This is my BLOG, that means a place to show all the different things I'm involved or inspired in these days.
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Berlin May 2012 - BREAD LAB 001
Continuing with the path of statistics and food, I'm working on a food-installation for the 48 Stunden Neukölln Festival, on June 15th.
The bread lab is a food installation showing a “population of bread”.
About Neukolln
The work is inspired by the Turkish bakeries in the are called Paradies. The neighborhood of Neukolln is known for its diversity in population as well as its bad economic situation. The installation want to call attention to diversity and minorities living in the area promoting the cultural differences.
Some statistics about Neukolln:
The Northern part of Neukölln has about 160 000 inhabitants (Neukölln as a whole 310.000), among them over fifty percent legal immigrants and an estimated ten percent more who are illegal. Over fifty percent of the immigrants are unemployed (but not automatically without work). Most of the immigrants are from Turkey (40 %), 12 % from Arabic states most of them Iraqis), 11 % from Poland, 10 % come from the former Yugoslavian states, estimated 8% from Russia, and a significant number are “stateless” (8%). The number of African migrants is increasing. It is impossible to have exact dates.
Mr. Tin, owner of the rice bowl Neuköllner
http://www.zeit.de/2011/44/Berlin-Neukoelln
About Bread
Bread is one of the oldest practices in the history of humanity and one of the foods that all the different western cultures share. The cultural importance of bread is has been always used as a metaphor for basic necessities and living conditions in general. The shape and way of making bread varies from culture to culture. However, because of the industrialized processes, over the years we have been losing our cultural identities to become one global culture, getting to a standard recipe of bread that is efficient, cheap and predictable.
Morocco, communal oven
So the installation brings up the notion of how industrialization in food production, tends to make everything look and taste similar, although we are all different and come from different backgrounds. In this process of industrialization, places where the food is produced, look nowadays more like laboratories than kitchens.
Iron cage, a sociological concept introduced by Max Weber, refers to the increased rationalization inherent in social life, particularly in Western capitalist societies. The "iron cage" thus traps individuals in systems based purely on teleological efficiency, rational calculation and control. Rationality is one aspect of the notion that modern man is 'disenchanted'. Due to bureaucratic rationalisation and the acceleration of capitalism, there is a loss of autonomy and agency in every aspect of our life, leaving us unfulfilled.
About the process:
The piece shows a "statistical population of bread". In the process I (whith Bruno's help) introduce the ingredients of a bread recipe in R, an open source program for statistical analysis, in order to combine them every time in a different way, generating a database of 200 unique combinations. The database is generated according of how population is distributed in a normal curve. In this way, I create not only a unique piece of bread every time but also allow some breads that are not the "norm" and are a bit in the edges. This exemptions, takes us back to times when the local backer could have mistaken a bit the recipe and this time the surprise of having a more salty bread existed, in contrast with the nowadays lack of surprises.
Experimenting with the data in "R"
About the intallation:
The installation will feature the 200 samples of baked bread in a laboratory looking display. People will be able to try the slightly different bread loaves, recognized with a number as well as buy the ones they liked.
Some projects about food and statistics:
Some other nice graphic and web projects:
Source: Information Design at Penn, University of Pennsylvania.
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Berlin April 2012 - REFOUND
I had a very busy month organizing and curating the first design exhibition of PLATform. The opening was on the 12.4.12 and we are delighted with the success!
REFOUND is an ephemeral exhibition at Agora that spans from April 12th till May 12th. The exhibition is a transformative, shifting experience. The first floor in which the exhibition takes place is a café and so had to be transformed back into a utilitarian eatery the day after the opening. The PLATform group saw this constraint as an opportunity to create an everchanging atmosphere. What is displayed on one occasion will be taken away on another, to keep the constant flux of visitors on their toes, and to show off the pieces in various settings. This is a way to open a dialogue with Agoras' regulars and visitors to create new place and to see the different arrangements.
Designers // Rakso Naibaf, Tom Kühne, Judith Boomwehmeyer,
Mokkatanten, Lutz Hüning, Jan Bernstein, Superéquipe, Kippis,
Friedrichslust, Katrin Sonnleitner, Ines Königsmann, Hulger, Silvia
Knüppel, A&RÉ design, Adam+Harborth and Annett Gebert
Curators // Raquel Chaves, Alexandra Sebag and Iohanna Nicenboim
Executive Producers // Rory Koehler and Pedro Jardim
All of these items are sold through our upcoming online shop.
Exhibition summary
REFOUND is the title of the first exhibition of PLATform, a project featuring temporary exhibitions showing different approaches to design in today’s context.
The theme of the first exhibition, opening on April 12th, is designed to reveal an effervescent phenomenon in Berlin, in which new forms retain aspects from the past. Nowadays, this trend is not just a visual language, but a mindset outside the norms of mass production and manufactured design, a new way of appreciating objects.
This “Antique Decadence” trend is a way to re-create or re-contextualize the past. We can see in REFOUND various objects taking visual cues from the preceding trends and concepts, but the dialogue they want to arouse or the way we perceive them is completely different. The participating designers all have their own ways of questioning tradition, reinterpreting the form or materials and giving them a new definition.
