Professor Bernd Rudolf

One of the more interesting anomalies about Bauhaus Weimar is that it never had an architecture department.
Despite Walter Gropius’ desire to unite the arts and crafts with, and in the service of, architecture.

The modern Bauhaus University Weimar does have an architecture department.

A very good and award winning architecture department.

At Summaery 2011 the faculty presented the results of numerous research projects: including, greenhouse – globally the first building constructed from a wood-concrete composite – and a very interesting looking, if difficult to explain, carbon dioxide fixing algal photobiorector designed for use in modular building facades.

We spoke to Professor Bernd Rudolf, Dekan of the Architecture Faculty, about the university’s research work, the future of architecture – and that name!

(smow)blog: Looking at the various projects being presented here it is clear that modern architecture isn’t just building buildings. What are the principle focuses here at Bauhaus University Weimar ?

Professor Bernd Rudolf : We have two major tendencies here in the faculty. On the one hand we are in the process of extending the area urbanistic. We have recently started a bachelor course, and are hoping that the research interests of those who participate will then fuse together in a coherent network. And the other principle focus of our work is designing with aim of advancing applied research. The first projects in this context are currently taking shape. The first is the greenhouse from Prof Walter Stamm-Teske, with the wood cement composite and the second is the research platform x.stahl where in the future we will showcase all projects that involve applied architecture research, intelligent hybrid materials or energy relevant questions.

(smow)blog: And looking to the future, and in context of the research being carried out here in Weimar. What do you see as the role of architects in the future?

Professor Bernd Rudolf : There is currently a lot of discussion around the question if the classic architect will still be needed in the future. As a designer, I think architects will increasingly give their role as author of the building up to their collaborators, at least in respect of the technical elements of a building. But I believe a construction always needs someone who can moderate and who can act as an interface in order to ensure that the structure in all its complexity can be realised. Such a person will always be needed. And he must be a team player. The star architect who submits his design and then leaves the country and hopes that everything works out as he planned, they are a dying breed. The majority of the students who come to us, come with this image of the star architect as representing the typical career path, but we quickly manage to cure them of that.

(smow)blog: In that respect, looking back has the average architecture student changed over the years, or….?

Professor Bernd Rudolf : It is still that case that they all want to make the world a better place. That remains the principle reason for studying architecture; I want to make the world a better place. Maybe what has changed is that previously the students came with a continuous biography based on experience; nowadays its more a case of a patchwork. They’ve done this and that, and from this patchwork comes the impulse. They have maybe, for example, spent some time overseas, realised what architecture for a value has there and then want to learn that here.

(smow)blog: Changing the world is maybe a good point to ask, the name Bauhaus in how far is it helpful and in how far is it a handicap?

Professor Bernd Rudolf : I always see it as being very positive. I think we have established here a college just as Walter Gropius would have wished. In terms of construction we currently have a complexity here far greater than that during Gropius’ time. I think that through the exchange between designers, media professionals, computer professionals and engineers the circle closes itself and we now have this complex knowledge base here.
Technically what we have here is a realisation of Gropius’ idea of art and technology: that may sound banal, it is a lot more. But maybe Gropius knew that it would so come, that one needed other disciplines, would need to engage the other disciplines, to be able to correctly order our complex world.

Green:House. The first house built from a new wood-concrete composite. As seen at Bauhaus Uni Weimar Summaery 2011

The experimetal carbon dioxide fixing algal photobiorector. As seen @ Bauhaus Uni Weimar Summaery 2011

Following our visits to the Bauhaus University Weimar, Fachhochschule Potsdam, Kunsthochschule Berlin-Weißensee and  Universität der Künste Berlin the final stage of our 2011 summer tour was Burg Giebichenstein Halle.

It may just be us, but we are firmly of the belief that Burg Giebichenstein students complete more, and more varied, seminars than students at any of the other schools we visit.

At least based on the presentations at their end of year show.

Be it designing record sleeves, creating items based on the characteristics of fruits/vegetables or designing the lamp that Isamu Noguchi would design if he were still active today – every room of every building seems to house at least one exhibition.

If not two.

