A visit to the ICFF - Chapter 1: Shame on you, Austria

(In case anyone reading this is not aware: I am Austrian. That's why I care a lot about this tiny Alpenland, and that's also why I'm allowed to have abrasive opinions on anything pertaining to it, becasue I care. And becasue Austira needs my help!)

So here is my question, dear Wirtschaftskammer Österreich: what were you smoking when you decided it was a good idea to bring back the work of the self-titled Sandmann for (at least) the second time???

The only people who think this is cool are the dudes standing right infront of it. I mean, those turn-overable sand pictures are cool. I've marveled at them myself. When I was twelve! This is beyond tacky. And I like tacky. This is upsetting, even infuriating, because there are many awesome designers in Austria and this is a slap in their face! That's right, I hope you're all offended, designers of Austria, although I am offended enough for all of you.

This isn't new, this is old. This isn't art or design, it's something I can buy in Chinatown. This isn't going to impress anyone. People who see this will experience an uncomfortable feeling of vicarious embarrassment. This is a fair for the New York design community not a gift shop in Florida. Oh dear, please tell me you didn't bring this set-up to Milan.

So let me rephrase: Dear Wirtschaftkammer Österreich, please help me understand how this happened. No, let me rephrase again: next year, you should let me do this.

To be fair, there was perhaps 20% of non-dusty, same-old, behold-the-good-old-days fare. My favorite work was by WOKA, a small-scale lighting manufacturer. They do mostly early 20th century reproductions (how else would they end up in this booth!) but they also carry some newer stuff including these classy chandeliers:

Then there is Lichterloh. They have a beautiful storefront in Vienna and as it turns out they don't deal exclusively in designer antiques, they also manufacture some new products. This piece might look Eames-era, but it's from 2008, folks. Way to trick the Wirtschaftkammer!!!

The oh-so-modern designs from Galerie Suppan get some points for being oh-so-modern. Personally, I'm not a big fan, but at least it wouldhave made Franz Josef gasp. Turns out however, that the reason the name "Suppan" doesn't ring any design-bells is because it's an art gallery! What? Not a single piece of furniture on the website except these - oh yeah - sculptures.

And then there's the usual suspects: Wiener Werkstätte, Lobmeyr, Augarten Porzellan, and the Wiener Silber Manufactur. The latter gets half a point for not being as horribly obvious as the other three.  Some of these companies have worked with contemporary designers, even some contemporary Austrian designers, but they are one and all bastions of conservatism. Fine crystal, fine porcelaine, fine silver - nuff said.

I know the last thing my treasured Alpen-peeps like to do is shock anyone, but this is playing it too safe. We don't need to prove to the world that we have superior, age-old, k&k approved craftsmanship. I applaud that the above companies have pulled of collaborations with contemporary designers but these are the token exceptions to the rule. They are not on the forefront of design in Austria, and they don't need an introduction either. It's a shame to waste this opportunity to show compelling work and support talented young people. This doesn't make me proud to be Austrian, in fact its having the opposite effect. This could be so much more awesome. And that's why next year I should be in charge.

Dancing Potatoes

 This is the potato music box:

Juliette Warmenhoven of NL created this project to showcase the beauty and spectacle of plant growth. Juxtposing sprouting potatoes or bonsai trees with various shades of seafoam-colored plastic pleases me greatly. It has that doughy, silicone, Matthew Barney feel.
Note: Though she was inspired by found plastic objects, she made all of the components herself out of liquid plastic and fiberglass.

 

germination station:

 

 

If that's no enough, she also made these vases, inspired by insects and the meant to mimic their coatings with these custom glazes:

found on sightunseen, where you can read more about this project.

Her site, where you can see the book from whence these images came.

Mischer'Traxler

The Viennese design duo Mischer'Traxler has had interesting projects popping up all over the place lately.
A cake decorating machine, beautifully colored casts of vegetables, the Rumkugelbahn - this new project really goes to show they're no one-trick pony.

Relumine is a bit more product than scultpture for a change, but maybe that just stems from the self-prescribed use of standardized, industrial components: the low-energy lightbulbs. They tackle the reality that the EU has recently banned incandescent lightbulbs, and while this light sculpture doesn't create a replacement for the soft light of a glowing wire, it makes a bold statement about energy and about bringing our 20th century perceptions of a lamp a labored little step into the future.