Refound, re-use , re-contextualize and rediscover the past through the concepts that drove us since the beginning. The pieces retain an omnipresent link to the previous generations, whether through aesthetic values, processes or emotional connections.
Interested in upcycling, A&Ré Designers combine elements such as found pieces from the streets with raw materials. Starting points for their pieces come from the fascination with materials and its inherent poetic use. In this way, they give life to a dead element. According to Superéquipe, these days furniture has a very limited life cycle. They claim that “Furniture comes, furniture goes” and in this context, they create pieces. In this cycle, R.I.P: the lock plate which can be detached, remains after the furniture is not in use anymore, representing it and retaining its heritage. Boomwehmeyer Studio also questions ideas that were being assumed and turned into cliché’s that stayed around for generations, presenting a “disturbance” in the traditional Delft Blue figures.
Combining traditional pieces with contemporary aesthetics, Silvia Knuppel presents the chair Frankfurter Mélange, a fusion of the “Frankfurter Stuhl” and the “Swedish Grace” chair creating an unique shape. Going against prevalent trends but yet inspired by the glamour of the past, Rakso Naibaf mix opposite elements together. The underlying point is to make pieces which are cool, uncontrived by a set of design rules, and unfussy.
A connection to the objects may occur subconsciously through our common imaginary. For example, Jan Bernstein’s drawing machines, seems to come out from a creative lab, transport us to a mechanical vintage world, when engines and screws were the highlight of a society so distant from our digital world. Tom Kuhne‘s emotional treat on his pieces leads the visitor to his own interpretation, subtil and yet on the edge of entertainment and curiosity. His work makes us think about the relation objects have with our past, our dreams and thoughts, in a philosophical approach, taking us back to our origins through condensed forms. How deep can we go in the past, if not in the search of ourselves?
Lutz design is another example of a strong visual link to the past, but its visual language comes actually from the use of traditional techniques and materials as well as from his mindset of giving simple solutions for particular questions. Annette Gebert also deals with traditional techniques in her work, but in a more personal way. A great passion for porcelain painting developed trough her practice a way to express herself in this medium, that is still governed by strict customs.
Old toys from his grandparents time are presented like poetic memories by Adam + Harborth Design. Another narrative was developed in order to connect to a more “old school” sense, represented by Ines Königsmann’s seating system. The humorous reflection of everyday life is also mirrored in the products of Mokkatanten, inspired from German tableware tradition. Other reinterpretations of traditional objects are presented by Hulger lamps with their new twist on traditional bulbs, as well as by Katrin Sonnleitner and her carpets.
We are also exhibiting Kippis design company and pieces from the furniture collector Fredrichlust. Showing their vintage second hand pieces juxtaposed with contemporary designs, exposes the question: one cannot tell what is newly designed or what is from years past. You are invited to figure it out.
The blog
More content can also be seen on our blog:
platform.agoracollective.org
In the blog, we are showcasing design as a whole entity, not only the pieces and the people behind their work, but also to create a platform for conversations and discussions. Through this media people can give us feedback, read about the process and share their opinions. The blog features interviews with the participating designers, as well as written essays related to the theme.The list of events happening throughout this month will be featured on our blog as well as on Agoras' website and Facebook page.
The space
The space is situated in Neukölln, a diverse multicultural neighbourhood seducing young creatives. PLATform is looking forward to bringing an environment in which a diversified bunch can get inspired. The interested enthusiasts will also be able to purchase the piece of their choice. The intention is to recreate a similar setting to the ones found in apartments around the city, where new designs interact with vintage and second hand Trödel Markt finds. In this way, we bring pieces to the visitors who have the opportunity to converse, exchange, and “temporarily inhabit” a space created around these objects.
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Berlin April 2012 - An interview with the members of PLATform
PLATform is a manifesto taking various forms. The ideology behind this is to present design-oriented pieces in alternative spaces. The objects presented are crafted by independents or collaboratives, that have a close relationship to their craftsmen and to their public. We are interested in showing the creations that have a disjointed element about them, whether it be through the inspiration, the designers ingrained utility, the materials used. People should have an emotional connection to what they buy and consume, and we would like to highlight this awareness and research for it. PLATform consists of different components through ephemeral exhibitions, an online blog, events and panel discussions.
So how did PLATform start?
Iohanna: It started with the idea of redesigning the space for the collective. We wanted to generate a creative atmosphere, or a place that inspires people. That is something that we were looking for when we talk about the design of Agora or a co-working space. Then, it made sense to exhibit or to show objects with a concept not just a designs for the space, but to have an interesting concept and change chronically, every few months. Then the first exhibition, REFOUND started from the idea of showing new pieces in a space that is already full of second-hand pieces, which were sold in the space. So we wanted to combine pieces from different eras together and see what happens.
Raquel: Basically that's how it came, that was the first inkling for REFOUND.
......
What did you learn about all of this process, all of our interviews, the group dynamic, the business part of it?
