Is there anything left to say about Bauhaus?

Have we not all seen, read, written enough?

We all know the important points of the story.

We all know the famous art works and design classics.

Most of us can name three or four Bauhäusler, the cleverer among you might reach a dozen.

There’s nothing new to be said.

Were it only that simple….

Bauhaus Dessau in model and photos at Bauhaus: Art as Life

Some 1200 students attended Bauhaus Weimar, Dessau and Berlin, add to that number the teaching and workshop staff and one reaches not only an unquantifiable collection of produced works and personal anecdotes; but hopefully also the conclusion that there is an awful lot more to the story that a couple of chairs and a Wagenfeld Lamp.

That most presentations of Bauhaus simply reproduce what we all know is because that is the easiest option. It’s perceived to be what the public want.

Which is why if you go into any public library and flick through a dozen Bauhaus books, you’ll find the same story told with a dozen different collections of adverbs.

“Bauhaus: Art as Life” at the Barbican Art Gallery London, attempts a slightly different approach.

Not revolutionary or ground-breakingly different, it is still very much an exhibition intended for a mass public and as such suitably speckled with identifiable classics; however, “Art as Life” attempts to present Bauhaus for what it really was.

A big holiday camp.

Albeit a big holiday camp where creativity was a way of life and something celebrated and practiced day and night as a matter of course.

Indeed walking round the Barbican Art Gallery, one could be mistaken for thinking that many of the Bauhaus classic were created more by mistake than design…..

Divided into ten sections looking at the Bauhaus story from the beginnings in Weimar until the Berlin end, “Bauhaus: Art as Life” is a wonderfully accessible and open exhibition that makes prudent use of the architecture in the Barbican Art Gallery to tell the story of Bauhaus as not only place of production, but much more as a place of party, people and play.

Social Bauhaus is represented just as prominently as Innovative Bauhaus.

An exhibition concept that genuinely presents the subject matter with a rarely seen freshness and depth.

Barbican Art Gallery - Bauhaus: Art as Life

In addition to wonderful examples of Bauhaus furniture, textile, pottery or toys, “Bauhaus: Art as Life” also presents an awful lot of framed works – so paintings, sketches, photos and, the real joy for us, montages.

Bauhaus montages always amuse and impress us. We suspect that is because they look like the were made by children; not surprising given that they were undeniably created with a child like fascination for the creative process. With the fun of just trying and seeing what happens.

And this courage to experiment and to remain true to your own philosophy regardless of what convention and popular wisdom dictates, is without question what defined Bauhaus. And indeed remains one of the most important lessons that is to be drawn from the episode.

This particular Bauhaus idiosyncrasy is beautifully highlighted in “Art as Life.”

That and the feeling that Bauhaus was a lot less egalitarian than many care to admit.

There is an undeniable smugness in much of what is on display.

As we say Bauhaus was in many ways a holiday camp, and one can’t escape the feeling that a small group of Bauhäusler dominated the camp. Probably with all their tents in the best location. And with the best barbecue.

If you didn’t belong to this clique then not only was the camp potentially a fairly lonely place; but there is also a fair to middling chance that you haven’t survived historically.

That may just be us and our inherent distrust of the cool kids. Our deep suspicion that the principle function of social hierarchies is to make us feel inferior and our contributions worthless.

Or it may be because Bauhaus was in fact dominated by a relatively small inner-circle.

Although, for us at least, implied in many of the exhibits, the theme isn’t an active part of the exhibition. Which is perhaps no bad thing as it gives you something to research and consider ex post facto.

For much like it is never good to leave a restaurant bloated; so to is it always good to leave an exhibition with new, unanswered questions to explore.

Now, we're not accusing anyone of anything. Obviously. Josef Albers & Marcel Breuer at Bauhaus: Art as Life

“Art as Life” is the first Bauhaus exhibition in the UK since 1968. And it’s fair to say that probably next to no one in then UK even noticed the absence. And so are Bauhaus exhibitions still relevant and important? Not just in a British context, but generally?

We think so.

Too much of what we understand as Bauhaus today is either not Bauhaus or is a narrow, standardised, interpretation of Bauhaus.

Gropius’ college has become a brand.

And not a particularly interesting and challenging one. More a safe bet for the unadventurous.

Which is a shame. Because Bauhaus was anything but. As “Bauhaus: Art as Life” makes wonderfully clear.

“Bauhaus: Art as Life” can, and indeed should, be viewed at the Barbican Art Gallery, London until August 12th 2012.

