In a world in which architecture is often corporate, egotistic and (one could be mistaken for thinking, more) about the vision of a particular architect (than actual needs), one can forget that not only the origins of architecture as an art and as the practical framing of space beyond the trade of construction, are, arguably, to be found in religious houses, but also that some of the most important and influential European architects of more recent (hi)story, architects who often worked on
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How can we more constructively co-exist, exist, as a society? How can we manage and employ the, invariably finite, resources at our disposal, be they, for example, space, buildings, energy, water, food, whatever, in manners that are not only sustainable and responsible but that promote and advance individuals, communities and societies rather than leading to conflict and division? Such, and similar questions, are not only very inherent in the Munich Creative Business Week, MCBW, 2025 motto
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Initiated at the HTWG Konstanz in 2024 as a Master's thesis in Communication Design by Corinna Gratzl and Julia Klass, and a project very much in keeping with the motto of Munich Creative Business Week, MCBW, 2025, How to design a vibrant community, if in a very specific context, Dialog Beyond Disciplines asked questions such as, What defines and shapes the practice of designers working across disciplines? or What impulses do open-disciplinary approaches offer for a broader understanding of
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Not only the food and drink one serves is part of a prevailing table culture and by extrapolation part of a prevailing culture, the table being as it is the physical and metaphoric centre of any community and society, but also the objects and tools one employs for serving and consuming that food and drink are part of that, those, culture(s). Whereby, we speak less of the, invariably, invented romanticised folkloric definitions of culture, those cultures imagined as they may have been in the
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A feature of the international design calendar since 2012, we (briefly) discussed the (hi)story of Munich Creative Business Week from the 2024 edition, and so refer you, dear reader, to our post from 2024 by way of an introduction, and will stop here only to note that the motto of the 2025 edition is: How to design a vibrant community. A motto motivated by a sensing of a widespread desire for a little more togetherness in a world increasingly defined by division and isolation, and a motto to be
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The Room for Focussed Activity, as seen at The Biophilic Workspace, Technische Universität München, Munich Creative Business Week 2024 For all that the office is popularly considered an 'environment', over a great man decades it was essentially a monoculture in terms of flora and fauna: humans were there, but little else. Save that half-dried out Yucca sp. or Philodendron sp. in the shadiest corner of the office. Or sat on the sunniest window still. Objects that have not only accompanied the
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Wellen, Wogen, Wirbel. Water as a source of inspiration, Galerie Handwerk, Munich Water, as we all know, is that compound without which life on earth simply wouldn't be physically possible. And a compound that, as discussed from, for example, Water Pressure. Designing for the Future at the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg, has an importance and relevance for human society that goes far beyond the physical of its life giving properties. Important and relevant as the physical of its life
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Earth Centered Design. An Exhibition, Hochschule München, Munich Creative Business Week 2024 In context of Tsuyoshi Tane's Garden House project on the Vitra Campus, long-year Vitra CEO Rolf Fehlbaum opined that in the immediate post 1939-45 War decades "the industrial idea of taking over nature without caring was very typical". And arguably not just then. As discussed in context of, for example, At the coalface! Design in a post-carbon age at the Centre for Innovation and Design at
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Established in 2012, so a good three and half years after smow Blog, just sayin', Munich Creative Business Week, MCBW, is today, according to its own claim, "Germany's largest design event". A claim we see absolutely no reason to doubt, but also haven't tried to verify. Primarily because we see so little reason to doubt it. Despite our famed cynicism. Initiated by bayern design, Bavaria's "international design competence centre", and from the very beginning known as Munich Creative Business
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In front of the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich stands a Futuro House by Finnish architect Matti Suuronen, a work realised in 1968 as his response to considerations on questions concerning our future society. And an object which resembles a flying saucer. And arguably does so more now than it did then. Then it was a bright new future enabled by contemporary technology: now it is a piece of late 1960s science fiction. Inspired by the Futuro House 28 students from the Industrial Design and