Iohanna: I learned about the process. Talking with different people, how we could as a group of curators how we adapt ourselves depending on our subjects, how they see design. I learned that when you do an exhibition like, it is not about the objects, it's about people!
Read the interview
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Berlin March 2012 - Hashi video
The expected launching of the video from Affectstudio
Sofia and Björn designed and produced this amazing project. I have just worked connecting the chopsticks as well as shooting part of the documentary and taking some pictures.
courtesy of affect studio
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Berlin February 2012 - platFORM
In this days, beside working in Direktorenhaus, as a project manager of the TASTE festival,
I'm organizing an exhibition and conceptual showroom for designers in Agora.
platFORM is an initiative of Agora Network to provide a breathing ground for designers to expose their work. The space features temporary exhibitions showing different approaches to design in today’s context.
‘The platFORM project’ functions not only as a physical place for designers and artists, but also as a developing platform that explores the boundaries of the objects world for aesthetic or conceptual goals.
The project is founded by designers and artists who use the design medium as a gateway to examine the new roles of designers in our days. The platFORM project aims to promote alternative ways of connection and interaction between designers and users.
We offer:
1. Showroom
2. Market place (online and offline)
3. International exposure
4.Curation
5. PR and documentation
For the first exhibition of the series we will feature:
— CALL . NOW
Recontextualizing the past.
12/4/2012
Vintage furniture is not a new trend anymore, especially not in Berlin. Second hand shops are everywhere and Berliners apartments feature many pieces from them. But how design, and designers reacted to this trend in the last years and how the old and the new coexist toghether in the same context today? In our exhibition we want to explore how this two poles come together and the relationships and dialogs they create.
Allying the old with contemporary design pieces, we want to create a discourse between used objects with a history and a past with these new pieces that are mint and with which people impregnate a meaning.
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Berlin January 2012 - Art Installation
During the last week I was collaborating with other five people of Agora Collective doing an art installation for the opening of an exhibition in Transient Museum.
For 25 days 25 artists will exhibit their work in a space that is a part of Freies Museum in Berlin.
The works include paintings, photography, drawings, prints, lithography, installations and videos. It’s a spontaneous and independent project that was born and developed by joining energy of talented young people of Berlin who want to share their art and want to do things together. During 25 days the space will be open to all sorts of creative initiatives - workshops, ongoing artists’ projects, dinners with gallerists, performances, music events & screenings. Some of it will be planned ahead, some will happen spopntanously.
So we made a site-specific installation that makes use of a readily available material that has occupied the streets of Berlin since the New Year: Christmas Trees. The ritual decoration and discarding of Christmas trees originated in what is now Northern Germany over 500 years ago; 28 million trees now end their days in German backlots and dumpsters and on German sidewalks each January, after growing sometimes 15 years for a 15-day stint as holiday centerpiece.
Over 100 trees were collected within a 3-block radius of our building in Neukölln. The piece’s final form reflects a process of collective discussion, revision, and experimentation with the pliability of boughs, the aesthetics of a single pine needle, and the verdancy of an evergreen’s afterlife.
“Green” is the color of the decade, if not the catchword of this new century, and so Agora Collective introduces you to Transient Museum via Red Carpet, a 55-meter long, 2-meter wide metonymic trail of needles and chopped limbs, accompanied by a single, denuded Christmas tree.
More photos in the album
Photos by Joana Dias.
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Berlin January 2012 - Alternative Creative Comunities
AGORA MEANS NOW!
Agora is another amazing collective in Berlin. It is a multi-disciplinary space that empowers individuals through collaborative creation: a platform for professionals, driven by the urge to explore new ways of interaction in today’s context.
Seeking the balance between individuality and collectiveness. Individuals practicing and sharing their skills, providing to the collective a network, where connections are highly encouraged and facilitated resulting in a meaningful proactive community.
Check their website and come to collaborate!
I'm collaborating with them since the last month designing the space, that includes a cafe and a co-working floor.
Regarding collective spaces, one of the big questions when designing a space like this is: How can the design of a space encourage collaboration and innovation?
TILT, a studio that specializes in collaborative workspaces has a great approach summarized in some bullets points. They say the design of a space like this should be: Transformative, Participative, Connecting, Adaptive, Responsive and Story-led.
I liked their idea that "the spacial design shouldn't be one-dimensional, because people aren't ". I think this kind of summarized why I'm so interested in collective spaces.
This week I'll meet two collectives, ORT and Ponyroyal to discuss future collaboration.
Check TILT website.
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Berlin December 2011 - Hashi Restaurant
The last month I was working in the construction of an architectural installation in a new restaurant in Mitte. The design, by Affectstudio is a very interesting parametric design piece.
You can check Sofia's and Björn's previews work here
or in Sofia's blog.
I was taking some photos for them and shooting a documentary as well. I'll post photos and the documentary soon, but here is the trailer.
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Berlin November 2011 - Alternative Design Comunities
Since I arrived to Berlin I'm super interested in different communities of designers working together and helping each other. That's what people at Betahaus are doing.
