New olds. Classic and design innovation

The All-Russian Museum of Decorative, Applied and Folk Art will open the exhibition “New olds. Classics and innovations in design ”, organized by ifa Institute for Foreign Relations, Goethe Institute and Moscow Design Museum. The exhibition will present the work of young designers from Russia, Germany and other countries of the world. The Russian part of the exposition was prepared by the Moscow Museum of Design. The project explores the idea of “new” and “old” in design, reveals the nature of the relationship between tradition and innovation, talks about trends, forms and materials, which, on the one hand, are constantly changing, and on the other hand, maintain a close relationship with the historical context and traditional culture.

Over 50 works by 45 designers and design teams were delivered to the exhibition from Germany. Most authors live and work in Germany, but there are also representatives from other European countries and the United States among the participants. Each of the design objects selected for the exhibition is in the zone of contradictions between traditional and innovative. The exposition raises the theme of “new” and “old” - concepts that in the field of design are far from always in conflict. It shows how modern designers transform the ideas of classics, use traditional technologies in working with new materials, use recycled products to create their products, producing new objects from already served ones.

Industrial design has rightfully entered the history of art for the last two centuries. He quickly and organically turned into an integral part of culture. However, many of the techniques used in it, perceived as new, are associated with a historically formed set of forms and are their own way of expression for a particular country and its cultural tradition. Thus, these techniques can be called a new interpretation of traditional methods of expression. The exhibition "New olds" raises questions about the historical context, about materials, design, configuration, about the production of design objects and the culture of their presentation to the consumer.

The curator of the exhibition is Volker Albus, designer, architect, professor at the State University of Arts and Design in Karlsruhe (Germany), author of numerous books and articles on design. According to him, one of the main goals of the exposition is “to investigate conceptual and experimental works, which do not include things sold in ordinary stores”. Volkner Albus: “Our message to the visitors of the exhibition is to keep their eyes open and stop thinking with stereotypes. And for young designers and students of specialized institutions, we want to convey a simple thought: design changes every day. ”

Among the exhibits are a wooden chair from Maarten Baas, repeating the traditional form of plastic furniture, a collection plate from Nina Kappenstein, which instead of the usual rural landscape depicts an industrial, black hammock from Bless studio, least of all inspiring thoughts about summer and summer cottage, duct tape from Marty Gyx with a baroque pattern on it and an incandescent lamp from Pique Bergmans, as if melted by heat.

The exhibition in Moscow is complemented by the work of Russian designers. Alexandra Sankova, director of the Moscow Museum of Design and co-curator of the exhibition, says: “Folk crafts have always been developed in Russia; their origins lie in Russian traditional rural crafts. After the October Revolution of 1917, craftsmen were united into artels, and factories were nationalized. In the Soviet Union, artists and designers continued to use national subjects and ornaments in their work. Today they are also of interest to designers, for example, Denis Milovanov, Anastasia Koscheeva and Alexander Kanygin create limited series of objects at their own facilities, rethinking Russian traditional household items. Along with mechanized technological processing, Russian designers add manual labor, and their things acquire individuality, cease to be a massive "soulless" product. Another trend in modern Russian design is the use of old, old-fashioned things or their individual parts as a material. Such objects are environmentally friendly, and each of them has its own story. Anna Kulachek and Ekaterina Kopytina collaborated with the Gzhel association and the Goose-Crystal Glass Factory, updating the cultural heritage and drawing attention to the oldest Russian crafts. The works of Dymov Ceramics, Archpole, Made in August factories prove that even now traditional techniques for working with wood, printing on fabrics or working with the potter’s wheel are in demand, and functional and modern objects can be created on the basis of familiar materials. the interior. The exhibition will feature furniture, fixtures and ceramic products of young Russian designers. These projects have already been shown at international exhibitions and have received professional recognition. ”