I apologize for the lack of sounds effects, but when you look at these, you can probably hear
the zzzzzweaurr of a light saber in your own head.

The Fiberglass Chairs - something of how they get the way they are

 

I would much rather shell out for one of these vintage pieces now that I know a lady with rhinestoned Gary-Larson-glasses was involved. And now that I've seen how poisonous some of the steps look.

reversible necklace by Anna Gleeson

You can see these and other things, like her Giant Earrings at her blog.

Post-Apocalyptic Design

1 part sawdust
1 part plastic
1 giant pot
1 tooled mold
1 standard kitchen oven.
In the future, when we run out of materials, or energy, or both, maybe this is how we will make things! Or we can make them now, this is just my personal interpretation.

Designed by israeli-based kulla design studio. Also yoinked from designboom, here.

Ugly Duckling

What an aptly named lamp! The materials really do transform into something different. It's still a bird, but a very different bird.
With all the DIY, recycling, raw industrial materials stuff around this one really hits the nail on the head. It's austere but still a little playful. You can just see the hands screwing the different bits together, pulling wiring through the pipes, and painting the lampshades a matching yellow. This one makes me wish I knew the next thing about electrical wiring so I could make it too.
Also, nice details! The switch, and the use of curves to turn flat pipes into a stable, three-dimensional frame are just elegant.
Unfortuantely the chopped-off bottle lampshade leaves a little something to be desired, but isn't the lampshade the easiest thing to replace on a lamp? I am sure other plastic refuse could do nicely here. Or even a 1st use, real-live fabric lampshade?
Designed by Hong Kong-based designer Kamric. oh yeah, yoinked from designboom, here. thanks!

The first cassette player, and My first cassette player

This is the world's first laptop, designed by Bill Moggridge:

(the GRiD Compass, designed in 1979, though it didn't appear until 1982)

This is the world's first walkman, credited to engineer Nobutoshi Kihara under the direction of Sony boss Akio Morita:

(July 1979)

Apparently Sony just announced that they will stop producing the walkman.

There is an article here at Design Observer called "Keith Richards and His Amazing Portable Cassette Recorder":

“I’ve learned everything I know off of records,” says the guitarist-turned-historian of technological innovation.
What is important, Richards declares, is “being able to replay something immediately without all that terrible stricture of written music, the prison of those bars, those five lines. Before 1900, you’ve got Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, Chopin, the cancan. With recording, it was emancipation for the people. “It surely can’t be any coincidence that jazz and the blues started to take over the world the minute recording started, within a few years, just like that.”

Never thought about it like that!

This is the model of portable casette player I had as a kid. Though I was more into the story telling than the Stones.

Hello, old friend.

oh, and this:

Ugly Alarm!

Looking for an alarm clock. I thought digital would be nice - no TICK TICK TICK through the night. Radio! Why not. I don't even have a radio at home. Off to ebay!

Practically 100% of all new alarm clocks on ebay (and Amazon) are hideous. Sure, there's your $200 designer alarm clocks, which are nice, but, geeeeeez, all the old ones are so much better looking. What is happening?? 80's - 30's it's all pretty thumbs-up. The new ones I am ashamed to even post here. But I will. At the bottom. In small.

First, look at these beauties (I'm having a hard time deciding which one to bid on, though I am partial to peach, as always):

and blech:

It's all about the materials

Better late than never from the ICFF:

Nice to meet you, Mr. Willenz

The path of research often turns into a fractal pattern of tangents that lead you in ever growing circles somewhere not entirely different. In this case, I was researching lamps in the two bastions of indexed design, stylepark (Germany) and architonic (Switzerland), where you can bask in the reassuring glow of well organized information. I kept stumbling over the name Sylvain Willenz, and this is because I am, as it turns out, a fan of his work. Here is why:

1. print lamp for established&sons. made from 1 piece of blown glass which has a "built in" diffuser.
2. lock for tamawa. ashwood & bakelite. nuff said. (well, no: I like bakelite. it also comes in red.)
3. torch lamp for established&sons, 2008. soft plastic shell. floor, table, or suspension.
Sylvain Willenz hails form and works in Brussels.
4. homerun chair. also nice.
5. stuff bag. seamless flat rubber. also nice. want.