KONSTANTIN GRCIC - PANORAMA
VITRA DESIGN MUSEUM - WEIL AM RHEIN
22.03.2014 – 14.09.2014
KONSTANTIN GRCIC - PANORAMA
VITRA DESIGN MUSEUM - WEIL AM RHEIN
22.03.2014 – 14.09.2014
Konstantin Grcic is one of the most influential designers of our
time. Serious and
functional, unwieldy and occasionally disconcerting, his works
combine an industrial
aesthetic with experimental, artistic elements. Many of Grcic’s
creations, such
as ‘’ Chair_One ‘’ (2004) or the ‘’ Mayday ‘’ lamp (1999), are
widely acclaimed as design classics. With ‘’ Konstantin Grcic – Panorama ‘’,
the Vitra Design Museum is now presenting the largest solo exhibition on Grcic
and his work to date.
Specifically for this exhibition, Grcic has developed several
large-scale installations rendering his personal visions for life in the
future: a home interior, a design studio and an urban environment.
These spaces stage fictional scenarios confronting the viewer with
the designer’s inspirations, challenges and questions, as well as placing
Grcic’s works in a greater social context. The highlight of these presentations
is a 30-metre long panorama that depicts an architectural landscape of the
future.
A fourth area of the exhibition takes a focused look at Grcic’s
daily work. This section presents many of his finished objects, but also
prototypes, drawings and background information along with artefacts that have
inspired Grcic – from an old teapot and an early Apple computer. In the shift
of perspectives between larger and smaller scales, the exhibition demonstrates
how design is more than mere problem solving for Grcic, but a highly complex
process that integrates coincidences, ruptures, chance discoveries and a
profound engagement with the visual culture of our time.
Konstantin Grcic (b. 1965) was initially influenced by the
minimalist designs of Jasper Morrison under whom he began his career in the
late 1980s. Soon he developed his own distinctive stylistic idiom and has
become a driving force of formal and technical innovation within the
international design scene.
Today, Grcic works for many leading design companies, including
Authentics, Flos, Magis, Vitra, ClassiCon, Plank, Krups and Muji. With his
widely published designs, he often develops surprising solutions that avoid
cliché and derive their radical aesthetic from Grcic’s intensive investigations
of materials, technologies and production processes.
With »Panorama«, Grcic enters new territory. Never before has he so
fundamentally reflected on his own work and so thoroughly disclosed his own
understanding of design in general. The exhibition is based on an extensive
analysis of current technological shifts, innovations and upheavals in
contemporary design. It was developed over three years of close collaboration between
Grcic, the Vitra
Design Museum and Z33 –House for contemporary art in Hasselt,
Belgium. The result is a striking presentation of narrative and visual
intensity, situated on the cusp between present and future, reality and fiction.
The exhibition is accompanied by a 320-page catalogue that
comprises a catalogue raisonné of Grcic’s work as well as essays by such
authors as s Richard Sennett, Peter Sloterdijk, Paola Antonelli, Mario Carpo
and others. In conjunction with the exhibition, Vitra Design Museum will
organize a wide-ranging event programme.
All the Konstantin Grcic’s exhibition news information had sent by Vitra
Design Museum.
KONSTANTIN GRCIC –
PANORAMA
CONCEPT & BACKROUND
The exhibition
»Konstantin Grcic – Panorama« is divided into four sections, each addressing a
key theme in design. The first section – Life Space – shows an experimental
living environment that reflects human habitational needs in the twenty-first
century. The second section – Work Space – presents the fictional studio of a
designer and documents the working processes of Konstantin Grcic himself while
posing fundamental questions about contemporary design. The third section –
Public
Space – investigates
the public sphere and transports the visitor to a monumental
cityscape of the
future. The fourth and final section – Object Space – examines the
work of Grcic via a
plethora of objects, inspirations and references.
