smow Blog Interview: Sabine Epple – Grassimesse should be a pulse monitor for new tendencies

Arising from the discussions and discourses of the earliest years of the 20th century on the production of, materials of, forms of, and relationships with our objects of daily use in context of the increasing industrialisation of the, then, Germany, and in context of the increasing globalisation of the, then, Europe, the Leipziger Grassimesse¹ quickly established itself amongst both avant-gardists and those of a more traditional persuasion, and in doing so became, arguably, one of the more important platforms for a continuation and development of those early 20th century discourses and discussions throughout the 1920s and 30s.

Then, as so oft in the (hi)story of Leipzig, came the NSDAP, then the War and then the DDR, and while events were staged that employed the name ‘Grassi’, the political context, and political interference, of both dictatorships, made and makes them difficult to class as Grassimessen in the sense of the pre-1940s events. And thus the Grassimesse was for a great many years a closed chapter in the (hi)story of creativity, industry and Leipzig before in 1997, the post-DDR Grassi Museum für Angewandte Kunst awoke the Grassimesse from its enforced, and involuntary, slumber.

Since 2000 the Grassimesse has been staged under the direction of Sabine Epple, Curator of the Museum für Angewandte Kunst’s Modern Collection, with whom we met up to discuss the Museum, the Messe, developments since 1997 and also the approaching 2023 edition of the Grassimesse…….

smow Blog: Perhaps by way of a brief introduction, what is your background, what was your path to the Grassi Museum für Angewandte Kunst?

Sabine Epple: I’ve been here since 1991, I started almost straight after graduating. I studied Art History, Classical Archaeology and Germanic and Comparative Folklore in Munich, before moving to Leipzig where, very fortunately, I found a job at the museum. Initially I was responsible for medieval carved sculptures and furniture, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and then, at the end of the 1990s, there was a restructuring and the Director at the time knew about my preference for contemporary crafts and design, at that I was also working intensively on a project about Verner Panton, and so since then I have been responsible for design and crafts of the 20th and 21st centuries.

smow Blog: Verner Panton admittedly isn’t the primary subject at hand, but since we’re here, what is, was, your interest in Panton?

Sabine Epple: On the one hand is the fact that he is always placed in the Pop Art corner, isn’t considered as a functionalist, and that’s not true at all, Panton himself always claimed that he only designed things that primarily had a utility value. Of course there are the colours, the colourfulness, those flashy designs were always something that people focused on, became dazzled by, and he had without question an affinity for colours and studied colour intensively, but he himself always oriented himself towards the needs of the people. And I also liked how he approached things holistically, staging entire rooms, which I find very interesting. I had the great luck and good fortune to get to know him personally, in the early 1990s I went to Basel almost every weekend to work in his apartment and the archive there, and he was an extremely congenial, personable but very reserved man, always dressed in bright blue, to match his eyes.

smow Blog: Verner Panton is a subject we could discuss with you all day, and one we may very well come back to, however, returning to the subject at hand, when you arrived at the museum in 1991 where was the focus of the collection?

Sabine Epple: In order to better explain I’ll have to go a little further. During the DDR the museum had considerable difficulties, there were many obstacles, and, for example, a large part of the museum building was occupied by the Leipziger Baukombinat², so the museum was severely limited, in poor structural condition and therefore had difficulty properly storing its collections in terms of conservation. And because the space was limited, and unrenovated, it was difficult to process new arrivals and deposit them safely, and, for example, when I started, the historic furniture in the first floor foyer was arranged as a wagon train, and the furniture magazine simply wasn’t worthy of that name. Thus it is understandable that in the DDR the responsible curators collected only relatively little. Which isn’t to say nothing was added to the collection: many works by contemporary glass and ceramic artists and contemporary textiles, as well as historical handicrafts, were added. However, design was not a focus.

smow Blog: That means there was also no product design from DDR…….?

