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LeiPZigeR ALLeRLeifotografien von sylvia schade

Leipziger Allerlei, so wird berichtet, sei im einst reichen Leipzig nach den napoleonischen kriegen erfunden worden. der speck wurde versteckt und die gemüsesuppe, in der höchstens ein paar flusskrebse schwammen, sollte Bettler und steuereintreiber über die wahren Besitzverhältnisse hinwegtäuschen. dass Leipziger Persönlichkeiten heute ganz unterschiedliche dinge auf den fotos von sylvia schade präsentieren, hat nichts mit dieser Legende zu tun. Vielmehr zeigt es die Vielfalt unserer Zeit, in der Lieblingsobjekte ein schmuckstück, eine japanische säge oder ein Rollwagen für Pflanzenkübel sein können. Wir danken der galeristin daniela seidel, die unser „Leipziger Allerlei“ mit viel engagement

„ausgewählt“ hat.

niels gormsenehemaliger stadtbaurat. in der Pleiße zwischen Otto-schill- und gottschedstraße.

der Pleiße-Mühlgraben wurde nach 40 Jahren ddR auf initiative des Vereins Neue Ufer wieder freigelegt. dem ehrenvorsitzenden niels gormsen ist der stolz auf das „befreite“ gewässer ins gesicht geschrieben. er trägt drei Broschen Illustrierte Stadt aus eisen von claudia Rinneberg. die illustration stammt von dirk eckert. gerne präsentiert der ehemalige stadt- baurat gleich drei Miniatur-Ansichten, weil sie ihn an seine Arbeit als stadtplaner erinnern.

dr. irene MildenbergerPfarrerin und Liturgiewissenschaftlerin am theologischen institut Leipzig. Am thomaskirchhof.

„ich trage gerne ausgefallenen und auffallenden schmuck. die Brosche von flora Vagi ist ein Lieblingsstück von mir wegen der leuchtenden farbe und dem ungewöhnlichen Material. der Ohrschmuck von daniela Boieri ist bewegt und lebendig, das Blattgold setzt strahlende Akzente.“ die Brosche von flora Vagi ist aus ebenholz und gold mit rotem Pigment. der Ohrschmuck von daniela Boieri aus silber oxidiert mit gold.

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Michael Berningergartenfreund und kulturbürger. im Hof des grassimuseums.

der Rollwagen Rolf und die eurokisten Karsten – man darf raten, warum sie so menschliche namen tragen – sind eine diplomarbeit. Beide entstammen dem genie von Robert Haslbeck, entstanden im sommersemester 2009 an der Burg giebichenstein im fachgebiet industriedesign. es war der dank an ein zweckdienli-ches funktionsprodukt, das Berninger zu seiner ent-scheidung bewegte: „funktionsprodukte aus Werk-statt, Lager und Baumarkt vereinfachen den Alltag. genormte kisten, als transportmedien eher versteckt, zu vorzeigbaren Protagonisten erhoben.“

detlef LieffertzMaler und gestalter. Vor dem Haus des Buches. die säule wurde von ihm gestaltet.

„der stuhl von erich dieckmann (1896–1944) ist aus zwei gründen mein Lieblingsobjekt. Zum einen ist er ein klassiker der Moderne, entworfen von einem bedeutenden Bauhausgestalter. gebaut wurde er von der firma cebaso, carl Beck & Alfred schulz Ag, in Ohrdruf/thüringen. Zum anderen gefällt mir seine weitere geschichte. er wurde in einem verfallenen gartenpavillon gefunden, vor dessen tür ein Pflaumen-baum wuchs. so konnte er unberührt seinen jetzigen Zustand erreichen.“

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Beate schückingRektorin der universität Leipzig auf dem unigelände. im Hintergrund die Rückseite des Paulinum.

die Professorin entscheidet sich für ihr Lorgnon als Lieblingsobjekt. ihre Begründung: „die universität verdient genaues Hinschauen. ein Lorgnon, noch bis ca. 1930 produziert als kleines schmuckstück und als spielerische sehhilfe speziell für die dame, hilft mir als Rektorin genau zu sehen.“ der name Lorgnon ist übrigens aus dem französischen entlehnt. es wird mit Hilfe eines griffs vor die Augen gehalten. Häufig hängt es auch an einer kette.

