smow blog compact: 31 Tage Golden Tips at stilwerk Berlin

Among the more interesting and entertaining texts we didn’t publish from IMM Cologne 2015 was our post on the showcase “The Journey of Things” featuring works by 6 Berlin and 2 London based designers.

It would have been a great text. Had it been published. That it wasn’t is one of those mysteries which only those with an intimate knowledge of the inner workings of the smow blog can understand.

Fortunately for us, and indeed all in or near Berlin in the coming weeks, until October 31st works by the majority of those involved in The Journey of Things, and by a host of Berlin designers who weren’t but whose work is well worth exploring, are being presented in a Pop-up store in stilwerk Berlin.

Staged under the title 31 Tage Golden Tips and curated by Zascho Petkow, the Pop-up shop is as much an exhibition as a sales space, a chance to view and assess a nice cross-section of contemporary art and design from Berlin.

You won’t like everything you see, but then it would be foolish to expect to. As with music, theatre, or literature appreciation of design is subjective, a personal response to the work, and an appreciation that can only become fully developed through exposure to a wide range of works. Including things you don’t like.

Featuring works by some 15 Berlin creatives 31 Tage Golden Tips showcases works by established smow blog favourites such as Mark Braun, Elisa Strozyk or Birgit Severin, who is represented by, and amongst other works, the Heimat lamps created in cooperation with Guillaume Neu-Rinaudo in context of Ampelhaus Oranienbaum’s recent exhibition “Lost & Found”, in addition to works by designers and artists of whom we were previously unaware – one of those delightful occurrences that wonderfully proves that even in a village such as Berlin there is always something new to discover. Among the many discoveries made at 31 Tage Golden Tips we were and are particularly taken with the table “Neue Nationalgalerie” and mirror “La Chambre a Arles” by Hervé Humbert. And by the fact they were both positioned as art rather than design. We’d argue otherwise.

Elsewhere we very much like how Zascho Petkow has developed his textile tables project in cooperation with Atelier Hausmann, appreciated the chance to re-view Robert Hoffmann’s modular lights which are much better presented in Berlin than they were in Cologne, while Tom Kühne’s kimono lamps are one of those objects we feel will continue to occupy our thoughts for a while; quiet moments for weeks to come being spent trying to work out if we like them, and if not why not. We’re certainly thankful for the opportunity to have seen them.

DMY Berlin used to run a permanent gallery space in stilwerk, a venture which provided a nice contrast to the endless square metres of commercial products to be found in the numerous flagship stores which call the Berlin design temple home, 31 Tage Golden Tips recreates the aura of freshness and creative independence that the DMY Gallery once brought to stilwerk Berlin and it is to be hoped that further such cooperations occur and are for all are given the freedom to present themselves as they see fit, without institutional interference, as such can only benefit all concerned.

And add to all our design educations.

31 Tage Golden Tips runs at stilwerk Berlin, Kantstraße 17, 10623 Berlin until Sunday October 31st. Full details, including a list of all participants and the opening hours, can be found at 31 Tage Golden Tips

A few impressions: