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Contemporary German design takes over RMIT Gallery
Quirky, unconventional and with a dash of humour – contemporary German design
will fill RMIT Gallery from 1 October to 13 November with an exhibition of
reinterpreted everyday objects.
Somewhat Different: Contemporary Design and the Power of Convention
showcases the work of more than 100 mostly German and European designers
who have approached “conventional” design tasks in a somewhat different way.
It also features the innovative work Screen Gown by Australian designers
MATERIALBYPRODUCT and Rowan Dining, who have been invited to add their
twist on unusual dual-purpose objects.
Screen Gown is a screen that will transform into a dress throughout the course of
the exhibition. This evolution perfectly captures the essence of Somewhat Different
–
showing the diversity, innovation and humour that can emerge when convention
is deliberately subverted.
RMIT Gallery Director Suzanne Davies said the stunning exhibition would
challenge audiences to reconsider their traditional ideas about “normal” design –
and also have a laugh at the designers’ inventiveness.
“Chairs that have a secret life as vacuum cleaners are immediately humorous, but
serve a wonderful function in small space living,” she said. “These breaks with the
power of convention actually document the far-reaching changes we currently
witness in all areas of our daily lives, and teach us a lesson in both innovation and
aesthetics.”
German designer and architect Volker Albus, who curated the travelling exhibition,
has a reputation as one of the most important protagonists of new German design,
and as its intellectual mouthpiece. He has been a professor for product design at
the University for Design in Karlsruhe since 1994.
Professor Albus will be in Melbourne for a series of public design events at RMIT
University which explores design dialogue between two main cultural capitals:
Berlin and Melbourne. Events will be held as part of the exhibition opening and the
Berlin Dayz program, the German-Australian Art Festival.
Along with Melbourne designers Malte Wagenfeld, Susan Dimasi and Shareen
Joel, Professor Albus will take part in Design - Form, Function or Fetish? This
public forum at RMIT Storey Hall on 5 October from 6pm to 7.30pm will be hosted
by Alan Saunders from ABC ByDesign. Developed by the Institut für
Auslandsbeziehungen (IfA). Presented by RMIT Gallery and the Goethe-Institut
Australien as part of Berlin Dayz, the German-Australian Arts Festival.
For media enquiries, photos and interviews: Vanessa Gerrans, exhibition
coordinator, (03) 9925 2686.
13 September, 2010
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