And don’t forget our interview with Bauhaus Archiv Berlin Director Dr. Annemarie Jaeggi

We’re almost at the end of our Milan 2012 coverage.

Not because we’ve run out of themes; but have run out of time.

In the coming weeks we’ve got the opening of the Gerrit Rietveld exhibition at the Vitra Design Museum, the opening of the Marcel Breuer Exhibition at Bauhaus Dessau, Belgrade Design Week, DMY Berlin, Design Miami Basel, and all in addition to a couple of further interviews in connection with “British Design” at the V&A London and “Bauhaus: Art as Life” at the Barbican Art Gallery.

It’s simply time to move on.

However, before we leave the Lombardy metropolis for another, and as ever hopefully final, year there is one story we wanted to share.

During Milan Design Week the Triennale Design Museum traditionally open numerous exhibitions, and the 2012 selection includes “Il gioco e le regole”; a tribute to Paolo Lomazzi, Donato D’Urbino and Jonathan De Pas, three important members of that community of Milanese “furniture architects” who were responsible for establishing the Italian design myth that perpetuates until today.

And of course who also made Milan Design Week and Furniture Fair what it is. For lest we forget the whole shebang kicked off in 1961 as nothing more ostentatious than a sales platform for Milanese manufactures like Cassina, Kartell or Artemide.

Paolo Lomazzi, Donato D'Urbino and Jonathan De Pas "Il gioco e le regole" at Triennale Design Museum, Milan

Following their graduation from the Politecnico di Milano in 1966 Paolo Lomazzi, Donato D’Urbino and Jonathan De Pas established their own studio and in 1968 released one of their most famous works, the Blow inflatable chair for Zanotta. Not only one of the true icons of Pop Art but also a product that established the trios reputation for playful, modern objects that helped move Italian furniture away from its classical, conservative form language.

In the following years came a series of further design classics including the sofa Joe for Poltronova, the clothes rack Sciangai for Zanotta or the genial Chica demountable kid’s chair for BBB Bonacina.

Jonathan De Pas sadly passed away in 1991, but Paolo Lomazzi and Donato D’urbino are still active and one of their most recent projects, the table Saturno for De Padova, was released in 2008.

In addition to furniture Paolo Lomazzi, Donato D’Urbino and Jonathan De Pas have also completed numerous architecture, film and exhibition design projects.

Including the design for “Il gioco e le regole”.

Paolo Lomazzi, Donato D'Urbino and Jonathan De Pas "Il gioco e le regole" at Triennale Design Museum, Milan

Sadly as with the majority of designers from the golden era of Italian design Paolo Lomazzi and Donato D’Urbino speak next to no English. And our Italian famously doesn’t extend much beyond Woody Boyd’s “Sono stato orribilmente mutilato in un incidente ferroviario. Si prega di spararmi”. Consequently a proper conversation with Paolo Lomazzi and Donato D’Urbino was not possible.

However the limited communication was enough to organise a couple of quick photos. And during the organising of the photos it was clear just how much life, fun and creativity remains in the pair. Which was wonderful to experience. And for us much more valuable than seeing any new project.

Designer’s aren’t just machines who create new products for the market. They’re people. And from the designer’s character, experiences and understanding of the world comes the work.

Something that in our modern, image driven digital world is often forgotten or willfully ignored. In the presence of Paolo Lomazzi and Donato D’Urbino you couldn’t ignore even if you wanted to.

And that was the perfect tonic before the Milan madness started.

Donato D'Urbino relaxes on a Joe Sofa

And the exhibition?

Although wonderful to see such an excellent collection of furniture, in addition to numerous prototypes and pre-production models, in one space, we couldn’t escape the feeling that the exhibition was simply tagged on to the rest of the programme so that the Triennale Design Museum could tick the “Italian Legends” box on their “Milan 2012: To Do” list.

For us it simply didn’t go deep enough and didn’t properly explain and analyse the role played by Paolo Lomazzi, Donato D’Urbino and Jonathan De Pas in the story of Italian design. For that is was simply too small. Too abridged. As we say, too apologetic.

Which we found a bit of a shame.

That said, if your in Milan a visit to the Triennale Design Museum can always be recommended: And if your there you shouldn’t miss “Il gioco e le regole”.

“De Pas, D’Urbino e Lomazzi. Il gioco e le regole” can be viewed at the Triennale Design Museum Milan until June 17th 2012.

