Silberdosen
Appreciation of the winner
by Peter Nickl – Chamber of Crafts for Munich and Upper Bavaria
This year the Bavarian State Prize for Young Designers was awarded for the fourth time. Four times, graduates of design universities in Germany and young design craftspeople have been honored. The fact that the award has been presented repeatedly brings up the question of how craftsmanship has withstood comparison with industrial design over the past few years. Compared to design, handcrafts and designing crafts are known to take the position of outsiders. Industrial culture has pushed them into an economic niche where they play the role of counterpart, even though successfully. Handcrafts exhibit a high level of aesthetic innovation and special design solutions and the works often are unique or rare, even if manufactured in small series. Most handcrafted works submitted for the Bavarian State Prize for Young Designers in the past were designed for unusual uses and were characterized by unexpected, handcrafted-technological ingenuity.
Take, for example, the adjustable two-piece screen, or the KITE Chair weighing less than 1,000 grams, or the overloaded rattan chair designed for hotel foyers. Generally, what differentiates works in the crafts category from those submitted in the industrial design category is the production process. Craftspeople are able to define every stage of production. Their works document their direct involvement with materials, techniques and functions, and their intimate knowledge of craft-related problems and their solutions. Crafted works bear the signature of being individualized and unique and, in addition, often express a personal way of life and work.
However, it must be said that in the past few years handcrafted works often have imitated design works, apparently with the intention of pushing the boundaries of handcraftsmanship. Memphis was the inspiration for many of these attempts. Where their orders and assignments are concerned, designing craftspeople are not so much inventors of new forms but rather are keepers of traditional ones which they modify and which are characterized by refined crafted work. In this context, I would like to mention the tea cans manufactured by Karin Brock which a vast majority of the jury members selected. The cans appeal because of the clarity, simplicity and decisiveness with which they were made. The sizes of the cans stand in relation to the dimension and proportions of the human hand, and the oval form of the cans makes you want to hold them. Their tilted upper side is reminiscent of the pourers used in general stores of yore.
Brock named her invention “fast cans” because they can be opened with a small adjustment to one’s grip. The natural tension of the can’s walls keeps the lid closed. This tension comes from the silver having been processed to the ideal strength, that is, leveled over an iron, then bent and assembled. The rim does not have a supporting ring so the tension available can be used in a flexible manner. The lid jumps from its mounting if slight pressure is exerted on the side walls. The cans can be opened with one hand. Their form also makes holding small quantities possible.
The rubber swelling around the lid guarantees airtight closure. If you hold one of the cans in your hand and take a close look, you will see the intensity, precision and diligence applied. These cans are a role model for subtlety and simplicity and also can be produced in small series and, thus, comply with one of the main requirements of the assignment.