Commenting on the conceptual
basis of the exhibition, which took several years to realise, Vitra Design
Museum Director Mateo Kries explains: ‘’In our discussions, Konstantin Grcic
and I kept coming back to the question of how design could regain greater
artistic and social relevance, how it could cope with the huge creative
challenges ahead of us. The specialization of designers is important, yet to
meet
these foremost
challenges and conflicts of our time – thus was our working hypothesis – it
must also rediscover the programmatic power of individual vision’’. From these
deliberations, an exhibition concept emerged that not only presents Konstantin
Grcic’s designs and working processes but also examines his intense engagement
with the visual culture and motifs of our time. The exhibition surveys themes
such as quality of life, new technologies and sustainability as well as the
personal moments of utopia and fiction that mark the beginning of each new
design. ‘’ Konstantin Grcic – Panorama ‘’ intertwines a deeply personal narrative
with scientific research and a focus on precise details of our everyday lives
with the bigger picture. The exhibition shows how the designer’s perception of
the world shapes new objects – and how these objects in turn inspire new
perceptions.
LIFE SPACE
The first section of
the exhibition features a seemingly anonymous space situated in front of the
backdrop of an airport, where a stage-like platform demarcates a living area.
This structure, called Life Stage, consists of a novel material called Acrodur
and can be moved using carry handles. The Life Stage is a technical aggregate
that supplies electricity, WLAN, heating and air conditioning while
establishing a link between the personal objects and furniture arranged there
in and the architecture of
the surrounding space.
The platform is both refuge and stage – it creates a zone of privacy and serves
as a tool for life in a perpetually connected world. ‘’ Does anyone live here?
If so, who? And anyway, what does it mean to ‘live’ somewhere? ‘’
Konstantin Grcic asks in the accompanying exhibition text. He also suggests a
possible answer that recurs again in subsequent parts of the exhibition. ‘’ You
surround yourself with those things that are important to you. Your space, your
things, this is you ‘’. Some of the objects within Life Space were designed by
Konstantin Grcic, among them the light ‘’ OK ‘’ (2013), the chair ‘’ Waver ‘’
(2011), the chaise ‘’ Karbon ‘’ (2008) and the table ‘’ Pallas ‘’ (2002). These
objects are supplemented with nameless everyday objects such as an Oriental
rug, so that – despite its futuristic aesthetics – this interior appears
strangely familiar. Konstantin Grcic’s Life Space can be viewed as a new
interpretation of a central theme in design history: the minimal living space.
It conjures associations with famous predecessors of this genre, such as Le
Corbusier’s minimal house ‘’ Cabanon ‘’ (1952), the multifunctional ‘’ living
machines ‘’ of the 1960s and 1970s or even the ‘’ smart homes ‘’ of the last
two decades.
However, Grcic’s living
space eludes classification according to schematic labels – it embraces
technical innovation and simultaneously imparts an almost meditative calm – it
is mobile, but not disembodied.
It facilitates
communication and networking, but also retreat and concentration. Unlike his
predecessors, Grcic resists the designer’s fantasy to single-handedly design a
complete and hermetic living capsule that promises to provide a solution for
everything. In doing so, he reflects how human beings in the twenty-first
century perceive their habitational needs.
MAGIS CHAIR ONE PUBLIC SEATING SYSTEM
Rendering - Room 3, Public Space
Konstantin Grcic – Panorama © KGID
CHAIR - ONE, MAGIS, 2004
Collection Vitra Design Museum
PUBLIC SPACE
The third section of
the exhibition is surrounded by a monumental picture in the round, 30 metres long
and 4.5 metres high. Produced in collaboration with Neil Campbell Ross, a
concept artist who creates digital backdrops for large film productions, the
image appears as a large panorama of the current state of our world. It shows
urban wasteland and Arcadian landscapes, city traffic and coastlines, but also
favelas and bizarre science-fiction constructs. The impression is enhanced by
an acoustic collage of natural sounds, city noises, snippets of music and other
auditory stimuli. Several furniture objects including ‘’ Landen ‘’ (2007), a
few models of ‘’ Chair_One ‘’ (2004) on concrete bases and a large luminaire
are situated in the space. The picture is separated from the central part of
the gallery by a tall chain-link fence, which Grcic addresses in the
accompanying exhibition text: ‘’ The fence offers security. It gives you
protection from the world – at the same time protecting the world from you ‘’.