They said that high quality value is no longer created in classic offices. Added value is created in different locations, at different times, in changing team constellations and without permanent employment. This new type of work constantly seeks new real and virtual locations. Open, digitally networked and collaborative work places are required which are flexible and serve as incubation platform for network, innovation and production.
The betahaus is such a working space. It is a platform which meets the requirements of independent creative professionals and knowledge workers, and expands their opportunities.
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Traveling...
India October 2011 - Gujarat Working Hands (and feet)
As part of my long 5 month trip to Asia, I visited the province of Gujarat in India. There, Bruno and I, travelled to the area of Kutch, famous for its crafts.
Kutch District is almost an island, it's surrounded by the Gulf of Kachchh and the Arabian Sea in south and west, while northern and eastern parts are surrounded by seasonal wetlands, and it was historically pretty cut off from the rest of India. The result is that there are lots of different communities that still keep their traditions: clothes, customs, crafts.
Read more in Bruno's blog....
more pics...
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India October 2011 - Rajastanis faces
After more than one month traveling in India, Rajasthan was like our first taste of the real India…
Read more in Bruno's blog....
more pics...
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April 2011- My Wedding Design and DIY
Though they had to travel over 8, 032 miles just to meet each other, Iohanna and Bruno Nicenboim couldn't be happier. While the two are both from Argentina they didn't meet until their families moved to Israel and they began studying Hebrew. After spending three years living in different cities, the two moved in to an apartment together and have been inseparable ever since.
One evening, upon arriving home from her Yoga class, Iohanna jumped in the shower. When she got out she found that Bruno had filled their place with candles and prepared a nice dinner. On her dinner plate he had arranged crostinis in the shape of a question mark, placing the ring as the point. "It was very nice and I didn't expect it at all so it was a great surprise," says Iohanna.
There was no question that the couple wanted to have their wedding in Israel, but they wanted the day to reflect their style, beliefs and multiculturalism. In Israel it is common to invite a great amount of guests to the wedding, averaging from 300 to 600 people. In Iohnanna and Bruno's case, because they weren't born in Israel, their families are smaller and because they thought a little reception would be nicer, they settled on only inviting 120 guests-a number so nontraditional in Israel that led to many complications when they started their search for a venue. Most places the couple initially tried had minimum guest requirements (usually in the 300 area), until they finally realized that they would have to look for places for Bar Mitzvah receptions.
The couple decided to hold their wedding at Zingers, today the restaurant of Moshav Burgata. A Moshav is a type of Israeli settlement, similar to a kibbutz but with an emphasis on community labor. They loved the idea of Zingers because it once was the Synagogue of the Moshav and although the couple didn't want to do any type of religious ceremony, the venue gave a touch of spirituality to the event.
In envisioning their wedding day the couple's goal was to create an event that reflected and mixed their personal ideas and origins. They wrote some pieces of their event in two languages, Hebrew and Spanish, especially using common Spanish words that their guests would be able to recognize. Inspired by their love for travel, and the six months of travel plans they have for their honeymoon, Iohanna designed their wedding invitation as a postcard which they sent through the mail without envelopes.
Iohanna and Bruno share the same taste in music, style and food so it wasn't difficult for them to decide to do the preparations for the wedding themselves. They made a playlist instead of hiring a DJ, created all of the paper designs, chose the clothing, etc. and after the whole process was finished, they really enjoyed working together. "In some ways it was a good opportunity to share moments with our families and friends. My mother decided to make some of the tableware in ceramics, and at the end all the family helped out so we had the opportunity to spend time together," says Iohanna. The couple even decided to do the ceremony themselves translating the poem "Bolero" by Argentinean writer Julio Cortazar from Spanish to Hebrew. In English it reads:
What vanity to imagine
that I can give you all,
love and happiness.
Voyages, music, toys.
It is true that it is like this:
All that is mine I give you, true,
but not all that is mine is enough for you
as certainly it is not enough
that you give me all that is yours.
For this reason we will never be
the perfect couple, the postcard,
if we are not able to accept
that only in arithmetic
two is born from one plus one.
Maybe only one small note, that says:
You were always my mirror,
I mean to see myself I had to look at you.
Iohanna and Bruno's April 15, 2011 wedding was one filled with culture and class, an event that combined their personalities and style and was intimate and special for them. The couple's best advice? Do it yourself and make it personal. You can express yourself through your wedding, adding details that reflect your traditions, your ideas and your style. If it's really your creation, it has an added value and people can truly feel it.
More pics...
press:
urbanbrides
thehamptonsweddings
The song Michal Lotan wrote for us:
i could love you
honestly
like a child
sweet like summer drops
yellow and wild
i used to running
from summer
so they say
but i could love you
like an easy simple day
catch me when I'm turning
i am falling hold my hand
don't let me keep running
i am falling take my hand
will you love me
when i am dark and in between
will you linger
while i try to clear my dreams
catch me when I'm turning
i am falling hold my hand
don't let me keep running
i am falling take my hand
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Berlin May 2012 - BREAD LAB 001
Continuing with the path of statistics and food, I'm working on a food-installation for the 48 Stunden Neukölln Festival, on June 15th.