Sabine Epple: Hardly, with the exception of a few specimens from the East German ceramics industry. One can’t speak of there being a DDR design collection, that really started in the 1990s.

smow Blog: Which, again, is a topic we could discuss with you at great length, and to which may also very well come back to, but let’s jump forward to 1997 and the relaunch of the Grassimesse, where did the idea, the impulse, come from?

Sabine Epple: The newly founded Circle of Friends of the Grassi Museum für Angewandte Kunst and the Goerdeler family were the primary driving forces, Carl and Anneliese Goerdeler³ were very closely connected to museum in the 1930s. Naturally one had respect in the beginning for the old Grassimesse, we knew it had been an international flagship of the museum, and times had changed, fairs had changed, we no longer had the Leipzig Messe as a counterpoint ⁴, nor could we hold it twice a year as it had been. So there were a lot of considerations and doubts, but in retrospect the restart was worth it.

smow Blog: Whereby you’ve contributed your share to the path of the past 25 years as Project Manager, how do you understand the Grassimesse, what should the Grassimesse be?

Sabine Epple: For me Grassimesse should be an international platform that covers all areas from artistic craftsmanship to design, including from a conceptual perspective. It should be a pulse monitor for new tendencies, but also always a sales fair. The highest quality and breadth of the spectrum is crucial, also for visitors.

smow Blog: And 25 years on from that uncertain start in 1997, how has the event changed, has it changed?

Sabine Epple: The focus has always been on applied arts and crafts, and that not least because they are the creatives who are responsible for everything from the idea to realisation to market; however, we are open to everything and would, for example, like more design. And I’d say that over time, the Grassimesse has evolved into a more experimental format, the works exhibited at Grassimesse today are, in my opinion, bolder. In addition, increasing digitalisation has led to people increasingly wanting to experience objects tactilely and sensually and to establish a connection with the people who designed and produced them. Which is very important component of the Grassimesse and one regularly observes often very intensive discussions at the stands

smow Blog: …… and is that also because exhibitors are looking for discussions, for exchange ?

Sabine Epple: Yes, and ever more artists want to present themselves here without necessarily focusing on sales. Which is something that has increased since we integrated the Grassimesse into the permanent exhibition space. Many exhibitors have very precise ideas, come up with a special concept for their presentation, want to be in particular place in the permanent exhibition space in order to present their concept in context of the permanent exhibition space, which is wonderful development and which also brings a new dimension to the event.

smow Blog: And presumably that is a change that also impacts on the relationship with the museum, allows potentially for a deepening of the relationship between museum and fair?

Sabine Epple: Exactly. It is noticeable that not only exhibitors seek dialogue with the older objects on show, but the visitors who come to the Grassimesse often see the old works with, as it were, new eyes. There is a change of perspective through the Grassimesse which allows for a different viewing of the old objects, and which is also an aspect I think about when planning the layout, when considering where exhibitors should be placed. Do dialogues or perhaps counterpoints emerge that are beautiful and stimulating? Are there thematic correspondences or material discourses?

smow Blog: And you said that some exhibitors ask for particular spaces in the permanent, do you try to grant their requests?

Sabine Epple: I am not the curator who stipulates what is to be exhibited where, I always want to work in communication with the exhibitors, listen to them and take their ideas into account. That said we cannot place them all into the permanent exhibition space; however, this year more exhibitors have expressed interest than last year, and almost every available space is being used.

smow Blog: The Grassimesse however isn’t just the selected exhibitors, it is also, and always has been since the 1920s, design and creative schools exhibiting their work. Why the schools, why is it important for you that the schools participate?

Sabine Epple: The design schools expand our spectrum and make it possible to present topics outside those of a sales fair, in addition their presence always allows the Grassimesse to shine in a new light. And this year we will further deepen our collaboration with the schools through the “University Insights” programme which is intended as a small gateway where the various universities will talk about their projects with the opportunity for visitors to to start a conversation. Such is also, I think, very valuable for the students, Grassimesse is often the first time that they meet a mixed audience and talk to them about their work, and we want to support them in this.

smow Blog: And which also perhaps, helps bring the schools a bit more into focus, must the schools apply as the other exhibitors must, or…?