In contrast to the preceding exhibition sections, visitors are encouraged to
use the objects. Within this setting, the visitor becomes an actor in this
film-like space and is transported into the mindset of the designer. In Grcic’s
perception, public space is not formed exclusively by designers, but by a
multitude of participants: architects, urbanists, investors, politicians,
passers-by, local residents, entire societies and utopias of the past but also
by many coincidental aspects of daily life. Consequently, this exhibition does
not feature contributions to urban design in the classic sense but confronts
the visitor with a libertarian, chaotic vision of urban space where traces of
all conceivable ideologies of public life co-exist – the proximity of an
idyllic natural setting, the historical remains of old town centres, the ruins
of the functionalist city, the postmodern Disney metropolis, wastelands in the
shrinking cities of the industrial age, the juggernaut of proliferating
megacities and suburban row houses. Through Grcic’s eyes, the visitor witnesses
the concurrence of city and landscape, old and new buildings, utopia and
dystopia that is characteristic of present-day reality and has been captured in
the panoramic image that gives the
MAGIS CHAIR ONE CUSHION
WORK SPACE
The second section of
the exhibition shows a design studio that appears as a hybrid of model
workshop, secret cave and future laboratory. On a long metal table, some of
Grcic’s objects and prototypes are displayed. One wall is clad in artificial
rugged rock and illuminated in purple fluorescent light. The opposite wall
serves as a projection screen for a film providing glimpses of a typicalwork
day in Grcic’s Munich studio; files are opened and objects are modelled on a
computer, everyday objects are examined, music is selected, prototypes are cut,
a 3D printer is at work. The film illustrates how ubiquitous many of the
celebrated ‘’ new Technologies ‘’ have become in the working life of a
designer. However, the camera repeatedly pans over plain everyday objects
scattered throughout his studio – be it an inspiring book about Marcel Duchamp,
an old teapot or a piece of perforated sheet metal. This demonstrates the
central importance of such encounters to Grcic’s work as a designer; they
create frictions with the past that may result in those unpredictable moments
of inspiration and intuition that lead from a meditation-like process of
research, experimentation and failure to the birth of a truly new and
innovative design.
The contrast between
cave and high-tech illustrates the enthusiastic view of the future that has
dominated the design discourse in recent years. Such discourse has revolved
around novel production methods and simulation techniques, new economic models
such as crowdsourcing, sharing trends or mass customization, but also the
fragmentation of markets and consumer groups, which will have
an inestimable influence on the work of designers.
The space is permeated by questions of the role designers play in
contemporary society and the field of tension in which they operate. Are they
turning into servants of a post-industrial, digital society – or are they
coming closer to achieving the profession’s longtime dream of improving the
world? Work Space does not offer easy answers; rather, Grcic creates visual
images that emphasise the urgency of these questions.
OBJECT SPACE
In the fourth section
of the exhibition, Grcic turns away from the big issues addressed in the first
three sections to focus on the concentrated work that goes into the design of
new objects. A long, meandering display case shows a multitude of his designs,
drawings and prototypes. This is complemented by a selection of works by other
designers, found objects, design classics and books that have served as sources
of inspiration for Grcic. The artefacts are part of Grcic’s personal collection
he has accumulated over the years, which is of essential importance to his
daily work – as a tool, as inspiration and as a kind of physical memory. The
arrangement of the objects follows a simple logic: an object tells a story that
leads to the next object, which in turn relates to the narrative of the
following object, and so on.
