Arguably nothing encapsulates the self-image and the external image of the United States of America more universally than the concept and the physical reality of suburbia. Nothing says United States of America quite like suburbia. But what is 'suburbia'? Why is 'suburbia'? How is 'suburbia'? With Suburbia. Living the American Dream the Architekturzentrum Wien invite us all to explore the (hi)story and culture of that most American of locations and thereby to better approach not only suburbia,
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At 3daysofdesign Copenhagen 2025 our colleagues from smow enjoyed not only the pleasure of conversation with Erwan Bouroullec, but the chance to listen in to one of everyone's favourite Breton discuss his views on, positions to, approaches to design, and the creative power of embracing differing opinion, views, positions, approaches....... It's still early in the morning, and we're having our first coffee after our first long night in Copenhagen. We're still tired, but also full of
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Water is, and long has been, one of the most important resources for human society. Not just as a life-giving elixir for the human species and the flora and fauna with whom we share the planet and on whom we rely for our existence, but also as a source of power, as a basis for hygiene, as a transportation conduit, as a cultural identifier, as focal point for communities, as a location for fun, etc, etc, etc. Factors neatly elucidated by the Limmat that flows through Zürich, the Zürichsee into
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Regardless of your position on the re-edition they are a firmly established feature of the international furniture industry. Arguably have in recent years have become a, the, key pillar of that industry. With thoughts from Milan and Copenhagen still fresh, our colleagues from smow reflect on the contemporary re-ediction....... We may not live like we did 50 years ago, but we seem to enjoy decorating our homes that way. Anyone who strolled through Milan during Design Week 2025 or
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Zanotta An Aurelia; A Nova Milanese; A Popolo Based on a study of objects uncovered in context of an archaeological dig in the vicinity of Nova Milanese, a community established nine miles to the north of Milan when an uncontrollable proliferation of the deeply debilitating Saloni made life in the once bustling, pulsating metropolis unbearable and unaffordable, the Zanotta trace their origins to one Aurelio dello Zanotta, a member of the Aurelia gens who was an important protagonist in the
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At 3daysofdesign 2025 the smow team met up with an old friend of these dispatches: Erwan Bourroullec. With whom over a coffee they spoke about his work, the poetic power of his work, the story behind the iconic La Grange barn — and, of course, the new Vitra Mynt chair. smow: To start, a few quick questions to get to know you better. Erwan, are you more into punk or jazz? Erwan Bouroullec: I'm more inclined to punk smow: Sweet or salty? Erwan Bouroullec: Salty. smow: Chair or table?
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Our objects of daily use are never just their physical functions and properties, they always have non-physical agency, always have functions and properties beyond the physical. Albeit non-physical functions and properties that are often masked by a primacy afforded the physical function and properties in our viewing of our objects of daily use. With Fabric Visions // Textile Visionen the Esche Museum, Limbach-Oberfrohna, provide a space in which to explore and approach textiles beyond the
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As is becoming a habit, our colleagues from smow spent mid-June in Copenhagen at 3daysofdesign. And as will come as no surprise, they are back enlivened not just by the charms of the Danish capital, but by that which they experienced during 3daysofdesign. Experiences they are very keen to share with yous all....... 3daysofdesign Copenhagen 2025: The smow Highlights The most important conclusion right away: Three days of design are inspiring, beautiful and incredibly packed – but above all:
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As Emily Dickinson so very nearly wrote in the early 1860s: Answer July — Where is the Bee — Where is the Blush — Where is the Hay? Ah, said July — They are all — In a museum — Why aren't you? Answer Thee — Me —* Our five recommendations for new architecture, design and art exhibitions opening in July 2025 for bees, blushes, hays, and you, can be found in Berlin, Remagen, New York, London and Chemnitz....... "Defiance. Jewish Women and Design in the Modern Era" at the Jewish Museum,
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For all that any interior space is predominately air, air is essentially ignored in architecture, plays no role in the work of architects. Not so in the architecture of Hans-Walter Müller. With Monsieur Luftarchitektur – Hans-Walter Müller. Architekt, Ingenieur, Künstler; 1967 bis heute the Luftmuseum, Amberg, allow for an introduction not only to Hans-Walter Müller, but to the pneumatic architecture of his practice....... Monsieur Luftarchitektur – Hans-Walter Müller. Architekt,
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In 1922 the Swiss artist and designer Sophie Taeuber-Arp opined that, 'in our complicated times, where the struggle for existence is so difficult, I have often asked myself why we continue to produce embroideries; Why invent ornament and colour combinations when there are so many more practical and, above all, necessary things to do?'1 A question that forces you to question why 100 years later we are still producing not only embroideries but all forms of textile art? Are our times, perhaps,
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The motto of Chemnitz's co-tenure as European Cultural Capital 2025 is C_The_Unseen: on the one hand a motto than can be read as C(hemnitz)_The_Unseen, an attempt at freeing Chemnitz, and environs, from the relative anonymity it has fallen into, not least on account of its DDR biography, and to bring it once more alongside a Leipzig and Dresden with whom it over generations stood at eye level; on the other can be read as an admonishment to view familiar things differently, to question that
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In 1984 Sister Mildred Barker opined, "I almost expect to be remembered as a chair, or a table"1: an allusion to the furniture, for all the chairs, that popularly stand proxy for the United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, a.k.a. the Shakers, to whose members Sister Mildred Barker belonged. Furniture, chairs, that for all their charms, and the great many convincing arguments in their favour, tend to restrict the popular view of and on the Shakers and thereby to limit popular