The bread lab is a food installation showing a “population of bread”.
About Neukolln
The work is inspired by the Turkish bakeries in the are called Paradies. The neighborhood of Neukolln is known for its diversity in population as well as its bad economic situation. The installation want to call attention to diversity and minorities living in the area promoting the cultural differences.
Some statistics about Neukolln:
The Northern part of Neukölln has about 160 000 inhabitants (Neukölln as a whole 310.000), among them over fifty percent legal immigrants and an estimated ten percent more who are illegal. Over fifty percent of the immigrants are unemployed (but not automatically without work). Most of the immigrants are from Turkey (40 %), 12 % from Arabic states most of them Iraqis), 11 % from Poland, 10 % come from the former Yugoslavian states, estimated 8% from Russia, and a significant number are “stateless” (8%). The number of African migrants is increasing. It is impossible to have exact dates.
Mr. Tin, owner of the rice bowl Neuköllner
http://www.zeit.de/2011/44/Berlin-Neukoelln
About Bread
Bread is one of the oldest practices in the history of humanity and one of the foods that all the different western cultures share. The cultural importance of bread is has been always used as a metaphor for basic necessities and living conditions in general. The shape and way of making bread varies from culture to culture. However, because of the industrialized processes, over the years we have been losing our cultural identities to become one global culture, getting to a standard recipe of bread that is efficient, cheap and predictable.
Morocco, communal oven
So the installation brings up the notion of how industrialization in food production, tends to make everything look and taste similar, although we are all different and come from different backgrounds. In this process of industrialization, places where the food is produced, look nowadays more like laboratories than kitchens.
Iron cage, a sociological concept introduced by Max Weber, refers to the increased rationalization inherent in social life, particularly in Western capitalist societies. The "iron cage" thus traps individuals in systems based purely on teleological efficiency, rational calculation and control. Rationality is one aspect of the notion that modern man is 'disenchanted'. Due to bureaucratic rationalisation and the acceleration of capitalism, there is a loss of autonomy and agency in every aspect of our life, leaving us unfulfilled.
About the process:
The piece shows a "statistical population of bread". In the process I (whith Bruno's help) introduce the ingredients of a bread recipe in R, an open source program for statistical analysis, in order to combine them every time in a different way, generating a database of 200 unique combinations. The database is generated according of how population is distributed in a normal curve. In this way, I create not only a unique piece of bread every time but also allow some breads that are not the "norm" and are a bit in the edges. This exemptions, takes us back to times when the local backer could have mistaken a bit the recipe and this time the surprise of having a more salty bread existed, in contrast with the nowadays lack of surprises.
Experimenting with the data in "R"
About the intallation:
The installation will feature the 200 samples of baked bread in a laboratory looking display. People will be able to try the slightly different bread loaves, recognized with a number as well as buy the ones they liked.
Some projects about food and statistics:
Some other nice graphic and web projects:
Source: Information Design at Penn, University of Pennsylvania.
..........................................................................................................
Berlin April 2012 - REFOUND
I had a very busy month organizing and curating the first design exhibition of PLATform. The opening was on the 12.4.12 and we are delighted with the success!
REFOUND is an ephemeral exhibition at Agora that spans from April 12th till May 12th. The exhibition is a transformative, shifting experience. The first floor in which the exhibition takes place is a café and so had to be transformed back into a utilitarian eatery the day after the opening. The PLATform group saw this constraint as an opportunity to create an everchanging atmosphere. What is displayed on one occasion will be taken away on another, to keep the constant flux of visitors on their toes, and to show off the pieces in various settings. This is a way to open a dialogue with Agoras' regulars and visitors to create new place and to see the different arrangements.
Designers // Rakso Naibaf, Tom Kühne, Judith Boomwehmeyer,
Mokkatanten, Lutz Hüning, Jan Bernstein, Superéquipe, Kippis,
Friedrichslust, Katrin Sonnleitner, Ines Königsmann, Hulger, Silvia
Knüppel, A&RÉ design, Adam+Harborth and Annett Gebert
Curators // Raquel Chaves, Alexandra Sebag and Iohanna Nicenboim
Executive Producers // Rory Koehler and Pedro Jardim
All of these items are sold through our upcoming online shop.
Exhibition summary
REFOUND is the title of the first exhibition of PLATform, a project featuring temporary exhibitions showing different approaches to design in today’s context.
The theme of the first exhibition, opening on April 12th, is designed to reveal an effervescent phenomenon in Berlin, in which new forms retain aspects from the past. Nowadays, this trend is not just a visual language, but a mindset outside the norms of mass production and manufactured design, a new way of appreciating objects.
This “Antique Decadence” trend is a way to re-create or re-contextualize the past. We can see in REFOUND various objects taking visual cues from the preceding trends and concepts, but the dialogue they want to arouse or the way we perceive them is completely different. The participating designers all have their own ways of questioning tradition, reinterpreting the form or materials and giving them a new definition.