Paolo Lomazzi and Donato D'Urbino in playful mood in Milan.

As reported elsewhere in these pages, there is a great deal of hope in the UK that the 2012 Summer Olympics will provide fresh impulse for the UK design industry.

Something we doubt.

But then, what do we know. No honestly. What do we know?

And so we’ve taken the opportunity in recent weeks to talk to some people who are much better placed than us to asses the situation, not just in terms of the opportunities presented by the Olympics, but more generally about the state of the UK design industry in 2012.

Following on from our discussion with Gareth Williams, we caught up with Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby in Milan where, in addition to our standard question about the sense of launching new products in Milan, we discussed their views on the current state of UK design… and why their Olympic Torch isn’t included in the exhibition British Design 1948-2012 at the V&A. Something that’s been bugging us greatly since late March.

(smow)blog: One of the hopes in the UK is that the Olympics will have a positive effect on the UK design industry. Do you expect the Olympics to bring anything positive for UK designers?

Edward Barber: I don’t really think there is any need for a huge revolution in UK design, because it’s already very strong. There is a brilliant design industry in the UK with British designers working behind every important company in the world, and so if anything happens it will more about adding impetus to that movement. But I don’t think it’s that we need to start anything, its already there.

Jay Osgerby: There’s a lot of invention in the UK and Britain is at the forefront of, for example, Formula One or aeronautical engineering. But in terms of production, it is way behind just about everyone else. And that is a shame.

(smow)blog: Which leads nicely to the next question. The majority of the manufacturers with whom you co-operate are based overseas. As UK based designers do you have to look overseas for producers, would you rather there were more UK producers, or is it irrelevant….?

Jay Osgerby: About 90% of the time we have to look overseas for a partner. And of course it would be great if there were more manufacturers here doing contemporary design, but there are only a very few and none who can compete on the scale of the German, Swiss or Italian manufacturers.

Edward Barber: Britain is a post-industrial country, there is no industry left; we’re a nation of estate agents and bankers. There is a great deal of excellent small niche producers in the UK; at one end of the spectrum nanotechnology and specialist engineering and at the other end potters, weavers and other crafts. But the middle is simply no longer there. And so we have to go overseas, which is a great shame.

(smow)blog: One has the impression that at least in terms of furniture design, such isn’t really taken seriously in the UK and that every time, for example, some government institution spends money on designer furniture the press reaction is one of appalled indignation. Is furniture design taken seriously in the UK? Do you yourselves feel that you are taken seriously?

Jay Osgerby: Definitely. And there is great tradition in the UK of government and institutions sponsoring arts and design to create long lasting projects that become important to the nation. Where there is maybe a problem today is that because of all the home makeover shows on TV a lot of people think you can “do” design for tuppence. And so not everyone understands the difference between real design and what they perceive as being design. And so in that respect nipping down to IKEA to get a couple of benches for a government minister is perhaps not really the most helpful way to go.

(smow)blog: And so despite the lack of manufacturers you’re not planning leaving London and setting up a studio overseas.

Edward Barber: Definitely not! I’d rather work in London than anywhere else!

(smow)blog: Turning briefly to Milan, we’ve not seen any lists and so how many new works are you launching here?

Jay Osgerby: Not much really, we’re saving most of our new projects for the London Design Festival….

(smow)blog: Good, so we can skip neatly to the more important question! Is it still worth launching projects in Milan, or is it all just too big?

Edward Barber: It depends on the company, but generally yes. Milan however has become so huge and there is so much noise that you have to have an incredible voice, or a real PR grabbing product, to be heard. As a consequence a lot of designers are now starting to launch products in Cologne, London or Paris, where you can generate a lot more interest.

(smow)blog: Which means your decision for London was then deliberate, or were the products just not ready to be presented?

Jay Osgerby: We thought with the Olympics it would be a good opportunity to launch products in London this year….

Edward Barber: … also London is becoming more important as a design location. The Design Festival in September is very well established and 100% Design are making changes for 2012, and so I think London is becoming a much more interesting place to show.

(smow)blog: And to finish. The V&A exhibition, effectively, ends with the 2012 Olympics, but your torch isn’t in it…

Edward Barber: I know. They didn’t want it…

Jay Osgerby: …said it was too obvious.

Now we know.

And OK it is obvious, very obvious. But would still have been nice.

Or maybe the V&A are saving it and the other Barber & Osgerby works from their permanent collection that aren’t in the exhibition for a special retrospective…. Who knows.

Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby with their, now award winning, Olympic Torch. Looking positively to the future. Like all good Olympians...

On May 3rd the exhibition “Bauhaus: Art as Life” opens at the Barbican Art Gallery London. Organised in co-operation with the Bauhaus Archiv Berlin, Stiftung Bauhaus Dessau and Klassik Stiftung Weimar, “Bauhaus: Art as Life” presents some 450 works by the likes of as Marianne Brandt, Wassily Kandinsky, Marcel Breuer, Walter Gropius et al and is the first major Bauhaus exhibition in the UK since 1968.

We’ll have a full report on the exhibition shortly. But ahead of the official opening we caught with Bauhaus Archiv Berlin Director Dr. Annemarie Jaeggi to talk about the exhibition and the role and relevance of Bauhaus in and to the UK.

(smow)blog:  Firstly as a little background, did the three Bauhaus institutions approach the Barbican with the idea for the exhibition, or did the Barbican approach yourselves?

Dr. Annemarie Jaeggi: The Barbican approached us in 2009 during the exhibition “Bauhaus. A Conceptual Model” in Berlin with the request, if it would be possible to show either that particular exhibition or another Bauhaus exhibition in London in 2012.

(smow)blog: The decision was ultimately for a different exhibition. Why not just show the 2009 exhibition?

Dr. Annemarie Jaeggi: “Bauhaus. A Conceptual Model”  was a very expansive exhibition and was conceived specifically to celebrate the 90th anniversary of Bauhaus. And although it did travel in a reduced version to New York, it wasn’t really practical to consider it as a permanent travelling exhibition; not least because the objects came from numerous sources, and us holding on to them, effectively on a permanent loan basis, wasn’t reasonable or fair.

So we thought “OK, let’s do things a bit differently”, and so we as the three largest Bauhaus institutions, made our collections available to the Barbican, and they then curated the exhibition. In the end some 70% of the objects come from Dessau, Weimar and Berlin and 30% from English collections in addition to items from, for example, the Centre Georges Pompidou, MoMa New York or Zentrum Paul Klee in Bern.

(smow)blog: A Bauhaus exhibition in the UK, sets a couple of obvious questions in the room. Firstly, in your opinion, did the Arts and Crafts movement play a role in the establishment of Bauhaus, or is there no real connection?

Dr. Annemarie Jaeggi: I’m not convinced it played a direct role. Arts and Crafts was very important for the re-discovery of traditional crafts, specifically a high-quality and pure form of handcrafts. And that had a great influence in Germany in terms of Jugendstil and the Deutsche Werkbund, and in that period the impulses came from England. However, I think for the Bauhaus less so, because that was much more driven by the situation in Germany after the First World War. Naturally there are common convictions, for all in terms of using crafts and manual labour as a tool to learn how one can work with certain materials, what is possible and where the limits of a material are. But also the idea of an honest use of materials; that one shouldn’t work against the properties of a material. And so these are things where one can say, yes there are parallels.

But what ultimately made Bauhaus the institution it became goes in a different direction namely to train designers, or to use the language of the day to train Formgestalter, to work with and for industry. And at that point Arts and Crafts and Bauhaus go their separate ways.

(smow)blog: And the complimentary question. If we see things correctly Bauhaus didn’t have much impact in the UK. For us one could almost speak of the UK as being the land Bauhaus forgot. Is that that the case?

Dr. Annemarie Jaeggi: Current thinking is starting to see that a bit differently. Previously it was accepted that Bauhaus had left little or no trace in the UK – that those Bauhäusler who emigrated to the UK had probably come a little too early. England was firmly rooted in its own tradition and the shift towards Modernism was very hesitant and really didn’t occur until after the Second World War. However, nowadays there is the line of thought that until now we’ve maybe focused too much on the prominent Bauhäusler.  But then what about the numerous other, less well known, Bauhäusler who had to leave Germany? Bauhäusler who, in comparison to Walter Gropius or Marcel Breuer taught at some of England’s most important art colleges, and the results of their contribution to UK art and design can only really be measured after 1945. And that is something that until now hasn’t been fully researched, but which we hope to investigate further, ideally in co-operation with institutions in the UK.

(smow)blog: And so in that context, can the exhibition be seen as a good starting point for a deeper study of the UK/Bauhaus relationship?