This principle offers
insights into Grcic’s working processes and is reminiscent of a display cabinet
that might be found in an antiquated science museum where artefacts are
arranged in the order of their evolutionary development. Just as natural
evolution is not linear but marked by gaps, leaps and dead ends, Grcic’s work
is not presented here as a linear progression but as a process in which
interconnections,
accidents and
coincidences, surprising variations and mutations play a role.
‘’ Inspiration comes
from the dynamic interaction of things. The vitrine is a cosmos of knowledge
and ideas. Taken as a whole, it represents a part of my biography, ‘’ states
Grcic. At the end of this ‘’ evolution of things ‘’, the visitor is thus challenged
to imagine the continuation of this development.
The exhibition concept
was developed in collaboration between the curators of the Vitra Design Museum
and the office of Konstantin Grcic. The exhibition was co-curated and
coproduced by Z33 – House for contemporary art in Hasselt, Belgium. W.I.R.E. –
Web for Interdisciplinary Research & Expertise at ETH Zurich was a major
scientific collaborator.
KEY VISUAL - KONSTANTIN GRCIC - PANORAMA
CHAIR - ONE 2004
@ Vitra Design Museum,
photo: Andreas Sütterlin
MIURA – BAR STOOL 2005 – PLANK
Collection Vitra Design Museum
MIURA – BAR STOOL 2005 – PLANK
Collection Vitra Design Museum
© KGID, photo: Florian Böhm
Room 4, The Archive of Things
Vitra Design Museum, photo: Florian Böhm
CHAMPIONS, TISCH - 2011
Galerie kreo, 2011 ( limited Edition )
© KGID, photo: Galerie kreo, Fabrice Gousset
Rendering - Room 2, Work Space
Konstantin Grcic – Panorama © KGID
CHAOS
VITRA DESIGN MUSEUM DESIGN BY FRANK GEHRY 1989
VITRA DESIGN MUSEUM
DESIGN BY FRANK GEHRY 1989
Over the years, Vitra
accumulated a growing collection of chairs and other furniture. With the aim of
making the collection accessible to the public, a shed-like structure was
initially envisioned for storage and exhibition purposes. Yet during the planning
of Frank Gehry’s first building in Europe, the original function was expanded.
A museum was established as an independent foundation dedicated to the research
and popularisation of design and architecture: the Vitra Design Museum.
Despite its modest scale, the Vitra Design Museum building emerged as a programmatic work of deconstructivism, a collage of towers, ramps and cubes. Its expressive forms are not arbitrary, but are determined by their function and the lighting. The exhibition area totalling some 700 square metres extends over two floors, with daylight entering the roof area through large windows.
Despite its modest scale, the Vitra Design Museum building emerged as a programmatic work of deconstructivism, a collage of towers, ramps and cubes. Its expressive forms are not arbitrary, but are determined by their function and the lighting. The exhibition area totalling some 700 square metres extends over two floors, with daylight entering the roof area through large windows.
http://www.vitra.com/en-us/campus/architectur
PHOTOGRAPH BY
PYGMALION KARATZAS
PHOTOGRAPH BY
PYGMALION KARATZAS
MONZA – ARMCHAIR - PLANK, PLANK, 2009
Collection Vitra Design Museum,
© KGID, photo: Matteo Imbriani
Rendering - Room 2, Work Space
Konstantin Grcic – Panorama © KGID
MEDICI – SEAT - MATTIAZZI 2012
Collection Vitra Design Museum
© KGID, photo: Florian Böhm
MYTO - CHAIR 2008 / PLANK - 2008
Collection Vitra Design Museum
Room 4, The Archive of Things
Vitra Design Museum, photo: Florian Böhm
PALLAS – TABLE – CLASSICON - 2002
© KGID, photo: ClassiCon
DIANA – A - F SIDE TABLES - CLASSICON 2002
© KGID, photo: ClassiCon, Hans Buttermilch