Jörg Meinelgeschäftsführer eines einrichtungshauses. Über den dächern von Plagwitz.

Wer auf einem klassiker von Verner Panton (1926–1998) Platz nimmt, um sich mit einem Lieblings-objekt fotografieren zu lassen, sitzt (geschmacks)sicher, aber auch nicht direkt originell. sind solche Bilder doch aus der Werbung seit Jahr- zehnten bekannt. Jörg Meinel ist zusammen mit Michael Petersen geschäftsführer des einrich- tungshauses smow in Leipzig.

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frank Brinkmannkeramiker. Vor der Ringbebauung mit Ringcafé.

Was ist das Besondere an der Vase von Marita Helbig? sie hat ihren „Boden“ im inneren des gefäßkörpers. dadurch hat sie ein größeres und ein kleineres nutzungsteil. frank Brinkmann, keramikmeister der schaddelmühle, spielt mit der ideenreichen Wende-vase wie mit einem diskus. fasst man so Lieblings-objekte an?

swantje HenningWerbereferentin der Leipziger Messe. Auf der Brücke industriestraße über der Weißen elster. die entscheidung für die orangefarbene Smalcalda-Werkzeugtasche aus dem Vitalenarchiv mit Rest- beständen aufgelöster ddR-kultur fiel nicht schwer:

„ich habe mich in sie verliebt, weil sie – quadratisch, praktisch, gut – erinnerungen wachruft an kinder-garten und grundschule, als das Leben noch aus Ringelstrümpfen und eisessen bestand. Zudem besticht die tasche durch ihr signalrot, so dass sie als Begleiter in allen Lebenslagen nie vergessen wird.“

gregor MeyerPianist, Organist und Leiter des gewandhauschors. Vor dem 1977–1981 errichteten neuen gewandhaus.

der schuhliebhaber, der sich mit einem Paar Trippen King als Lieblingsobjekte fotografieren lässt, erklärt zu seiner Wahl: „Manchmal denken Leute, das seien sandalen und grüne strümpfe. ist aber nicht so! ich trage die schuhe sehr gern wegen des schönen grüntones, der im kontrast zu den braunen Riemen gut zur geltung kommt.“ die schuhe der Berliner Manufaktur Trippen in maggio elk/grey wax stammen aus der sommerkollektion 2007.

kim WortelkampArchitekt. Auf dem gelände der ehemaligen Baumwollspinnerei, heute galeriegelände.

„da ich – wie ich merken musste – kein Lieblingsdesign-stück habe, wählte ich die Kataba stellvertretend für gutes Alltagsdesign. sie erleichtert wesentlich eine tätigkeit, verzichtet auf gestalterischen Willen und hat dennoch eine gute form.“ die Aussage macht deutlich, dass kim Wortelkamp nicht nur entwirft und plant, sondern selbst auch gern baut. die Kataba ist eine japanische Zugsäge und wird von der firma Tajima hergestellt.

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daniela und thomas seidelinhaber der galerie Mangold. Vor der universitätsbibliothek.

die galeristin mit dem Halsschmuck B-Re-Cycle aus gummi von nikolay sardamov: „den Halsschmuck von nikolay habe ich eigentlich während seiner Ausstellung bei uns für einen kunden anprobiert. seit diesem Moment ist er mein Lieblingsschmuck. es macht spaß, ihn zu tragen, er ist kaum zu spüren und schmückt auf unprätentiöse Weise.“ thomas seidel zur Brosche, 2003, in silber, gold und Platin, verwalzt, von Rainer schumann: „Zunächst wirkt sie wie ein militärisches Rangabzeichen. der zweite Blick offenbart den äußerst ästhetischen umgang mit dem Material.“

unseRe WeLt ist RetuscHieRt

sylvia schade wurde 1953 in Leipzig geboren. in den 1980er Jahren lernte sie zunächst den Beruf der fotogra-fin vor der kamera kennen, als Model. Vor allem die Zusammenarbeit mit dr. eva Mahn, Burg giebichenstein kunsthochschule Halle, bei der sie zwischen 2003 und 2004 gasthörerin war, beeinflusste ihre eigene fotografi-sche Arbeit. seit 2002 sind die fotografien der Leipzige-rin in zahlreichen einzel- und gruppenausstellungen zu sehen. das Projekt von Leipziger Persönlichkeiten mit ih-ren Lieblingsobjekten entpuppte sich für sie als eine nicht alltägliche Herausforderung. art aurea Welche neuen einsichten über die Beziehung

von Menschen zu ihren Objekten hat ihnen die fo-tografie für art aurea vermittelt?