Among those that most caught our attention were “eine Bank für zwei” and “Bodenreform”

Eine Bank für zwei set students the challenge of designing a bench for two prominent “creatives” – be they designers, architects, musicians, actors, whatever. The aim being that the benches should represent both the character’s of the users and their relationship to one another in the form language and material choice.

A lovely little project that allowed the students the chance to explore how they understand the work and character of those people they have as references, which should then help them improve their own  techniques.

And allowed us the chance to enjoy the results.

Aside from delightful solutions for Gerrit Rietveld and Charles Eames or Konstantin Grcic and Dieter Rams the highlight for us was Elias Betka’s bench for Charles and Ray Eames: a double seater RAR. An idea that not only blew our socks off, but much more got us thinking about in how far Vitra can – or perhaps better put would – ever consider further developing the work of the Ray and Charles Eames.

Elias Betka's bench for Charles and Ray Eames, Burg Giebichenstein Halle 2011

Although Bodenreform was officially concerned with floors, floor-coverings and exploring the role of such in architecture and design, the project from the seminar that most appealed to us didn’t really seem to fit the remit.

As far as we could see.

A fact which of course didn’t detract from the genius of Hobo by Julian Heckel.

Reminiscent of some Victorian adaption of a painters easel for wandering poets, Hobo is, for us, a small table that folds flat to be carried as a backpack, and when opened can be lent against a tree or other free standing structure.

And used to help you ease your tortured soul by comparing your rejected love to a chaffinch struggling to open seed. Or similar

There is also a small seat. That didn’t appeal to us so much.

The table however is a delightful piece of work.

Elsewhere we really liked Ausgewachsen by Annika Marie Buchberger – with one small proviso.
Created for her masters thesis Ausgewachsen is a series of kids furniture where different elements can be placed on a universal base.

Nice idea, well executed.

Except as far as we could see the base comes in three sizes – and the legs aren’t exchangeable. Which means if you want to vary the heights of the objects, you have to have all three bases.

For us the better trick would be to have interchangeable legs.

Our view, and not one that distracted from our enjoyment of the project.

Another child centred project – and there were a lot of them on show, not sure if Halle is a particularly child heavy town or if Burg Giebischenstein students are just particularly fertile – was Igi by Constanze Hosp.

Igi by Constanze Hosp, Burg Giebichenstein Halle 2011

Parents wanting to travel with a young baby on a bike are limited to a trailer. Or the somewhat risky business of a conventional, body hung, child carrier.

Igi is in essence a hard case child carrier that allows you to cycle with your child securely strapped to your chest.

And not just cycling. Also for travelling in over crowded public transport Igi gives new parents that little bit more security an confidence.

Despite the many highlights at the Burg Giebichenstein exhibition one irritation did cloud our day – where was the product design Graduate show?

OK we’d already seen it at DMY, but had still arrived in Halle looking forward to getting a second chance, and maybe a little more time, to explore some of the products.

But high and wide there was neither sign of the Graduate show nor any one who could direct us to where it was.

Sadly.

However despite that fact the 2011 Burg Giebischetsein exhibition was a more than fitting end to our summer tour – and set us us up nicely for our Autumn marathon.

As is traditional we’ve created  a small facebook gallery at facebook.com/smowcom

And can anyone help us identity this ⇓ ?

An unidentified chair - a regular sight on the Burg Giebichenstein Halle campus

As already mentioned one of the projects that most appealed to us at the Universität der Künste Berlin Rundgang 2011 was Scolyt from Marco Merkel.

The modern world being what its is – Marco’s iPad presentation is available on vimeo.

Because it explains everything much better than we ever could, we post it here.
And recommend it heartily.

(From about 1 min 30 onwards you can see the technique(s) employed by Marco)

A quick tram and S-Bahn ride from Rundgang at the Kunsthochschule Berlin-Weißensee brought us to Rundgang at Universität der Künste Berlin.

Similar concept. Different worlds.

We've said it before and we'll say it again: Good design needn't be complicated....

Whereas Weißensee exudes an almost parochial innocence, the UdK feels like The New York School of the Performing Arts in the early 1980s.