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While it is popularly appreciated that Art Nouveau in its various dialects was, at least partly, inspired and informed by the natural world, for all the floral world, and also popularly appreciated that the move to more objective, sober, less decorative positions, and dialects, throughout the first decades of the 20th century resulted in a rationalisation of the natural influences of Art Nouveau that tended to remove the direct natural/floral references — if keeping many of the forms such
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The etymology of June is most commonly traced back to the Latin Iūnō, a word implying vigorous, youthful energy, which is exactly what you should, will, leave any good architecture and/or design exhibition pumped with on account of the impulses, stimulations and questionings that exhibition has given you in return for your entrance fee. And a vigorous, youthful energy that is very much in demand in these days of ours. Our five recommended locations for reviving your personal Iūnō, and by
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For all that architecture at both the Hochschule für Gestaltung Ulm and at its more or less direct predecessor Bauhaus, is most popularly associated with a school building — that in Ulm by Max Bill, that in Dessau by Walter Gropius — in contrast to the Bauhauses, architecture at the Hochschule für Gestaltung Ulm was from the very beginning an active, integral, practised discipline. If a discipline that today is all too often overshadowed by the Hockers, record players, graphics, et al of the
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Architecture is often understood as being about geometry, as being about interplays and relationships between geometries of different forms at different scales to create a unified whole, a state of affairs that, arguably, can be traced back to the practice of the earliest architects. But is it? With the aid of the practice of Frei Otto and Kengo Kuma the Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz invite us all to explore architecture Beyond Geometry....... Beyond Geometry. Frei Otto x Kengo Kuma,
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In context of the exhibition Tischkultur at Galerie Handwerk München, and as seen during Munich Creative Business Week 2025, we noted, opined, that tables exist as "the physical and metaphoric centre of any community and society"; yet regardless of how many can sit at that table, not everyone is always invited, enabled, empowered to sit at that table. With the project A Seat at The Table! students from Berlin International University explored approaches towards the Designing Spaces of
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In a world in which architecture is often corporate, egotistic and (one could be mistaken for thinking, more) about the vision of a particular architect (than actual needs), one can forget that not only the origins of architecture as an art and as the practical framing of space beyond the trade of construction, are, arguably, to be found in religious houses, but also that some of the most important and influential European architects of more recent (hi)story, architects who often worked on
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Recycling and upcycling are in themselves never enough, are in themselves never an argument, much as blacksmithing, carpentry or 3D printing aren't arguments, aren't enough, in themselves; rather are components of a processes of creating, are means to an end. And it's always about how you employ that means, and the objects that result. Nor are recycling and upcycling inherently positive: over the years we've seem some truly distressing recycling and upcycling, objects the world don't need and
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As oft opined in these dispatches, one of our favourite aspects of any design week is the presentations held in national embassies, officially curated impressions of a nation's creativity that for all we appreciate and understand the degree of hoop jumping and conforming that are often necessary to being showcased, appreciations sharpened recently via many conversations in a European capital we'll refrain from naming at this juncture... despite the centralised control that regularly exists in
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One of the two central locations of the otherwise decentral Berlin Design Week, BDW, 2025 is and was the new Kalle complex in Neukölln, a former Kardstadt department store transformed into a mix of office, retail, hospitality and event spaces that hosted a number of BDW showcases, and a phenomenally loud building site, but less said, soonest mended. And also, certainly when we were there, hosted a fascinating demonstration of the black art of floor cleaning; albeit one that we couldn't help
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With their own gallery currently closed for renovations the Design Department of the Universität der Künste, UdK, Berlin relocated across the city for Berlin Design Week 2025 to the Feldfünf project space where under the title AAAAH! die UdK! they presented UnDogmatiK, a showcase of works realised in context of semester projects at the institution, a showcase which included a very pleasing wiedersehen with the chairs from the Find Your Footprint project we first met in context of Passagen
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As discussed in context of Berlin Design Week 2024, not only is the (hi)story of design weeks in the German capital looooong, complex and entertaining, if at times very painful so, but so is our relationship with design weeks in the German capital. We refer you therefore to our post from Berlin Design Week 2024 for more detail, or at least the degree of detail we're prepared to publicly expose at this stage in our lives, and dive here straight into Berlin Design Week 2025. An event that is now
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How can we more constructively co-exist, exist, as a society? How can we manage and employ the, invariably finite, resources at our disposal, be they, for example, space, buildings, energy, water, food, whatever, in manners that are not only sustainable and responsible but that promote and advance individuals, communities and societies rather than leading to conflict and division? Such, and similar questions, are not only very inherent in the Munich Creative Business Week, MCBW, 2025 motto
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