Dr. Annemarie Jaeggi: Yes, its a wonderful opportunity to highlight how many areas there are where we need to look deeper and do more research, including areas that are of specific historical interest to the UK. And I hope that this exhibition provides a little impulse in that direction.

(smow)blog: Briefly to end, as already discussed “Bauhaus. A Conceptual Model” wasn’t suitable as a travelling exhibition. Is “Bauhaus Art as Life” more suited. Could it potentially become a travelling exhibition?

Dr. Annemarie Jaeggi: I don’t think so. Many of the objects here are very fragile, and we have, for example an awful lot of paper based exhibits which are very light sensitive. Plus one must remember the works are 80 or 90 years old, and the paper used was of truly appalling quality; the years after the First World War were very hard and miserable years and the quality of the paper reflects that. Or the textiles were dyed with natural dyes, and these obviously fade under light. And so we much prefer to organise a major show every two or three years in one location, rather than take risks with a permanent travelling exhibition.

(smow)blog: Which means the exhibition here is a one-off chance to see this collection of objects in one place?

Dr. Annemarie Jaeggi: Yes. And the last major Bauhaus exhibition in London was in 1968 to mark the 50th anniversary. And so its something unique and very special that is on show here.

Bauhaus Art as Life runs at the Barbican Art Gallery London until August 12th 2012.

Bauhaus Art as Life @ Barbican Art Gallery London

Bauhaus Art as Life @ Barbican Art Gallery London

Bauhaus Art as Life @ Barbican Art Gallery London

Back in October one of our highlights at Vienna Design Week 2011 was the exhibition kidsroomZOOM! Essentially a mid-town Vienna apartment kitted out entirely in furniture for children, we were not only impressed by the objects on display, but by the concept.

Forget adults! We’re doin’ it for the kids! Being the message we got. And one we wholeheartedly approved of.

kidsroomZOOM! originated in Milan, and so this year we not only visited the new 2012 show, but also spoke to curator Paola Noè to find out a little more about the whole concept.

(smow)blog: Obvious opening question, what’s the background? Why the decision to present a designer furniture exhibition specially geared to children and in such a context?

Paola Noè: My day job is as curator of unduetrestella, a contemporary art project for children here in Milan. Two years ago I met Thomas Maitz from Perludi and we created a small kidsroomZOOM exhibition, from which the project has grown. For us it is important to present furniture for kids and art for kids in a real location, in a domestic location. And so last year for the first Milan show, I tried to select works from interesting brands and interesting young designers and created a house for children.

(smow)blog: As curator of the exhibition do you start with the space and think, OK this and this will work well, or do you start with those designers and products you want, and then fit them into the available space?

Paola Noè: It’s a bit of both. Over the course of the year I gather works that I think would be interesting to present. And then when we have the opportunity to present a show I have to consider which of those objects could be presented in context of the space. You can’t show everything that you may want to, but you can try!

(smow)blog: Do you think major furniture producers take children seriously, or can we see this exhibition as an appeal that they should?

Paola Noè: I think there are a lot of brands and designers who do take children seriously. But, for example, here in Italy in its not necessarily the case. Which is strange because in the 1970s here in Milan we had, for example, Enzo Mari or Bruno Munari and so design for children was really born in Italy in the 1970s. But now it’s easier to find really interesting brands in other countries, for example in Sweden, America, Austria, or France.

(smow)blog: You currently show in Milan and Vienna. Would you like to show in other cities or is the six month cycle OK?

Paola Noè: I am always looking for occasions and opportunities to present kidsroomZOOM globally, and am currently, for example exploring possibilities in South America. But it would also be good to find new locations in Europe, but the biggest problem at the moment is the economic situation which makes it harder to organise and finance such an exhibition. And so that is the biggest challenge at the moment.

(smow)blog: And, in that context, the name of the show “We Never Give Up! is that motivation for yourselves as organisers….?

Paola Noè: Organising the second edition of such a show was a lot harder than the first; because of the crises we found it really had to find sponsors and partners. But we thought about children and the future of children. You can’t just think about economic crises. You’ve got to present something else. And so yes we decided not to give up and to ensure that the second edition was realised.

Until September 16th the Grassi Museum Leipzig is showing the Vitra Design Museum exhibition The Essence of Things: Design and the Art of Reduction.

And so keeping with the theme, we’ll keep our post reduced and simply link to our post from The Essence of Things: Design and the Art of Reduction at the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein.