At any minute a nimble framed, leotard and leg-warmer attired youth could leap down the stairs and complain about Mr. Shorofsky not understanding the modern world before pirouetting off down the corridor.

Or at least that’s how it feels to us.

However, despite the retro surroundings the students of the Industrial Design Department always impress with their contemporary and forward looking work.

One of the more interesting and innovative projects was without question Scolyt by Marco Merkel realised as part of the TransRitus seminar from Prof. Axel Kufus & Jörg Höltje. Inspired by the glass forms that resulted from the 1944 allied bomb attacks on Berlin,  Marco set out to “create” random glass objects using naturally occurring wood shapes as the template. Having collected samples of wood Marco blew the glass forms either over the surface or, much more intriguingly, within the wood. The results were transfixing.

Less mesmerising, but equally as good was the stool Nimmdirzeit (Have a Break) by Christian Leisse and Josua Putzke. We’re not entirely sure from course it arose – however in essence it is a stool in the form of an old-fashioned hourglass and which measures time spans of 15 minutes.

Not perhaps an object for the home, however in an office, or even better in a public space, the concept and idea behind Nimmdirzeit, namely your seat measures how long you have been sitting and so allows you to relax and enjoy the break without having to keep checking your watch really appeals to us.

Nimmdirzeit by Christian Leisse and Josua Putzke as seen @ Rundgang 2011 Universität der Künste Berlin

We just fear that some modern management freak will eventually misuse Nimmdirzeit and incorporate it in a completely pointless and pride draining training session that involves all staff members having 15 minutes in which to present their ideas for the coming sales campaign. While the rest of the group clap.

It’s much better suited to relaxing in park on your lunch break.

A final highlight was seeing Erika by Storno for Nil Holger Moormann. The project had absolutely nothing to do with the Rundgang, but since Moormann discontinued it there has been a small hole in our hearts. Some would say such a modular kitchen concept was never likely to be a commercial success.

And we’d agree.

But that’s also the point.

The concept was and is a successful attempt at defining domestic arrangements in our modern world.

Erika was a solution.

Others do it differently.

It was just lovely to see it again in its full glory.

As with our visit to the KHB we didn’t take advantage of the UdK Rundgang to view the works of the non-Industrial Design department. On the one hand that would have involved walking to an another building.

And on the other there was some pints of Brown Ale with our names on them waiting at Hops and Barely in Berlin Friedrichshain.

Well deserved Brown Ales after two student shows in one day.

And with the final stage of tour still ahead of us; a Sunday afternoon at Burg Giebichenstein Halle.

We’ve created  a small facebook gallery from Rundgang 2011 Universität der Künste Berlin at facebook.com/smowcom

An object from the project Scolyt by Marco Merkel as seen @ Rundgang 2011 Universität der Künste Berlin

Returning to Berlin from Einblick at the Fachhochschule Potsdam the next stage on our 2011 summer tour was Rundgang 2011 at the  Kunsthochschule Berlin-Weißensee.

The 2011 Product Design Graduate Show was staged in a former supermarket under the title “Kaufhalle wird Kunsthalle” – a name which translates as “A Supermarket becomes an art gallery” and which for us was a very fitting title because although there were a couple of projects that we enjoyed looking at, there was nothing that we would have been interested enough in to actually purchase.

Seat/lounger from Eva Burkhardt Graduate Project @ the Kunsthochschule Berlin-Weißensee

A good example being the seat/lounger from Eva Burkhardt. In our opinion an interesting and valid enough product; but not a project that – at least in our interpretation – sprang any conventions or created anything new.

On the main Campus, aside from the ever popular chance to relax in the spacious College Garden, the two seminars that most appealed to us were 3D Paper and Lichtes Porzellan.

The idea behind 3D Paper was to find high-end uses for paper, with the ultimate aim of replacing plastic as a production material. In addition to the inventive exhibition layout the two products that caught our attention were Cottonphones – a set of paper headphones by Mahoma Niemayer – and a bike saddle from Wilhelm Martin.

