Since 2008 Berlin designers have been represented in Milan on the platform “Made in Berlin”, organized by DMY Berlin and Create Berlin. For Milan 2011 the designers Tim Brauns, Werner Aisslinger and Fabien Dumas took over the reins and conceived the show “Poetry Happens – Made in Berlin”
Ahead of the exhibition’s appearance at DMY Berlin 2011, we spoke to co-organizer Tim Brauns from e27 about the background to exhibition and the current health of the Berlin design scene.
minimumblog: What is the idea behind “Poetry Happens – Made in Berlin”?
Tim Brauns: The original idea was to present the first 3D interpretations of an idea: because in these first 3D models one often has a lot more of the original idea than is left after the object has gone through the various development and marketing stages. Initially we wanted to invite 80 international designers; however, for organizational reasons we ultimately reduced it to Berlin plus a few friends from the extended network such as Studio Makkink & Bey presented by Galerie Helmrinderknecht or Marre Moerel from Spain. As I say that was the original idea with the first 3D models. However as it so often is, one has such an idea but then for Milan – the biggest and best visited furniture fair in the world – you want your prototypes to look a little bit better than rough first drafts and so you present something a little more polished. But we still find the original idea good, we find it interesting and we’re hoping to be able to develop it further next year.
Minimumblog: … and this extension of the project; will that remain purely Berlin or do you plan to expand the network?
Tim Brauns: The title and concept should remain the same, but personally I would be looking to expand it. Good design isn’t fixed to a specific geographic point.
minimumblog: e27 presented amongst other items the lamp Pit Out. How does Pit Out fit into Poetry Happens?
Tim Brauns: Pit Out is a very strict further development of an existing product. The smaller version doesn’t have a base rather it has spade-shaped extension that one sticks in the ground. And so when we speak with potential producers the first point is “We’d also like to use it on terraces”, and then this whole process of industry forced change begins. Or with the Pit XL, it is 3 meters high and so one can’t really use it indoors. And so producers ask if we can’t make it two and half meters so that it at least passes in a room with a high ceiling. Obviously we’re not so strict that we say “No, we’re not doing it”, but rather we work with the producer to find an alternative solution.
minimumblog: What do you hope DMY Berlin visitors take from the Poetry Happens exhibition?
Tim Brauns: Firstly they should be able to understand the idea behind the objects, be it a form idea or a conceptual idea, and they should also be able to recognize the individual signatures of the design studios involved. All those involved have their own way of working, their own approach to projects and when you spend a little bit of time studying a design studios portfolio you can often read quite a lot from an individual item.
minimumblog: As a Berlin born and raised designer, is the scene in Berlin currently vibrant? Does one notice a difference compared to for 5 or 10 years ?
Tim Brauns: There’s a lot of creativity in Berlin, which has a lot with its history to do but also it’s a major city where it’s relatively cheap to live and work; a combination which attracts a lot of creative people. What we don’t have here is the industry. Where design in Berlin has changed is that over the years many designers have come and set up their bases here which has also made everything a lot more professional. When we think about the likes of Hella Jongerius, Jerszy Seymour or Werner Aisslinger, who has obviously been here for longer, then these people are figureheads that help attract international attention. And so whereas Berlin designers used to be more or less reliant on what they could produce themselves, nowadays there are ever more connections to producers overseas. Which has made the lack of local industry less relevant; today one can easily send a 3D file to France online or fly to Milan for fifty euros. And so design in Berlin grows through the number of designers but also through the increasing professionalism.
Poetry Happens can be seen as part of DMY Berlin, and pictures from Poetry Happens in Milan can be found on ettlaben’s flickr.
Poetry Happens - Made in Berlin