Paul Weller is famously of the opinion that it’s ludicrous to expect him to sing songs today that he wrote as an 18 year old. His world view having, naturally, changed since then. Similarly, we don’t agree with everything we wrote back in 2010. But it still, largely, represents our views on the exhibition.

The V&A Museum London exhibition “British Design 1948-2012” pretty much does what it says on the tin. It reviews British Design from 1948 to 2012.

But how does the future look ? Where is British design going ? What issues are important? Where do the coming generation of designers see their futures ?

Answers to these and similar questions can be found in the newly published “21 Designers for twenty-first century Britain” by Gareth Williams.

Profiling designers and design studios such as Raw Edges, Doshi Levien, Peter Marigold or Martino Gamper, “21 Designers for twenty-first century Britain” not only presents a snapshot of the current UK product and furniture design scene but also explores the motivations and ambitions of the protagonists in the context of design’s economic, social and political role in 21st century Britain.

Something Gareth Williams is eminently qualified to do.

In addition to being Senior Tutor for the Design Products Programme at the Royal College of Art London – an institution to which most of the featured designers have some connection – Gareth Williams spent 18 years as curator in the furniture department of the V&A Museum where he organised numerous exhibitions including in 2000 “Ron Arad, Before and After Now”, the first major UK exhibition dedicated to Ron Arad and in 2009 “Telling Tales: Fantasy and Fear in Contemporary Design” which looked at one-off and limited edition author design. He has also served on the selection panels for 100% Design London and Salone Satellite Milan.

We recently caught up with Gareth Williams to discuss the book and the issues raised, but started by asking how the book came about….

Gareth Williams: The V&A came to me because they wanted to expand their publication range around the British Design exhibition and specifically they wanted something on 21st century designers….

(smow)blog:….”21st century designers” is a fairly wide field. How did you narrow things down?

Gareth Williams: My specialism is product and furniture design and so I decided to concentrate on designers in those fields, and focus on those designers who have risen to prominence and who have really built up a critical head of steam in Britain since the millennium.

(smow)blog: And did you start out with a specific aim, or……?

Gareth Williams: I’m really interested in how designers and design is used and represented in Britain, especially design as cultural diplomacy. Since the mid-90s or so contemporary design and designers has and have been adopted by policy makers to represent new, creative, open, liberal Britain. If you think back to how Britain was represented in the 1980s it was much more the House of Windsor, National Trust and “Heritage Britain”. Then somewhere in the mid-90s you get “Cool Britannia” and design gets sort of co-opted in as a political tool. And around about this time the British Council and other British Institutions start using design to promote the image of Britain overseas. And now we have the Olympics which also involves a lot of designers and contemporary design, again all to promote this image of Britain as a thoroughly modern, creative state. So that’s the bigger context that I’m wanting to explore with this book.

(smow)blog: Which we presume means you’re confident British design and British designers are taken seriously, and being given a fair chance and aren’t just being exploited by the system?

Gareth Williams: Some of them are taken very seriously, and there are some designers who have profited immensely from major institutional projects. And while, yes, some designers may see what they are doing as being public relations, I think those designers I speak to in the book are not straight forward industrial designers in the old model who are trying to find producers to make their lights, furniture, radios or whatever, but are rather trying to carve out a new autonomous role for designers as producers of cultural works. Which makes them much more similar to artists in that sense.

(smow)blog: Some 80% of the designers featured in the book come from out with the UK, but are based in the UK. The V&A exhibition features numerous works from designers and architects also from out-with the shores of Blighty. Can one truly speak of “British design”?

Gareth Williams: I think one can. I think you can speak of a spirit in British Design which is to do with a certain amount of iconoclasm and non-conformity: if you like a respect for the history and tradition, but a desire to subvert it. And that combined with a strong individualistic streak. It’s perhaps not so obvious with product designers, but someone like Vivienne Westwood is a wonderful example of someone who mines British tradition but twists it to make it more modern and individual. This free thinking, and Britain likes to think of itself as a fair play, free thinking, liberal democracy, I think that’s the thread that connects British design….

(smow)blog:….and so does this thread then continue through the design studios featured in the book?

Gareth Williams: I think so. I think they are people who are very driven, very self-motivated and who each have a very clear singular voice. And so yes this free thinking nature is definitely represented.

(smow)blog: Briefly to end, you previously wrote a book called “Furniture since 1990″, now you’re on 21st century designers. You’re challenging us to ask: What’s going to characterise furniture in the 21st century. Where is furniture design going?

