5th 1951 "Twenty-five thousand pounds of American home furnishings exhibition material"1 departed the Museum of Modern Art in New York to begin a two year tour of Europe. Curated by Edgar
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As any fool know, we traditionally begin our round-up of the summer semester student shows at the Bauhaus University Weimar. This year however Thüringen is having to yield to Stuttgart, and specifically the Akademie der Bildenden Künste Stuttgart. In relation to institutions such as the Bauhaus Uni Weimar or Burg Giebichenstein Halle, the Industrial Design department at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste Stuttgart is relatively small, but no less interesting. For the 2013 Rundgang there were
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In the context of another project we are currently researching various aspects of Egon Eiermann's architectural output. And have discovered the most wonderful contradictory positions as regards dealing with his legacy. Contradictory positions which pose the more general question as to how one should approach modernist architectural legacies. Should all works be saved? Are all buildings really worth saving? Are there alternatives? Stadthaus Krefeld by Egon Eiermann (Photo Source: Wikimedia
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As with so much of Ron Arad's commercially available, serially produced, furniture designs the story of Tom Vac starts a long, long way away from the domestic conformity one has become accustomed to seeing them in. In this case the story begins on a street corner in Milan. In 1997 the Italian architecture and design magazine Domus launched a PR campaign which involved asking contemporary designers to create an installation which embodied the fundamentals of the magazine. The first commission
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In 1991 a couple of "fools" - not our words, not even their words, rather the politely paraphrased words of an institution in Baden-Württemberg who really should have more foresight - decided to launch a sales fair for contemporary designer furniture in Stuttgart. A sales fair where young designers could present their self-produced work direct to the buying public. In 1992 the first blickfang Stuttgart attracted some 42 exhibitors; no mean feat when you consider that blickfang was one of the
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Its probably fair to say that had Porsche wanted to build their new museum in Stuttgart city centre, the planning permission process may have taken "some time" And would invariably still be "under consideration". Fortunately they decided to build the museum next to their factory in the Stuttgart suburb of Zuffenhausen, a location where they have more or less feudal sovereignty, and so we are all now able to behold what is without question the most imposing and brazen architectural project
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Older readers will be aware that we have often held up the absence of some of Germany's most important designer furniture manufacturers as an unmissable indicator of an inherent weakness in the IMM Cologne brand. Those same readers will therefore understand the confusion we felt on seeing that Wilde+Spieth would, finally, be attending IMM Cologne in 2013. We were delighted they were participating. We however now have one argument less. Based in Esslingen near Stuttgart, Wilde+Spieth were
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On Friday last week we were at a discussion in Potsdam where Nils Holger Moormann spoke as eloquently and convincingly as ever about the advantages of long lifecyles for furniture and the continual development that is possible when one understands furniture as an evolving entity and not as a quick, profit generating, commodity. Referring, for example, to the FNP shelving system he commented, something along the lines of: even after 25 years one always finds new ways of extending and developing
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From Friday December 7th until Sunday December 9th the Wilhelmspalais in Stuttgart is hosting the 9th DEKUMO Art and Design Fair. Initiated in 2004 as a sales fair for local designers and artists DEKUMO has grown steadily over the years: both geographically as well as in volume. Whereas the original version featured the works of some 30 design studios, principally from Stuttgart, the 2012 edition presents 110 exhibitors from as far afield as... we'll to be honest that's really hard to tell
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"The exhibition will principally present simple, functional and comfortable chairs for the home, office and garden"1 With this clear note of intent opens the catalogue to the exhibition "Der Stuhl" that took place in Stuttgart from September 15th until October 15th 1928. Organised by the Württembergische Gewerbeamt - the trade office responsible for the greater Stuttgart region at that time - "Der Stuhl" featured some 400 objects from over 50 international producers and was conceived with
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On July 23rd 2012 the Weißenhofsiedlung Stuttgart celebrates its 85th "birthday". An anniversary which provides a near-perfect excuse to relive one of the most important moments in the development of European Modernism. As if we really need an excuse. Initiated by the Deutscher Werkbund in cooperation with Stuttgart City Council the Weißenhofsiedlung comprised some 63 flats in 33 buildings designed by a truly stellar collection of international architects and was just one part of a larger
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There is a 1961 poster by the Stuttgart designer Hanns Lohrer for Porsche which depicts a Porsche 356B framed by pair of skis and a fur hat. The image cries out Sean Connery era James Bond. Refined, exclusive, self-confident, a little bit cheeky .... and highly desirable. Together with the other works in the "The Perfect Sporting Partner" series the poster is a delightful testament to Lohrer's ability to produce work that perfectly matched the client's brief without compromising himself
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July is famously the month we escape the tight constraints of the professional design circus and head out to annoy design students at their annual end of year shows. Only to come back not only in awe at the quality of some of the works we have seen; but confident in the bright future of the German design community. Whereas our tour traditionally keeps us safely within the confines of the former DDR - this year we're including Stuttgart. Design? Stuttgart? We know. Stuttgart! But lest we
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