Between self-understanding, fulfillment and security of existence: With the exhibition project "WORKSPACE IN PROGRESS" under the direction of designer and professor Stefan Diez and the team of the Industrial Design1 department of the University of Applied Arts Vienna, students of ID1 question the meanings and challenges of work from the perspective of their generation. Over a period of two semesters, projects were created that question our understanding of work. In addition to examining technological, economic and social changes, the students also dealt with the implications of possible production methods in a future-oriented circular economy. Initiated by Stefan Diez and curated by Matylda Krzykowski, the works are presented for the first time at the Museum of Applied Arts Cologne.
A depot of furniture, lights, clothing, videos, devices and systems forms the centre of the debate: "Moodbooster" by Armin Muhamedagic, for example, is an immersive work in the form of a closed silicone ring that conveys a feeling of isolation through smell, sound, vibration and darkness when the face is pressed into it. Steven Dahlinger developed "Nesting", a modular piece of furniture that folds up into a sofa and unfolds into a personal retreat. With this work, he developed a room within a room that questions today's working worlds - a culture of constant availability and dwindling boundaries between work and non-work - and rethinks it as a product. Laura Dominici also ties in with this: Workplaces are changing and physical presence in a defined place is becoming less important. Work takes place wherever you log on to a laptop - and gives rise to entirely new definitions of spatiality. Her project "Magic Tapestry" is a soft, hand-woven carpet that has an integrated wooden panel that, when placed on the lap, becomes a tabletop.
The "magical" combination of carpet and table creates a defined space for work and enables haptic experiences in an increasingly digital working world. "Talktile" by Madeleine K. Wieser addresses the relationship between proximity and distance from the perspective of remote work: people who work separated from each other in home offices and in globally distributed teams without a shared, physical office. Isolation and lack of communication can be the consequences. "Talktile" is an organically shaped product with a tactile surface, integrated microphone and loudspeaker that conveys the feeling of togetherness despite distance. The interactive object enables spontaneous conversations with colleagues - a shared, tangible moment of interaction that makes communication beyond the digital possible.
With works by students of the Department of Industrial Design1 at the University of Applied Arts Vienna, Mona Abusamra, Alexander Allroggen, Ludwig Bachmann, Steven Dahlinger, Anton Defant, Laura Dominici, Jasmit Hof, Alice Klarwein, Karin Markowski, Armin Muhamedagic, Jakob Niemann, Kerstin Pfleger, Philipp Pranzl, Camilla Ruh, Anatol Stelzhammer and Madeleine K. Wieser.
An exhibition with performance character: from october in Cologne and in virtual spheres
Curated by Matylda Krzykowski, the students' individual projects will be activated "in the sense of props on a stage through performances." "Through the actions, expected and perceived challenges such as remote working, lack of movement, the limitation of space or lack of privacy become apparent," says Matylda Krzykowski. The exhibition is digitally transmitted from the museum to social media and can thus also be experienced "remotely". The resulting video footage is subsequently compiled into a film that documents the results in the long term.