Sabine Epple: The schools are invited. We have a large network that we can fall back on, and when, for example, we invite design school lecturers to be jurors we always ask them if they have an interesting semester project they would like to present, and thus this year we have semester projects from the Fachhochschule Wismar and a project by Mathias Gschwendtner from the Universität der Künste, Berlin. In addition former jurors and partners from previous years regularly contact us and ask whether they can present at the event, and I also approach potential partners and ask about ideas and possibilities. And this mix enables us to create a new composition and different focal points every year.

smow Blog: And in context of the students, the Grassi Nachwuchspreis is only for students at Burg Giebichenstein, why, why the restriction?

Sabine Epple: That prize was launched under the initiative of Michael Berninger, managing director of Culturträger, because he wanted to deepen the close and long connection between Burg Giebichenstein and the museum, and specifically with the Nachwuchspreis he wanted to bind young designers more closely to the museum. Thus every year a current graduation projects from Burg Giebichenstein is not just awarded the Nachwuchspreis but purchased and added to our collection, whereby we are always looking for projects that can be integrated into exhibitions in the coming years. This is very important to us, so the museum always stays in touch with the young design generation. Similarly with the other purchases we make at the Grassimesse, something that thanks to the support of the Circle of Friends and other sponsors we are able to do, and when we purchase we always consider how an object can be integrated into future exhibitions, it is important for us that objects do not disappear into the depot, but are continually brought back, shown and used.

smow Blog: You said earlier than when Grassimesse was relaunched it was uncertain if you could achieve the status of the Grassimesse of the 1920s and 30s, obviously its very difficult make such comparisons, but is the 2023 Grassimesse a good vintage?

Sabine Epple: An excellent one! We were very lucky that we were able to hold the event during Covid, although there was a small decline in the number of applications due to the pandemic. This year, however, applications have increased dramatically, whereby I am particularly pleased that there will be many new exhibitors, including many international exhibitors who have applied for the first time and are now allowed to exhibit. Whereby, I think the new smow design prize has encouraged many to register. I’m also pleased that we have exhibitors who last took part 10, 15 or 20 years ago, but have now applied again. The Alchimia jewellery school from Florence, for example, was last here in 2010, but asked if they could come back and we clearly said yes. And so once again the Grassimesse will present itself afresh and with many facets and in a very high quality. I say this every year, but 2023 really is a particularly good vintage!

The 2023 Grassimesse will be staged between Friday October 20th and Sunday October 22nd (opening on the evening of Thursday October 19th) at the GRASSI Museum für Angewandte Kunst, Johannisplatz 5-11, 04103 Leipzig.

Full details including information on opening times and ticket prices can be found at www.grassimesse.de

And coverage of the 2023 Grassimesse can be found, well….. in these dispatches.

1. As always, Grassimesse is a contemporary term, the pre-1941 events had various formal titles, but for the sake of simplicity we refer to all as Grassimesse, regardless of what their actual title was.

2. Leipziger Baukombinat were, if one so will, the official construction company for Leipzig during the DDR years, and were responsible for all major construction projects.

3. Carl Goerdeler was Leipziger Oberbürgermeister from 1930 until 1937 when he resigned and became an important figure in the inner-German anti-Fascist resistance. He was murdered by the Nazis in February 1945 following his role in the July 20th 1944 plot to overthrow Hitler. His wife, Anneliese, their children and other relatives were subsequently interred in a variety of concentration camps. More information on Carl and Anneliese Goerdeler, and the family Stiftung, can be found at www.goerdeler-stiftung.de (German only)

4. The Grassimesse was, essentially, born as a response to the products being presented at the biannual Leipzig Messe, at that time one of the more important European trade fairs, as in the old type of universal trade fairs where goods of all types and genres were presented rather than the contemporary specialist fairs. And an event staged for the last time in the spring of 1991.