Room 4, The Archive of Things
Vitra Design Museum, photo: Florian Böhm
COUP – TABLEWARE - THOMAS / ROSENTHAL 2003
© KGID, photo: Florian Böhm
REFOLO – ROLLWAGEN - DRIADE 1995
© KGID, photo: Florian Böhm
GALATA – SIDE TABLE – MARSOTTO - 2010
© KGID, photo: Florian Böhm
MAYDAY – LIGHT - FLOS 1999
Collection Vitra Design Museum
© KGID, photo: Florian Böhm
HUT AB – COAT STAND 1998 - MOORMANN
Collection Vitra Design Museum,
© KGID, photo: Florian Böhm
Rendering - Room 1, Life Space
Konstantin Grcic – Panorama © KGID
WAVER - ARMCHAIR - VITRA 2011
Collection Vitra DesigMuseum
KARBON – CHAIS LONGUE - GALERIE KREO - 2008
© KGID, photo: Galerie kreo, Fabrice Gousset
Rendering - Room 1, Life Space
Konstantin Grcic – Panorama © KGID
MAGIS 360° CONTEINER
MAGIS 360° CHAIR
360° STOOL - MAGIS 2009
Collection Vitra Design Museum
© KGID, photo: Tom Vack
Room 4, The Archive of Things
Vitra Design Museum, photo: Florian Böhm
TOM & JERRY - THE WILD BUNCH - STOOLS - MAGIS 2011
Collection Vitra Design Museum
MAGIS TOPSY
Rendering - Room 2, Work Space
Konstantin Grcic – Panorama © KGID
MAGIS VENICE
Krups, models in the court yard of Konstantin Grcic
Industrial Design in Munich, 2000 - photo: Florian Böhm
RELATIONS – GLASSES - LITTALA 1999
© KGID, photo: Iittala
MAGIS TRAFFIC ARMCHAIR
VENUS
MAGIS TRAFFIC CHAIS LOUNGE
BENCH B - BD BARCELONA DESIGN - 2013
© KGID, Foto / photo: BD Barcelona Design
KGID STUDIO
© KGID - Photo: James Harris
KONSTANTIN GRCIC
Konstantin Grcic (*1965) was trained as a cabinet maker at The John
Makepeace School (Dorset, England) before studying Design at the Royal College
of Art in London. Since setting up his own practice Konstantin Grcic Industrial
Design (KGID) in Munich in 1991, he has developed furniture, products and
lighting for some of the leading companies in the design field. Amongst his
renowned clients are Authentics, BD Ediciones, ClassiCon, Flos, Magis,
Mattiazzi, Muji, Nespresso, Plank, Serafino Zani, Thomas-Rosenthal and Vitra.
For Galerie kreo in Paris, he has created a number of limited edition pieces
since 2004. Many of his products have received international design awards such
as the prestigious Compasso d`Oro for his MAYDAY lamp (Flos) in 2001 and the
MYTO chair (Plank) in 2011. Work by Konstantin Grcic forms part of the
permanent collections of the world´s most important design museums (a.o.
MoMA/New York, Centre Georges Pompidou/Paris).
Most recently Konstantin Grcic has curated a number of significant design
exhibitions such as DESIGN-REAL for The Serpentine Gallery, London (2009),
COMFORT for the St.Etienne Design Biennale (2010) and BLACK2 for the Istituto
Svizzero, Rome (2010). In 2012 he was responsible for the exhibition design of
the German Pavillon at the 13th Architecture Biennale in Venice. Solo
exhibitions of his work have been shown at the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen
(Rotterdam, 2006), Haus der Kunst (Munich, 2006) and The Art Institute of
Chicago (2009). The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures
and Commerce (RSA) appointed Konstantin Grcic "Royal Designer for
Industry", in 2010 he was fellow at Villa Massimo in Rome. Design Miami/
arwarded him the title "2010 Designer of the Year".
Konstantin Grcic defines function in human terms, combining formal strictness
with considerable mental acuity and humour. Each of his products is
characterized by a careful research into the history of design and architecture
and his passion for technology and materials. Known for pared-down pieces,
Grcic is often called a minimalist but the designer himself prefers to speak of
simplicity.