Both looked good and had a nice, thought through and intelligent design – obviously a question mark hangs over their durability. But it’s a student semester project, and in such cases the practical question of the usability always takes second place. First place is always the approach to the project.

Lichtes Porzellan did pretty much what it said on the tin and presented a series of light objects created from porcelain – and designed to allow porcelain to appear in a new light.

In addition to Pendulum by Lisa Dannebaum we were very taken with c one2 from Eva Isabelle Hotz, a lamp with two bulbs, one atop and one abottom, a porcelain tube which created an effect somewhere half-way between something you might have found in Scottish farmhouse at the start of the 20th century and a spark plug.

May not sound that positive – but is. Definitely.

For us one of the advantages of the KHB over other institutions is its relative small size – a fact that means at the Rundgang one does have the chance to view the work of all departments.

Admittedly we didn’t, or at least not to such an extent that we could confidently write about them.

The reason being that having spent a highly enjoyable and informative morning in Pankow, we had to get back in the tram to head across town to Rundgang at the Universität der Künste Berlin.

We’ve uploaded a selection of photos from the Kunsthochschule Berlin-Weißensee Rundgang 2011 in a gallery @ facebook.com/smowcom

Kunsthochschule Berlin-Weißensee College Green during Rundgang 2011

Following on from Summaery at the Bauhaus University Weimar our summer tour 2011 took us on to Einblick at the Fachhochschule Potsdam.

Or FHP:-) to give it its formal title.

One of Germany’s newest design schools – the first communication design course at the FHP:-) began in 1992, product design joining in 1993 – the college has quickly built up a strong reputation for the quality of its teaching and research.

But not for its logo. Or FHP;-) as witticisms are presumably supposed to be written.

What always surprises us at FHP:-) is that in-spite of what you may assume based on seeing the logo – the communication design department is very strong and regularly produces excellent work.

2011 was no exception with some highly innovative projects on show. A similar visual feast was provided by both the typology course and the results of a seminar which asked students to design their own pattern based on traditional oriental designs. With the majority of the works indicating that they had been approached with a sense of fun and professionalism.

An important combination for a designer.

In terms of product design, we liked the results of the course “Design dein Sofa” – with the proviso that many of the designs were impractical – and the barbecue Abacus from Romme Stascchik – with the proviso that we don’t do recycling design.

Design dein sofa was a course that asked students to develop a “feasible” sofa design.

Not all were. Or at least not if you take “feasible” to mean – usable, constructable and sellable.

That said, and as we never tire of repeating, student projects are not necessarily always about the end products. And many of the approaches the students chose to take and the concepts that attempted to apply certainly showed promise. Even if they didn’t all succeed.

Abacus by Romme Stascchik at Einblick Fachhochschule Potsdam

Abacus by Romme Stascchik arose as part of the course “Low Budget Design” and is in essence a barbecue made from an old washing machine drum, an old heating pipe and an old lampshade.

Now you know us – we don’t do recycling design.

But.

There is something in Abacus that speaks to us on a deeper level and which tells us that with further development and a few modifications one could develop a useful product concept with a wide range of applications.

But we still don’t do recycling design. And never will.

A further highlight for us at Einblick was the exhibition to the seminar “Persönliche Dinge”  from Prof. Wiebke Loeper and Prof. Dr. Rainer Funke.

Looking at some of our favourite themes; the difference between favourite things and things we like, how we identify with objects, and our relationship with the things that surround us, “Persönliche Dinge” is a series of photos that attempt to capture the essence of why the object is so important.

In our (smow)introducing interview, FHP:-) graduate Christoffer Martens mentions the workshops, the quiet location and the proximity to Berlin as being among his reasons for choosing to study in Berlin.

Whenever we visit FHP:-) we can’t help adding the relaxed informal atmosphere and the collage of stickers on the corridor walls to the list.

After a highly enjoyable afternoon in Potsdam we headed off for the next stage of the (smow) summer tour 2011, Berlin and the annual Rundgang at the Kunsthochschule Berlin-Weißensee, KHB

"Persönliche Dinge" Exhibition @ the Fachhochschule Potsdam

Arable farmers are famously living, breathing weather databases. Ask one what the weather was like in July four years ago and they’ll tell you.
While explaining why it was bad for the crop. Regardless of how the weather was.

