Milan12: GRADUATE12, Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design Halle

At Ventura Lambrate in Milan, the exhibition GRADUATE12 will showcase a selection of work from alumni and students from the Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design Halle. ARTS THREAD previews a few of the projects to be displayed by the German university.

Previous to Milan 12, the project was represented by Maria Boddin, Thomas Beck, Julia Kaupitwa & Carolin Malur, Oliver Reinecke, Anne Rossner,  Ulrike Sandner and Matthias Zänsler. This session also sees work from Henrik Bettels, Julia Brümmer, Max Böhme, Judith Jakobi, Tom Mudra, Hannes Trommer, Kirstin Overbeck, Franziska Zeller and Marco Ziegler.

Light S27 looks like ‘a bowling ball, but is in fact a light made from concrete and glass. The ventilation holes are reminiscent of the common bowling handle. The light can hang down from the ceiling or just lie around in the room.’ Matthias graduated in 2011 with an MA in Industrial design.

Ulrike Sandner’s Products with a Purpose are a series of kitchen objects that use spinning mechanisms, with a variety of wooden handles to match. The porcelain scent spinner filled with unglazed ceramic pearls and dried herbs such as lavender, releases fragrances as it spins. The sauce mixer is made from Borosilicate glass, so it can be filled with their cold or hot sauces. No spoon is needed for stirring; simply rotate the spinner.

Maria Boddin’s Living Bowls ‘contrast chaos with order and hiding with exposing. They are a combination of a soft basket that offers plenty of room for all sorts of things that would otherwise pile up in the room and also a coat rack which is just large enough to hang one special piece. The furniture is designed for everyday living, often shifting from an organised position in wardrobes and shelves to a chaos on the floor of the room.’ Maria graduated in 2011 with an BA in Industrial design.

Crossing Cultures, Julia Kaupitwa & Carolin Malur is described by the designers: ‘In the north of Namibia traditional members of the Owambo tribe still sleep with furs. Inspired by this, the product family Ombasa was created. Typical African animals were transformed into play objects. They can be used in two different ways; as a kind of rug and secondly as seat or toy.’

Thomas Beck’s Dojo is a ultralightweight stackable rack that is easy to assemble and can be made from a variety of laser-cut sheet materials. Its rigidity and load capacity come from its curved frames.

GRADUATE12 by the Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design Halle takes place at Ventura Lambrate, Via Massimiano 6, 20134 Milan from April 17-22 2012.