Gareth Williams: Several factors will be important. Firstly having to face up to the crises that face us, be they economic or environmental. So sustainability in all in its guises is going to be the abrupt stop to a lot of what goes on. And that is the biggest challenge for all designers; facing up to all that – while remaining a designer. Because one answer is obviously to stop designing, but that can’t be a solution because then economies collapse. And so there are various responses, and one is through materials and technology and that will be a great driver as we research longer lasting, more sustainable material. And I think designers have an important role: they can’t invent the materials but they can find very creative ways of using them.
Many of the designers who are featured in the book and who have a more art background and approach are sidestepping such issues by only producing small scale series.
And then there is a lot of interest in new economies and new social systems. They’re not a radical lot, it’s not 1968, but many designers are very aware of the social and cultural context of what they do and I think designers have an important role to play in redefining how we live in the 21st century.

21 Designers for twenty-first century Britain by Gareth Williams is published by V&A Publishing and available from all reputable booksellers.

Styrene Light by Paul Cocksedge. The lamp can be viewed as part of "British Design 1948-2012" at the V&A Museum London. Paul Cocksedge is one of the featured designers in "21 Designers for twenty-first century Britain"

It’s probably fair to say the biggest surprise at Salone Satellite 2012 was seeing Rui Alves aka My Own Super Studio.

Because we thought 2011 had been the last year he was allowed to exhibit.

Turns out we can’t count. And that the rules for Salone Satellite are a lot more complicated than even we were aware.

Fortunately. For in addition to the chance to catch up with Rui, he also had new projects with him.

While most industry attention of late has been focused on his Lapa chair, for us the highlight was the modular system Woodpecker.

Not least because it is wood, a material that Rui truly understands.

But principally because we love the idea.

In essence Woodpecker is a horizontal wooden bar with holes.

The end user can then buy legs in three different lengths and a range of features -  hooks, shelves, lamps, bowls etc., which can be fitted and removed as required.

Milan 2012: Rui Alves - Woodpecker. Here in a configuration suitable for atop a kitchen work-surface.

As such Woodpecker can not only be used throughout a house or office; but can be continually re-invented. For example you could initially use it with the short legs in the kitchen as an addition to you work surface, and then rebuild it for use in the entrance hall as clothes stand with the longest legs.
Easy. And genius.

Rui’s mastery in all things wood could also be seen in his height adjustable stool “Nose”. Created from cork and oak, Nose not only has the most wonderful haptic, but looks stunning. The cork really giving the whole composition a depth that the wood alone couldn’t achieve.

Milan 2012: Rui Alves - Nose

Then there is the aforementioned Lapa chair. Demonstrating, let’s say, Rui’s “trademark” hang to colour, Lapa comes as an armchair and a stool/ottoman, is formed from oak and steel wire, and as an object achieves that wonderful deceptiveness of appearing stable yet unobtrusive and solid yet elegant. It is also one of those delightful examples of the resourcefulness and inventiveness one needs as a designer. Unable to find anyone locally who could create one seat shell for the prototype at an affordable price, Rui phoned a metalworker friend and they spent a Saturday in his garage bending and welding. Which is very similar to the story Stefan Diez tells about creating the prototypes of Chasis ahead of their launch at Orgatec 2010.

As we’ve said before about Rui Alves we don’t believe he is a designer who is driven by any great desire to revolutionise the furniture design industry. Simply by a desire to produce high quality, practical furniture that brings joy to the user and makes their day just a little brighter

In Milan he once again demonstrated that perfectly.

Milan 2012: Rui Alves - Lapa Chair

Rui Alves. The complete Woodpecker range

And Woodpecker in a medium and tall version

We bow to no man in our admiration for the people of Belgium.

Not only have they common sense to make chips their national dish, but they have proved beyond all reasonable doubt that politicians are no pre-requisite for a functioning state in 21st century Europe.

We’ve just always found it a real shame that the various parts of the country have never got on.

It’s so unnecessary in such a small nation.

Fortunately, at least in design, that is starting to change, and in the last couple of years Brussels, Wallonia and Flanders have started working together and presenting common shows.

That wasn’t always the case and we can well remember a couple of years ago attending the Wallonia/Brussels show [Les belges]

A truly frustrating show as we recall; lots of products that looked good. But then proved not to be so upon testing.

Fortunately, as we say, times have changed, and in Milan the triumvirate (more or less) united for two “Belgium is Design” shows – one in the Triennale Design Museum and one at Salone Satellite.