Designs journalists are similar.

Summaery 2010 lived up to its billing and was very Summery.
Summaery 2011 wasn’t. It was more Autumnery.

Which of course didn’t distract from our enjoyment. We just wanted to crowbar that pun in.

The Opaque.Pavillion @ Summaery 2011 Bauhaus University Weimar

A central feature of Summaery 2011 was a series of 9 pavilions created from inter-disciplinay cooperations and coordinated by the architecture department.

The highlight for us was without question the Opaque.Pavillion

In essence a dome created from a normal IKO8 Mero System, the Bauhaus Weimar students adapted the structure through the addition of triangular panels on the outside – panels which provide protection from sun and rain, while maintaining an open feeling inside. The optical illusion created by the “openness” meant that it integrated beautifully in the garden of Bauhausstrasse 15 – and presumably can therefore be integrated in almost any environment without dominating it.

The killer detail for us was the form and position of the panels which are so combined that rain water runs down the outside – flowing from one panel to the next. As we were there it was, fortunately, dry – it had however rained the evening before and according to the students the pavillion had functioned perfectly.

In the product design diploma show there was nothing that could match the almost biblical experience that was R2B2 from Christoph Thetard at Summaery 2010
But then there couldn’t be. And never will be.

We currently have 2 interviews with Christoph in preparation. They are every bit as good as his work.

What did strike us in the diploma show however was the number of pieces that showed a return to traditional handcrafts and featuring a nice mix of “traditional” materials.
Also there was nothing on show that looked modern in a computer controlled way. Or that needed an App.
And we liked that.

Klara by Stephan Bohn - part of the Diploma show at Bauhaus Uni Weimar. Klara is a range of glass vessels suitable for induction cooking.

We’ve noted in the past that product design students at Weimar often get a little too arty for our tastes – the 2011 diploma year was much more applied arty and so to our taste.

Among the other shows, we especially liked Plastic Fantastic – a seminar which challenged students to create a household device normally made from plastic in ceramic – and Workabilly: Kreativer Arbeitsplatz a seminar concerned with creating creative work-spaces.

Plastic Fantastic produced a few very nice variations, including the espresso machine Seppl, a porcelain computer keyboard and a wonderful skeletal foot foot warmer. Although none of the products particularly won us over, all showed that with a bit of imagination one can quite simply remove plastic from products – the question however remains in how far the use is compatible with mass production.

The stand out piece at Workabilly was without question “Über Eiermann” by Ludwig Fehn and Weiwei Wang. On the one hand on account of the gorgeous pun, but principally because it offers a further solution to organising your Eiermann Desk.

Wilbur by Daniel Wahl provides the perfect solution to storing and organising cables and external drives and “Über Eiermann” the same for organising all those things that sit on your desk. “Über Eiermann” simply takes the steel tubes of the Eiermann table frame, extends them above the table top and in doing so creates a framework which one can use for a range of functions. Ludwig and Weiwei’s rustic prototype had some nice shelf adaptions – but one could also develop, for example, acoustic elements, magnetic sections and cable holders and so make the Eiermann Table truly the modular system that it secretly is.

But it wasn’t all happiness. Never is with us.

There is one room in the backyard of the design department at Weimar that is becoming something of a curse for us. Or perhaps better put: Us for it.
Last year it hosted the seminar on prison furniture – and this year on “water”. Neither of which worked for us, both somehow just not reaching the goals they set themselves.
We’ll probably give that room a miss next year.

One of the things we like most about the Bauhaus University is the – as far as we can tell – easy mixing between faculties and consequently the cross- disciplinary nature of the learning structure.

We know its not unique to Weimar, but our gut feeling is that Weimar do it with a little more grace and style than other institutions.

Summaery 2011 not only once again demonstrated this fact, but also gave us hope that this will continue into the future.

And so with the sun finally shining in the Weimar sky, we bid our farewells and headed off to Einblick at the FH Potsdam….

