Braun Design Collection & Dieter Rams

Posted on June 14, 2016 by Toothpicker

Like London, New York and Paris, Berlin is a cultural city well-known for its world-class art museums. Aside from art, the city also have many inspiring photography and design museums and galleries. The Bauhaus Archive Museum of Design is an obvious choice for all design lovers. However, as a design geek and fan of German product designer Dieter Rams, I would highly recommend the lesser-known and almost tourist-free Braun-Sammlung Ettel Museum für Design.

Hidden away in a leafy and quiet residential neighbourhood Moabit, it is easy to miss the entrance to this collection. Not only that, the collection is only open on Mondays and Sundays from 11-5pm, so you certainly have to plan ahead before your visit.

In the world of industrial and product design, Dieter Rams is like David Bowie in the music world. He worked as an in-house designer for Braun for four decades (1955 – 95), and oversaw the design and production of over 500 products. His design ethos have influenced many contemporary industrial designers, including Jasper Morrison, Naoto Fukasawa (designer of Muji) and Jonathan Ive, the head designer of Apple.

Influenced by the principles of Bauhaus and later Ulm College of Design, Rams‘ “Less, but better” motto is evident in his designs. He came up with his well-known ten principles of “good design” after proposing the question to himself: “Is my design good design?”. And these principles continue to act like precepts for design students, designers and architects etc today.

This small private museum showcases a vast and fantastic Braun collection that belongs to one man, Werner Ettel. It is hard to imagine how one person could own such an extensive array of household products spanning over decades. As soon as I stepped in, I was like a kid in a candy store, and I didn’t even know where to start… I was also feeling nostalgic to be surrounded by all these vintage objects around me.

The radio collection

Although the forms and technology of the products have changed over the years, they all share the “Modern, functional and honest” principles. The products are minimalist in appearance, and they have a timeless aesthetic and appeal. I particularly love the door handles; I wish that contemporary door handles designers could learn more from the master.

Then I spotted some familiar items: shavers owned by my father, and a travel alarm clock given to me by him when I was a teenager. Maybe it’s time to rummage my family home to look for some vintage Braun products hidden away in storage somewhere.

Before I left, I bought a braun poster as a way of supporting the free-entry museum. Cool private museums like these are hard to come by these days, and I hope it will continue to inspire young and future designers from around the world. If you appreciate good designs, then this hidden gem is a must when you visit Berlin – just make sure you come on Mondays and Sundays only.

Address: Elberfelder Str. 37, Moabit, 10555 , Berlin.

Berlin

Posted on June 13, 2016 by Toothpicker

While many people dislike metropolises for their high density, fast pace, congestion, noise level, pollution, rudeness, and high property prices etc; Berlin, however, seems to be an exception because it still retains an unpretentious charm of a smaller city.

The city is relatively cheap (compare to London and other mega cities), it is also spacious, less crowded, friendly, and laid back. In my opinion, Berlin is cooler than London, New York and Paris, which probably explains why many young Londoners have moved to the city in recent years.

London used to be cool and full of character, but now it is ruled by property developers, corporate companies, mega rich foreigners, and wannabe hipsters. Not only it is over-crowded and expensive; homogeneity is making the city commercial, dull and uninspiring. All the independent shops l used to love have disappeared, and now the streets of central London are mostly occupied by chained shops and restaurants.

Being in Berlin, I was reminded of the London a long long time ago – when independent shops and street markets thrived, and when everything was at a slower pace. I could wander around the city centre and visit museums without feeling crammed. Cycling is safer and easier, and there is a vast amount of green space as well. From what I saw, Berlin seems to offer a better quality of life than London, so it is easy to understand why the city is a magnet for new start-ups, and people working in the arts and creative industries.

The creative and artistic energy in Berlin is palpable. Yet what I like about Berlin is that its past is very much in the present. There is so much history here, and part of it was rather atrocious to say the least. But Berliners didn’t try to wipe away the horrors of the past, instead they chose to deal with it in an open, contemplative and positive way. I think it demonstrates the attitude of the Berliners, and this is something that I admire.

Another intriguing thing about Berlin is the divide between the East and West. Twenty-seven years after reunification of the two parts, there is still an significant disparity between the two. West Berlin is notably richer, with historic monuments, elegant buildings and leafy neighbourhoods; whereas East Berlin is edgier, grimmer, poorer and more rundown. As much as I like the upscale West side, I find the East side cooler and more interesting.

Despite being in the design industry, trendy and cool places don’t appeal to me much; I have always been drawn to traditional/ quirky/ secluded places. In Berlin, I like the classic Viennese-style Cafe Einstein, the atmospheric Diener Tattersall, the retro music/dance hall Claerchens Ballhaus, the the iconic and old-school Delicatessen Rogacki (their fish soup is fab), and the relaxed and unpretentious English Theatre Berlin.