Refound, re-use , re-contextualize and rediscover the past through the concepts that drove us since the beginning. The pieces retain an omnipresent link to the previous generations, whether through aesthetic values, processes or emotional connections.
Interested in upcycling, A&Ré Designers combine elements such as found pieces from the streets with raw materials. Starting points for their pieces come from the fascination with materials and its inherent poetic use. In this way, they give life to a dead element. According to Superéquipe, these days furniture has a very limited life cycle. They claim that “Furniture comes, furniture goes” and in this context, they create pieces. In this cycle, R.I.P: the lock plate which can be detached, remains after the furniture is not in use anymore, representing it and retaining its heritage. Boomwehmeyer Studio also questions ideas that were being assumed and turned into cliché’s that stayed around for generations, presenting a “disturbance” in the traditional Delft Blue figures.
Combining traditional pieces with contemporary aesthetics, Silvia Knuppel presents the chair Frankfurter Mélange, a fusion of the “Frankfurter Stuhl” and the “Swedish Grace” chair creating an unique shape. Going against prevalent trends but yet inspired by the glamour of the past, Rakso Naibaf mix opposite elements together. The underlying point is to make pieces which are cool, uncontrived by a set of design rules, and unfussy.
A connection to the objects may occur subconsciously through our common imaginary. For example, Jan Bernstein’s drawing machines, seems to come out from a creative lab, transport us to a mechanical vintage world, when engines and screws were the highlight of a society so distant from our digital world. Tom Kuhne‘s emotional treat on his pieces leads the visitor to his own interpretation, subtil and yet on the edge of entertainment and curiosity. His work makes us think about the relation objects have with our past, our dreams and thoughts, in a philosophical approach, taking us back to our origins through condensed forms. How deep can we go in the past, if not in the search of ourselves?
Lutz design is another example of a strong visual link to the past, but its visual language comes actually from the use of traditional techniques and materials as well as from his mindset of giving simple solutions for particular questions. Annette Gebert also deals with traditional techniques in her work, but in a more personal way. A great passion for porcelain painting developed trough her practice a way to express herself in this medium, that is still governed by strict customs.
Old toys from his grandparents time are presented like poetic memories by Adam + Harborth Design. Another narrative was developed in order to connect to a more “old school” sense, represented by Ines Königsmann’s seating system. The humorous reflection of everyday life is also mirrored in the products of Mokkatanten, inspired from German tableware tradition. Other reinterpretations of traditional objects are presented by Hulger lamps with their new twist on traditional bulbs, as well as by Katrin Sonnleitner and her carpets.
We are also exhibiting Kippis design company and pieces from the furniture collector Fredrichlust. Showing their vintage second hand pieces juxtaposed with contemporary designs, exposes the question: one cannot tell what is newly designed or what is from years past. You are invited to figure it out.
The blog
More content can also be seen on our blog:
platform.agoracollective.org
In the blog, we are showcasing design as a whole entity, not only the pieces and the people behind their work, but also to create a platform for conversations and discussions. Through this media people can give us feedback, read about the process and share their opinions. The blog features interviews with the participating designers, as well as written essays related to the theme.The list of events happening throughout this month will be featured on our blog as well as on Agoras' website and Facebook page.
The space
The space is situated in Neukölln, a diverse multicultural neighbourhood seducing young creatives. PLATform is looking forward to bringing an environment in which a diversified bunch can get inspired. The interested enthusiasts will also be able to purchase the piece of their choice. The intention is to recreate a similar setting to the ones found in apartments around the city, where new designs interact with vintage and second hand Trödel Markt finds. In this way, we bring pieces to the visitors who have the opportunity to converse, exchange, and “temporarily inhabit” a space created around these objects.
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Berlin April 2012 - An interview with the members of PLATform
PLATform is a manifesto taking various forms. The ideology behind this is to present design-oriented pieces in alternative spaces. The objects presented are crafted by independents or collaboratives, that have a close relationship to their craftsmen and to their public. We are interested in showing the creations that have a disjointed element about them, whether it be through the inspiration, the designers ingrained utility, the materials used. People should have an emotional connection to what they buy and consume, and we would like to highlight this awareness and research for it. PLATform consists of different components through ephemeral exhibitions, an online blog, events and panel discussions.
So how did PLATform start?
Iohanna: It started with the idea of redesigning the space for the collective. We wanted to generate a creative atmosphere, or a place that inspires people. That is something that we were looking for when we talk about the design of Agora or a co-working space. Then, it made sense to exhibit or to show objects with a concept not just a designs for the space, but to have an interesting concept and change chronically, every few months. Then the first exhibition, REFOUND started from the idea of showing new pieces in a space that is already full of second-hand pieces, which were sold in the space. So we wanted to combine pieces from different eras together and see what happens.
Raquel: Basically that's how it came, that was the first inkling for REFOUND.
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What did you learn about all of this process, all of our interviews, the group dynamic, the business part of it?