We’ve uploaded a few further photos from Summaery @ Bauhaus University Weimar in a facebook gallery at facebook.com/smowcom

“Über Eiermann” by Ludwig Fehn and Weiwei Wang @ Summaery 2011

Many of you will no doubt remember our summer tour 2010.

We’ll it’s that time of year again.

Our 2011 summer tour kicks of on July 7th with the semester show at the HTW Dresden – the first time we’ve visited their show. We don’t know why, we just feel we should go.

Then on July 14th we’ll be in Thüringen for the opening of Summaery 2011 at the Bauhaus University Weimar, Friday July 15th is Potsdam and the annual end of year show at the Fachhochschule.

Then, as ever, its gets complicated.

The weekend of 16th/17th July sees the annual shows at the Universität der Künste Berlin, KH Weissensee Berlin and Burg Giebichenstein Halle.

For us the interesting aspect of such shows is less the graduation projects – as a general rule we’ve seen them at other design weeks – but the projects of those students just starting on their journeys….

We’ll bring you all the best and most inspiring results here.

(smow)summer tour 2010 review

Although very short the (smow)summer tour 2010 was certainly worth the effort.

Its always worth the effort to visit an annual exhibition at a design school. Our primary focus was, logically, the product and industrial design work, but we did also take the opportunity to visit the other departments. And wherever one goes and whatever one views, you will always find something that strikes a chord or otherwise inspires you.

Often in the most unexpected departments.

Which is why we can always recommend such an exhibitions.

Lacking the creativity to come up with our own format for a quick “end of season summary”, we’ve stolen that from the Universität der Künste 2nd semester “Design-Grundlagen” course. Sorry, we’ve let ourselves be inspired by the Universität der Künste 2nd semester “Design-Grundlagen” course

All time-favourite – What we liked best:

Aside from an ingenious project in Weimar which we sadly cannot discuss, photograph or mention – it is however brilliant, and remember where you just about heard it first – the best moment of the summer tour came at the very end as we sat in our ICE back to Leipzig and let the experiences of the past four days mix with one another. The seagulls head in Weimar, the cafe at the UDK Berlin, the 3D photography at Burg Giebichenstein, the bath in Weimar, the stage design at Weissensee, the candles at UDK, the porcelain newspapers at Burg Giebichenstein, the prototypes at Weissensee, the humourless, hairless, neckless bouncers at Burg Giebichenstein. Sounds like a cliche, is a cliche but it was lovely.

Personal Disaster – What I want to avoid in the future:

The opening of the Burg Giebichenstein Exhibition 2010

The Burg Giebichenstein “Exhibition Opening”. We left the Volkspark Gallery at 7pm after having viewed the art exhibition around 20 times: and as it was clear that nothing other than chummy backslapping was likely to happen. As we headed home the que outside wound its way through the garden. No entry for the public before 7:30 – despite the alleged 6:30 opening.

6.30 of course being for the invited Halle VIPs, but why bother telling the public that.

Qu’ils mangent de la brioche. As it were.

So a badly organised and for all badly marketed “Exhibition Opening” is simply unacceptable and not something we’re daft enough to repeat.

Next year we’ll just have to fit Burg Giebichenstein in on the Saturday or Sunday; because Burg Giebichenstein is worth the trip and remains one of our favourite design colleges

The college website will sadly remain the unusable, “Emperor’s New Clothes 2.0″ that it is – because no one will have the bravery to bin it – but we know that the students will continue to be well taught and to produce work of a high standard. And that’s what interests us. Not the champagne and finger food.

Whack on the head – When the penny dropped:

The Palast der Republik in Berlin opened in 1976. We suspect that was also the last year the UDK Berlin was renovated.

Less a penny dropping per se and more the realisation of the huge funding differences in German design education.  As we strolled round the Bauhaus University Weimar campus one of our party could be heard repeatedly muttering ” Its all been paid from our taxes!” And indeed the buildings were, in general, immaculate and we didn’t get the impression much attention had been paid to the costs when renovating. We believe its called a “Prestige Project”.