Top row: English theatre Berlin; 2nd & 3rd rows: Rogacki deli; 4th row: Cafe Einstein; 5th row: Diener Tattersall; bottom row: Claerchens Ballhaus

But like most wealthier Western countries, Berlin has been struggling with homelessness and many of the homeless are from Eastern Europe. They camp in parks and sleep under railway bridges, and it is hard to miss them when you walk around the city. I cannot imagine how these people would cope in the bitterly cold winters sleeping rough in the streets. It bothers me to see wealthy countries like Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and the U.K. not being able to tackle this growing crisis. Is this the price we have to pay for our capitalist society? Apparently, Finland is the only country in the E.U. that has seen a decline in homelessness in recent years. The country has implemented long term plans to offer affordable rental accommodation to people who have difficulties in finding a home for themselves. If other E.U. countries could follow what Finland has achieved, then perhaps we would see a transformation of the streets across Europe.

Homelessness and alcoholism in Berlin

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The 9th Berlin Biennial for Contemporary Art

Posted on June 12, 2016 by Toothpicker

KW Institute for Contemporary Art

After the disappointing DMY design festival, I stumbled upon The 9th Berlin Biennial for Contemporary Art (4th June until 18th September) by chance, and decided to check out it out. A €16 ticket (€26 including a boat trip) includes admission to four venues across the city. Due to time constraint, I only managed to visit three of them; but unlike other mega art fairs, I rather enjoyed these exhibitions.

‘Office of Unreplied Emails’ by Camille Henrot

My first stop was the KW Institute for Contemporary Art, where the four storey building was filled with various disciplinary art works by international artists.

On the 3rd floor, French artist Camille Henrot‘s new project ‘Office of Unreplied Emails’ occupies the entire floor. Created in collaboration with Jacob Bromberg, the installation presents sympathetic, over-emotive, and personal responses to one hundred unanswered emails in Henrot’s inbox from environmentalists, politicians, activist groups, and online shops. The project addresses the ever-changing modes of information distribution and interpersonal experiences that result from the so-called digitisation of our present day. It also considers the subsequent emergence of trolling, phishers and scammers—new modes of duplicity, abuse, outrage, and bullying.

Top row: ‘What the Heart Wants’ video installation by Cécile B. Evans; 2nd row: ‘Oblivion’ by Anne de Vries; 3rd right & bottom rows: ‘Schwarze Pumpe’ by Lucie Stahl

It took me a while to find the second venue – Feurele Collection, even with the aid of Google map. Located by the canal in Kreuzberg, it is easy to miss the new museum, which is inside a former World War II telecommunications bunker (1942–44). There is no signage around it, and I only noticed it when I saw several visitors standing outside of the entrance.

Opened in April of this year, the private museum houses art historian and connoisseur, Désiré Feuerle‘s collection of international contemporary and Southeast Asian art and Chinese design. Refurbished by the renowned British architect John Pawson, the museum is an exciting addition to the artistic and cultural-rich city.

The Feuerle Collection – 5th & 6th rows: Josephine Pryde’s ‘The New Media Express’; 7th right: Korpys/Löffler’s video installation ‘Verwisch die Spuren!‘ Botton row: Yngve Holen’s ‘Window seat 10–22 F’

I love the museum space, as the minimalist style reflects Pawson‘s respect for the building and history. At the exhibition, the most prominent features are the mini rail track and miniature train installed by English artist Josephine Pryde. ‘The New Media Express’ is a five-inch gauge model of a full-size train, complete with graffiti added by artists unknown. The train tracks run parallel to a series of photographs mounted on the wall focusing on hands and various sorts of transmitters. Visitors can view the artworks by sitting on the miniature train, forward and backwards!

German artist Yngve Holen‘s ‘Window seat 10–22 F’ features a row of glass-blown objects inspired by the pupil-like Nazars (from the Arabic word for “sight” or “seeing” that protect against the “evil eye”) designs that are sold in countless tourism shops globally. Here, Holen‘s versions are shaped and sized like the portholes of Boeing 787 “Dreamliner” planes and are installed in a row, and they serve as windows to the world of global mobility – conjuring themes of superstition, economics, tourism, and social unease.

Akademie der Künste – 3rd right: Timur Si-Qin‘s ‘A Reflected Landscape’; 4th row: Simon Fujiwara’s ‘The Happy Museum; 5th row: M/L Artspace‘s ‘in bed together’; 6th row: Anna Uddenberg’s Transit Mode – Abenteuer, 2014–16: Journey of Self Discovery; 7th right: Jon Rafman’s L’Avalée des avalés (The Swallower Swallowed)

My last stop of the festival was Akademie der Künste, situated at the touristy Pariser Platz by the famous Brandenburg Gate. Designed by Stuttgart architect Günter Behnisch, the glass building’s foyer is occupied by several conspicuous video installations.