Iohanna: I learned about the process. Talking with different people, how we could as a group of curators how we adapt ourselves depending on our subjects, how they see design. I learned that when you do an exhibition like, it is not about the objects, it's about people!
Read the interview
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Berlin March 2012 - Hashi video
The expected launching of the video from Affectstudio
Sofia and Björn designed and produced this amazing project. I have just worked connecting the chopsticks as well as shooting part of the documentary and taking some pictures.
courtesy of affect studio
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Berlin February 2012 - platFORM
In this days, beside working in Direktorenhaus, as a project manager of the TASTE festival,
I'm organizing an exhibition and conceptual showroom for designers in Agora.
platFORM is an initiative of Agora Network to provide a breathing ground for designers to expose their work. The space features temporary exhibitions showing different approaches to design in today’s context.
‘The platFORM project’ functions not only as a physical place for designers and artists, but also as a developing platform that explores the boundaries of the objects world for aesthetic or conceptual goals.
The project is founded by designers and artists who use the design medium as a gateway to examine the new roles of designers in our days. The platFORM project aims to promote alternative ways of connection and interaction between designers and users.
We offer:
1. Showroom
2. Market place (online and offline)
3. International exposure
4.Curation
5. PR and documentation
For the first exhibition of the series we will feature:
— CALL . NOW
Recontextualizing the past.
12/4/2012
Vintage furniture is not a new trend anymore, especially not in Berlin. Second hand shops are everywhere and Berliners apartments feature many pieces from them. But how design, and designers reacted to this trend in the last years and how the old and the new coexist toghether in the same context today? In our exhibition we want to explore how this two poles come together and the relationships and dialogs they create.
Allying the old with contemporary design pieces, we want to create a discourse between used objects with a history and a past with these new pieces that are mint and with which people impregnate a meaning.
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Berlin January 2012 - Art Installation
During the last week I was collaborating with other five people of Agora Collective doing an art installation for the opening of an exhibition in Transient Museum.
For 25 days 25 artists will exhibit their work in a space that is a part of Freies Museum in Berlin.
The works include paintings, photography, drawings, prints, lithography, installations and videos. It’s a spontaneous and independent project that was born and developed by joining energy of talented young people of Berlin who want to share their art and want to do things together. During 25 days the space will be open to all sorts of creative initiatives - workshops, ongoing artists’ projects, dinners with gallerists, performances, music events & screenings. Some of it will be planned ahead, some will happen spopntanously.
So we made a site-specific installation that makes use of a readily available material that has occupied the streets of Berlin since the New Year: Christmas Trees. The ritual decoration and discarding of Christmas trees originated in what is now Northern Germany over 500 years ago; 28 million trees now end their days in German backlots and dumpsters and on German sidewalks each January, after growing sometimes 15 years for a 15-day stint as holiday centerpiece.
Over 100 trees were collected within a 3-block radius of our building in Neukölln. The piece’s final form reflects a process of collective discussion, revision, and experimentation with the pliability of boughs, the aesthetics of a single pine needle, and the verdancy of an evergreen’s afterlife.
“Green” is the color of the decade, if not the catchword of this new century, and so Agora Collective introduces you to Transient Museum via Red Carpet, a 55-meter long, 2-meter wide metonymic trail of needles and chopped limbs, accompanied by a single, denuded Christmas tree.
More photos in the album
Photos by Joana Dias.
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Berlin January 2012 - Alternative Creative Comunities
AGORA MEANS NOW!
Agora is another amazing collective in Berlin. It is a multi-disciplinary space that empowers individuals through collaborative creation: a platform for professionals, driven by the urge to explore new ways of interaction in today’s context.
Seeking the balance between individuality and collectiveness. Individuals practicing and sharing their skills, providing to the collective a network, where connections are highly encouraged and facilitated resulting in a meaningful proactive community.
Check their website and come to collaborate!
Agora Collective from Supernormals on Vimeo.
I'm collaborating with them since the last month designing the space, that includes a cafe and a co-working floor.
Regarding collective spaces, one of the big questions when designing a space like this is: How can the design of a space encourage collaboration and innovation?
TILT, a studio that specializes in collaborative workspaces has a great approach summarized in some bullets points. They say the design of a space like this should be: Transformative, Participative, Connecting, Adaptive, Responsive and Story-led.
I liked their idea that "the spacial design shouldn't be one-dimensional, because people aren't ". I think this kind of summarized why I'm so interested in collective spaces.
This week I'll meet two collectives, ORT and Ponyroyal to discuss future collaboration.
Check TILT website.
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Berlin December 2011 - Hashi Restaurant
The last month I was working in the construction of an architectural installation in a new restaurant in Mitte. The design, by Affectstudio is a very interesting parametric design piece.
You can check Sofia's and Björn's previews work here
or in Sofia's blog.
I was taking some photos for them and shooting a documentary as well. I'll post photos and the documentary soon, but here is the trailer.
Trailer - Hashi Mori from Affect Studio on Vimeo.
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Berlin November 2011 - Alternative Design Comunities
Since I arrived to Berlin I'm super interested in different communities of designers working together and helping each other. That's what people at Betahaus are doing.