The Unviversität der Künste in Berlin remains locked in 1976. Not only is that the last time we suspect the corridors of the design department in Strasse des 17 Juni were painted; the building smelt like educational establishments smelt in 1976. And not just the buildings. The workshops at the Kunsthochschule Berlin Weißensee had modern machines, but not in the numbers that Weimar can boast.

The choice of which design school you visit is largely based on the course on offer and the teachers/professors with whom you will learn. That said just because you would rather study industrial design in Berlin with Professor Axel Kufus rather than Product Design with Professor Heiko Bartels in Weimar, doesn’t mean you should be expected to put up with worse conditions. Or retro-aromas.

The schools themselves aren’ the problem, rather those who organise ther funding. Obviously we don’t have a solution for the problem, co-operations with commercial partners may help finance individual classes, but are no long term solution.

That was the (smow)summer tour 2010

The autumn tour 2010 will take us to Copenhagen, London, Vienna and Brussels.

But more later.

Kunsthochschule Berlin Weisensee Rundgang 2010

The last stage of the (smow)summer tour 2010 took us across Berlin to the Kunsthochschule Weißensee. Established in 1946 the Kunsthochschule Berlin Weißensee was without question the youngest design school on our tour – and was also the location where the most English was spoken.

Every corridor, every landing, every exhibition room straining to the tones of American and other non-native English.

Combined with the preferred clothing order the impression was much more Berlin-Mitte than Berlin-Pankow.

And, and although we know much better, we did spend most of the journey home discussing the possibility that a secret international community of thin, painfully fashionable, creative types may have existed in East Berlin; cleverly subverting the socialist dictatorship through the juxtapositioning and fusion of design conventions.
A bit like Jurassic Park, just with typographers, fashion designers and architects.

Actually, there may be a novel in that. Watch this space.

As with the UDK Rundgang the focus at the Kunsthochschule Berlin Weißensee was very much on the regular course work. There was however a lot more vehicle design, interactive design and other similar branches of product design that generally fail to attract our attention. We know it’s an important part of the learning process, but we just find it difficult to concentrate when faced with computer generated images of a vehicle or shoe that will never be produced. And why are they are always green and orange?

Plus it had been four very long days. Four very long hot days, four days full of exhibitions, interviews, discussions, beer, late nights and early mornings.

We were tired.

Kirin by Dörte Ahlgrimm and Kathrin Scheidt at Kunsthochschule Berlin Weißensee

However, with the couple of days distance we see that there were a couple of genuinely interesting ideas on show.

All from the one commercial cooperation project class, but as already said, more on such later.

Kirin by Dörte Ahlgrimm and Kathrin Scheidt is one of those products that we often ignore; we were however won over by the quality of the construction and the cheek of the design. And if we’re honest it also appealed to our preferred approach to order and tidiness. In essence a side-table with a rotatable hanging arm. You need never use a coat hanger again.

Centaurus by Johannes Grune

Centaurus by Johannes Grune resembles something that you would expect to find in the locker room of the NYC Fire Department. Part chair, part storage, part hanger we were genuinely drawn to the ingenuity of the concept and also the number of possible uses. Not just for firemen, but also in childrens rooms, garden sheds, gyms or indeed in a weatherproof version on a balcony or in garden.

In contrast, what really got our goat was the results of the “Greenlab” project. Subtitle: “Sustainable design strategies”

We have never left an exhibition room more disappointed.

Or just plain angry.

“Sustainable design strategies”. Not on any planet we we have ever visited.

But then such isn’t only a problem at the Kunsthochschule Weißensee. Daily our RSS and Twitter feeds jam up with people who really should no better informing us over the latest” Green” product, that invariably isn’t.

Rather just a plain arrogant concept or something cleverly greenwashed by a marketing department before being released virally over specially chosen channels.

The first question with “green design” or “sustainable design” is … no we’ll do that later.

For us “Greenlab” was a wasted opportunity.

In general however the Kunsthochschule Berlin Weißensee Rundgang 2010 was a delightful, thought provoking and highly entertaining and informative end to the (smow)summer tour.

And then we went home. Tired, but happy.

Some more pictures from the Kunsthochschule Berlin Weißensee Rundgang 2010 can be found on (smow)flickr