Throughout the exhibition space, visitors would encounter some unusual sculptures created by Berlin-based Swedish artist, Anna Uddenberg. Her ongoing project (since 2014), ‘Transit Mode – Abenteuer’ investigates how body culture, spirituality, and self-staging, examining social codes within consumer culture as they relate to class, gender and sexuality.

One familiar name at the exhibition is Berlin-based English artist, Simon Fujiwara. A room has been turned into ‘The Happy Museum‘ through consultation with his brother Daniel, an economist working in the field of “happiness economics.” Part scientific laboratory, part archaeological display, and part boutique, this selection of objects is a sly materialization of econometric data ostensibly gathered on the well-being of Berliners. The installations and performances question the way we conventionally experience artworks, melding fact with fiction to indicate where such distinctions seem no longer relevant.

Unfortunately, my visit was disrupted by the fire alarm as we all had to evacuate from the building; and I did not return afterwards. As much as I enjoy visiting art exhibitions, often I prefer to ramble around the city to experience it directly. Yet if you are traveling to Berlin this summer, and you are bored of the touristy sites, then I would recommend this festival – if contemporary art is your cup of tea.

Berlin’s DMY International Design Festival

Posted on June 9, 2016 by Toothpicker

The design festival’s 2016 location – the former power plant, Kraftwerk Mitte

Back in 2010, I visited Berlin and DMY International Design Festival for the first time; and not only did I fall in love with the city, I also found the festival inspiring. The 5-day event took place at the splendid Tempelhof Airport – a disused pre-World War II architectural masterpiece designed by Ernst Sagebiel and built between 1936 and 1941.

DMY 2010 at Tempelhof Airport

I have been longing to return to Berlin and DMY, and it was only this year that I managed to organise this overdue trip. The 3-day festival (from 2nd until 5th June) took place at the former power plant Kraftwerk Mitte built between 1961 and 1964 before being abandoned in 1997. Since then, it has been part of the techno scene and is now known to music fans and art enthusiasts alike.

The massive industrial interior setting

This year, the festival was shorter and smaller than the one I attended in 2010; and unfortunately, it was hugely disappointing too. Although I have been complaining about the London design festival becoming too commercial, but it is still one of the most anticipated and mega design event that attract talents and big names from all around the world. In contrast, this year’s DMY lacked ambition, scale, and most of all, originality and substance. The industrial space was cool, but perhaps it was slightly too dark for a design exhibition. Few projects at the event grabbed my attention, and I felt that many of the works were too lifestyle-focused that lacked vision and innovation.

2nd row: Small tables by the Berlin-based Unicorn Berlin Limited

One project that I liked was the Poured Collection by Danish designer, Troels Flensted, a winner of the new talents competition. The pieces in his collection are handmade from mineral powder, water-based acrylic polymer and a small amount of pigment. The mixture is poured into a mould where the material flows together and creates its own patterns – these ‘frozen moments’ make every piece unique. I think his experimental and unconventional technique enables him to create unique pieces that are aesthetically intriguing and quite striking.

Top left: Stool by Anastasiya Koshcheeva; Top right: Icoon for Refugees; 2nd row: Tables by Vendulka Prchalová; 3rd left: Wearing water by Nacood Lab.; 3rd right: Slow coffee by Gemma Leamy; 4th row: lighting by Orsi Orban; 5th left: Flower Worm House by Xiao Xin Wang; 5th right: Poured collection by Troels Flensted; Bottom row: Ugly fruits

I was equally fascinated by Chinese designer Xiao Xin Wang‘s Flower Worm House. The studio raise silkworms and use their abandoned cocoons to make moving magnetic jewellery as if the the silkworms were still in their houses.

New eco-conscious companies around the world are trying to tackle vegetables and fruits waste due their imperfect aesthetics, and in Germany, 18 million tons of food are wasted every year. Querfeld was set up in Berlin to collect and find homes for these rejected fruits and veggies, and make consumers be aware of this global issue.

Hendrick’s gin’s stand at the festival

I was hoping to spend hours at the festival’s opening night, but the content was not inspiring enough for me to stay. I returned again for a second viewing before the show ended, but it only validated my initial impression. I couldn’t help wondering if it was the issue of the applicants or the curators, or a combination of both; but whatever the reason, the festival’s organiser needs to re-evaluate the ethos of the festival for their 15th anniversary next year.

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Category Archives: Berlin

Braun Design Collection & Dieter Rams

The 9th Berlin Biennial for Contemporary Art

Berlin’s DMY International Design Festival