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In context of the renovation of the historic Falkenhütte alpine hut, Munich based StudioFaubel were commissioned to develop a formally appropriate, contemporary lighting solution. During Munich Creative Business Week 2018 the Alpines Museum Munich are presenting with Gentiana Alba - Tradition und Design, not only the result of that commission, but an insight into the development process. Gentiana Alba by StudioFaubel, as seen at Tradition und Design, Alpines Museum Munich Completed in 1923
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Vicis (latin, f.): Change, variety, alteration VICIS (Munich Creative Business Week 2018): An invitation to consider such. VICIS. Always Change a Running System Munich Creative Business Week 2018 Organised by state of DESIGN the subtitle of the exhibition could be considered partly biographic, given the personnel changes that have occurred since the 2017 state of DESIGN exhibition in Berlin, and also considered partly conceptual, given the altered presentation format chosen for Munich in
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It may lack the Unicorn Horn that graced so many Renaissance era Cabinets of Curiosities, but with The Room of Desires Keum Art Projects present a collection of objects with just as much beauty, mystery and grace as could be found in the Wunderkammer. And yet which are grounded much more in reality. The Room of Desires @ Raumwerk Munich Back in the day we once received an almighty thump from a very good friend for suggesting that the fact her mother had adorned their living room with so many
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The Bayerischer Staatspreis für Nachwuchsdesigner is one of the more interesting international design prizes. Not only because it is biennial and thus steadfastly refuses to play with the "every year new" ethos of the contemporary design industry, nor only because it is exclusively for young designers, but also because in addition to the "usual" categories it also recognises Design Research and Applied Crafts. And thus promotes a pleasingly healthy and positive understanding of the term
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February 2015 saw us break new ground and make our first visits to Munich Creative Business Week, the magnificently monikered 's-Hertogenbosch in Holland and Ekumfi-Ekrawfo, Ghana. The latter albeit only virtually. Sadly. And Nils Holger Moormann used our pages to call for a revolution......... How We Work, new Dutch Design at the Stedelijk Museum 's-Hertogenbosch Dry-lacquer vessels by Chung Hae Cho, as seen at Tools for A Break - Korean Crafts and Design, Galerie Rieder Munich during
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As we've noted in these pages in the past, changing methods of working and communicating mean that we need new chair forms, specifically chairs which allow one to work with tablet computers and similar devices. When we wrote letters we needed desks, and so chairs which allowed us to sit comfortably at the desk. When we worked with computers we needed larger desks, and so chairs which allowed us to sit comfortably at the desk. Now we work with tablets we need chairs which allow us to sit
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Munich Creative Business Week 2015 is being staged under the motto "Metropolitan Ideas", a banner under which the organisers aim to explore themes such as urban mobility, urban planning and the future of urban spaces generally. A central component of this focus is the exhibition Hit the Future - Metropolitan Design. Munich Creative Business Week 2015: Hit the Future - Metropolitan Design Much as it may often appear that demographic and technological changes have awoken our cities and urban
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Among the regional German design awards the Bavarian Design Award is particularly notable being as it is an award exclusively for young design talents. Inaugurated in 1987 the Bayerischer Staatspreis für Nachwuchsdesigner is in addition, and as far as we are aware, the only design award anywhere to also include a category dedicated to Gestaltendes Handwerk - Applied Crafts. The inclusion of the category is invariably a subtle nod to not only the strength of traditional crafts in Bavaria but
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Premièred in 2012 as a platform to help connect design with business and to encourage greater design thinking by and acceptance of the value of design for industry, and as a sort of supporting fringe event to envelop and accompany the iF Design Award ceremony following the decision to host the event in the Bavarian capital, Munich Creative Business Week has developed over the years into a very interesting event which, although still largely promotional in character, does from time to time
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On Saturday March 22nd the third edition of the Munich Creative Business Week formally opens. We know, we know, that's what we thought when they launched in 2012. Munich? Creativity? No wonder they're concentrating on the business aspect, we chortled into our banana milkshakes. Typical Bavarians! Which of course is very, very unfair. For in a manner similar to Stuttgart, Munich is home to a lot of creativity. Just a creativity that is a lot more self-assured and so reserved than the brash
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