They said that high quality value is no longer created in classic offices. Added value is created in different locations, at different times, in changing team constellations and without permanent employment. This new type of work constantly seeks new real and virtual locations. Open, digitally networked and collaborative work places are required which are flexible and serve as incubation platform for network, innovation and production.
The betahaus is such a working space. It is a platform which meets the requirements of independent creative professionals and knowledge workers, and expands their opportunities.
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Traveling...
India October 2011 - Gujarat Working Hands (and feet)
As part of my long 5 month trip to Asia, I visited the province of Gujarat in India. There, Bruno and I, travelled to the area of Kutch, famous for its crafts.
Kutch District is almost an island, it's surrounded by the Gulf of Kachchh and the Arabian Sea in south and west, while northern and eastern parts are surrounded by seasonal wetlands, and it was historically pretty cut off from the rest of India. The result is that there are lots of different communities that still keep their traditions: clothes, customs, crafts.
Read more in Bruno's blog....
more pics...
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India October 2011 - Rajastanis faces
After more than one month traveling in India, Rajasthan was like our first taste of the real India…
Read more in Bruno's blog....
more pics...
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April 2011- My Wedding Design and DIY
Though they had to travel over 8, 032 miles just to meet each other, Iohanna and Bruno Nicenboim couldn't be happier. While the two are both from Argentina they didn't meet until their families moved to Israel and they began studying Hebrew. After spending three years living in different cities, the two moved in to an apartment together and have been inseparable ever since.
One evening, upon arriving home from her Yoga class, Iohanna jumped in the shower. When she got out she found that Bruno had filled their place with candles and prepared a nice dinner. On her dinner plate he had arranged crostinis in the shape of a question mark, placing the ring as the point. "It was very nice and I didn't expect it at all so it was a great surprise," says Iohanna.
There was no question that the couple wanted to have their wedding in Israel, but they wanted the day to reflect their style, beliefs and multiculturalism. In Israel it is common to invite a great amount of guests to the wedding, averaging from 300 to 600 people. In Iohnanna and Bruno's case, because they weren't born in Israel, their families are smaller and because they thought a little reception would be nicer, they settled on only inviting 120 guests-a number so nontraditional in Israel that led to many complications when they started their search for a venue. Most places the couple initially tried had minimum guest requirements (usually in the 300 area), until they finally realized that they would have to look for places for Bar Mitzvah receptions.
The couple decided to hold their wedding at Zingers, today the restaurant of Moshav Burgata. A Moshav is a type of Israeli settlement, similar to a kibbutz but with an emphasis on community labor. They loved the idea of Zingers because it once was the Synagogue of the Moshav and although the couple didn't want to do any type of religious ceremony, the venue gave a touch of spirituality to the event.
In envisioning their wedding day the couple's goal was to create an event that reflected and mixed their personal ideas and origins. They wrote some pieces of their event in two languages, Hebrew and Spanish, especially using common Spanish words that their guests would be able to recognize. Inspired by their love for travel, and the six months of travel plans they have for their honeymoon, Iohanna designed their wedding invitation as a postcard which they sent through the mail without envelopes.
Iohanna and Bruno share the same taste in music, style and food so it wasn't difficult for them to decide to do the preparations for the wedding themselves. They made a playlist instead of hiring a DJ, created all of the paper designs, chose the clothing, etc. and after the whole process was finished, they really enjoyed working together. "In some ways it was a good opportunity to share moments with our families and friends. My mother decided to make some of the tableware in ceramics, and at the end all the family helped out so we had the opportunity to spend time together," says Iohanna. The couple even decided to do the ceremony themselves translating the poem "Bolero" by Argentinean writer Julio Cortazar from Spanish to Hebrew. In English it reads:
What vanity to imagine
that I can give you all,
love and happiness.
Voyages, music, toys.
It is true that it is like this:
All that is mine I give you, true,
but not all that is mine is enough for you
as certainly it is not enough
that you give me all that is yours.
For this reason we will never be
the perfect couple, the postcard,
if we are not able to accept
that only in arithmetic
two is born from one plus one.
Maybe only one small note, that says:
You were always my mirror,
I mean to see myself I had to look at you.
Iohanna and Bruno's April 15, 2011 wedding was one filled with culture and class, an event that combined their personalities and style and was intimate and special for them. The couple's best advice? Do it yourself and make it personal. You can express yourself through your wedding, adding details that reflect your traditions, your ideas and your style. If it's really your creation, it has an added value and people can truly feel it.
More pics...
press:
urbanbrides
thehamptonsweddings
The song Michal Lotan wrote for us:
i could love you
honestly
like a child
sweet like summer drops
yellow and wild
i used to running
from summer
so they say
but i could love you
like an easy simple day
catch me when I'm turning
i am falling hold my hand
don't let me keep running
i am falling take my hand
will you love me
when i am dark and in between
will you linger
while i try to clear my dreams
catch me when I'm turning
i am falling hold my hand
don't let me keep running
i am falling take my hand