Milan 2012: Belgium is Design @ Triennale Design Museum

The Triennale show was staged under the title Perspectives and claimed to “…. survey the shifting landscape of Belgian design” in the context of five “grids”: industrial design, self-produced design, design art, social design and design as “open work”

We can’t really comment if it did, for that there was simply too little story; however, it did present some wonderful projects.

We were particularly taken with the desk Strates by Mathieu Lehanneur for Objekten, O’Sun portable solar lamp by Alain Gilles, the OS Waterboiler from openstructures and Stein No 1 by Kaspar Hamacher. Kaspar of course being one of the few designers to have produced something we liked at [Les belges]

His shelf “Das Brett” remaining one of those objects we always turn to when the world seems grey and hopeless.

At Salone Satellite “Belgium is Design” presented 10 young designers from Wallonia and Brussels. We hope the absence of Flanders was because there are no good young designers from the north of Belgium. It would be a shame if petty regionalism was at play.
Amongst the exhibits the pieces that most caught our attention was the “Kork Milan” lamps, tables and storage boxes by Liege based studio “Two Designers” With its unapologetic timeless appeal and somewhat cheeky retro language the range simply stood out on its own.

Milan 2012: Belgium is Design. Two Designers Kork Milan @ Salone Satellite

The title of the shows “Belgium is Design” obviously isn’t true.

Belgium isn’t Design. Belgium has never been design.

Maarten van Severn produced some of the most exquisitely elegant and reduced design in post-war Europe.

But small as Belgium is. One designer doesn’t make a tradition.

Tim Baute from interror was for several years one of the true highlights at Designers Fair in Cologne. But was also one of the few Belgian designers you were ever likely to come across outside Milan or Design September Brussels.

Belgium isn’t Design. But Belgium does have potential.

As with British design, we suspect that the potential lies in more co-operations with external producers, but to achieve that potential they need attract more industry people more regularly to Belgium. The Kortrijk Biennale is a good start. But too little.

And for all Belgium needs to raise the profiles of its design schools.

The current flood of high quality Dutch designers is without question related to the status achieved by Eindhoven Design Academy.

Belgium needs a similar institution. And a few more years of shows such as Belgium is Design.

Then they might be in a position to use the name seriously.

Milan 2012: Belgium is Design. O'Sun portable solar lamp by Alain Gilles

As regular readers will know one of our favourite design festivals is Vienna Design Week.

And one of our all-time favourite Vienna Design Week projects is LacesLamp by Antoinette Bader. Because it delt so playfully with statics.

And believe us, we’ve suffered for statics. And so anything that presents it as something to be enjoyed is to be celebrated.

Consequently it was a particular joy to discover Antoinette at Salone Satellite 2012 with three new projects: projects which although technically not related to LacesLamp, certainly all arise from the same gene pool.

If we’re honest we didn’t ask Antoinette what the products are called. It didn’t occur to us, so we’ll call the two that most appealed to us “Sofa” and “Lamp”.

Because they are.

Sofa is constructed from three pieces of upholstery lain atop a wooden frame.

The complete construction is held together by cords that run through the piece and which are neatly tied in a knot at the back.
As such the shoelace analogy is inescapable. If not specifically intended.

We were instantly attracted by both the form and the inviting warmth the work emits. Indeed we saw and liked Sofa before we’d registered the name of the designer.

We openly admit that we fear we would lose an awful lot of peanuts in the cone like corners. And for a market ready project the upholstery probably needs to be a little more robust.
But as an object we were definitely impressed and hope that Antoinette can develop it further.

Lamp in contrast attracted our attention because we thought it was a straight further development of the LacesLamp project

Antoinette doesn’t see it is a such, even if there are parallels in the construction.

Although we’re calling it Lamp “6 Lamps” would be more accurate; three pointing up the way and three pointing down.

In addition to the obvious aesthetic joy of Lamp its design means that you can generate an awful lot of light with a relatively small object. Thus making it perfect for spaces where you don’t want the lamp to dominate the room.

If we remember correctly, Antoinette was invited to participate in Vienna Design Week after the organisers saw LacesLamp at Salone Satellite 2010.

We hope that 2012 is equally successful. Although this time a producer would also be nice.

Milan 2012: Antoinette Bader @ Salone Satellite

Milan 2012: Antoinette Bader @ Salone Satellite: Sofa

Milan 2012: Antoinette Bader @ Salone Satellite: Lamp