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.

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.

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.

It's all about the materials

Better late than never from the ICFF:

Electricity is Magical

It certainly seems that way when you look at these lamps, and that is why I love them. They were designed by Jeremy Pyles for Niche Modern.Just for fun, take a moment to imagine if you would be able to sufficiently explain electricity to an alien if the life of the human race depended on it. (You can omit the part with the murdering alien if you like.)

This reminds me of Arthur C. Clarke's 3rd law of predicition, which is as sensible as it is beautiful and gives me great hope that marvelously mind-boggling things are in store:
"3. Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

And that reminds me of Nikola Tesla as portrayed by David Bowie in The Prestige which was very good right up to the very end. Unfortunately, from my experience, this is rare in the science fiction genre. Maybe this one is so good because it's barely science fiction. Anyway, this one is worth seeing if you like magic and electricity:

One of the Ugliest Things in Every Apartment

Aside from this fitting well into my accidental motto of late ("Tubular"), these cords by NUD are fantastic. Simple, beautiful, and much needed. And so many colors! And why not? After all, it's just a cable.

Which reminds me of something I almost bought on eBay recently. It was a vintage electrical cord, covered in a black fabric tube, with a brown Bakelite plug and a round light switch. I didn't buy it in the end, because it had Euro-plugs (I found it on the Austrian eBay site), but it reminded me how beautiful these parts can be. Those bits are the shameful shortcomings of many a lamp. Being a fan of plastics and especially the old ones, a sweet ol' Bakelite switch is something I wish I could use more often. Or a new one in seafoam by NUB.

Oh, lovely old junk on eBay. Unfortunately I don't have that picture anymore but I've found a few other things on there that convey the vibe.

Knitting and Noodling (Combination of the Previous Two Posts, In a Way)

Phat Knits by Bauke Knotternus from the Netherlands. I believe this was his final project at the Design Academy Eindhoven. Furniture for my imaginary Dream Palace.

Maine Lobster Mat

These doormats are just beautiful. All the different colors should probably be used simultaneously. Somehow. These are pretty definitive of recycling:

"Each innovative doormat is handwoven in Maine with authentic float-rope originally used by lobstermen to tether their lobster traps. Unfortunately, float-rope can entangle whales, so Maine lobstermen are now required to replace their float-rope with "sink-rope". The old float-rope is being turned in, and rather than being dumped into landfills, the rope is being recovered and recycled into these unique doormats."

$34.95 is within reason at greendepot.com

made by mario gamper for the 100 chairs in 100 days in 100 ways project.