sylvia schade Jeder Besitzer eines außergewöhnlichen designstückes identifiziert sich natürlich damit und ist stolz darauf. das heißt aber noch lange nicht, dass dies für Außenstehende in jedem falle nachvollziehbar sein muss.

art aurea Worauf haben sie bei den Aufnahmen beson-ders geachtet?

sylvia schade eine terminierte Auftragsarbeit bedarf einer grundidee, einer konzeption, ausführlicher Vorabsprachen und entsprechender Regie, es sind viele schrauben, an denen man stellen kann. ich habe versucht, weitgehend auf die Wünsche der Akteure einzugehen. eine Person, ihr Lieblings-stück und ihren bevorzugten Ort gleichrangig abzubilden ist eine Herausforderung, denn jede Bildordnung verlangt nach Prioritäten. die engen Zeitfenster der Probanten, die Launen des Wet-ters, die ausgewählten Orte und designstücke wa-ren mitunter nur schwierig unter einen Hut zu be-kommen. große freude hat es mir bereitet, dass niels gormsen, ehemaliger stadtbaudirektor, be-reit war, mit mir zum fotografieren in die Pleisze zu steigen. er hat großen Anteil daran, dass dieser fluss, der sich mitten durch Leipzig schlängelt und zu ddR-Zeiten verschmutzt unterirdisch floss, wieder ans Licht kam. Bei seinem foto ist mir der Bezug der Person zur stadt und zum schmuck gut gelungen.

art aurea Als fotografin besuchen sie viele Orte und städte. Was ist für sie an Leipzig das ganz Beson-dere?

sylvia schade Leipzig, meine geburts- und Heimat-stadt, verfiel bis 1989 dramatisch. Auch das war ein grund, sie verlassen zu wollen. desto glückli-cher bin ich heute, Zeuge einer großartigen Wie-derherstellung der Architektur und des bürgerli-chen Lebens sein zu dürfen. unsere kulturstadt ist liebenswert, kompakt, offen, auch ein wenig grö-ßenwahnsinnig. die Leipziger sind selbstbewusst, umtriebig und kontaktfreudig. Musik, Literatur, darstellende und bildende künste werden hier an außergewöhnlichen Orten praktiziert und können vielfältig genossen werden. in Leipzig ist die kunst zu Hause. der dialog zwischen den künstlern und Bürgern wird lebhaft geführt.

art aurea Was wussten sie über künstlerischen schmuck vor der Zusammenarbeit mit der galerie Mangold?

sylvia schade seit Jahrzehnten begleitet mich künstle-rischer schmuck durch die Lehrtätigkeit meines ehemannes Rainer schade an der kunsthochschule Halle. Mir sind die alternativen denk- und schaf-fensprozesse durchaus gegenwärtig. Abgesehen von vielen stücken, die ich als geschenke von ihm bekam, kenne ich die Werkstätten an der Burg durch die alljährlichen Rundgänge gut. Am künst-lerischen schmuck gefällt mir besonders seine ein-maligkeit und die individualität.

art aurea Was möchten sie mit ihrer fotografie gene-rell zum Ausdruck bringen? Was ist ihnen wichtig?

sylvia schade Mein Blick ist geschärft, wenn ich mich durch straßen und in Landschaften bewege. streetfotografie ist für mich authentisch. ich möchte mit meinen Bildern ein stück unserer Zeit festhalten. dies wird immer schwieriger. Men-schen, die man fotgrafiert, muss man um erlaubnis fragen, was jegliche spontanität zerstört. gebäu-de und kunstwerke sind aus urheberrechtlichen gründen geschützt. digitale technik lässt dinge verschwinden oder fügt Anderes hinzu. unsere Welt ist retuschiert. dies interessiert mich nicht wirklich. Zufälliges fordert mich heraus. ich strebe nach einer persönlichen fotografischen Hand-schrift. Meine stärke ist, auf Menschen zuzugehen und mit ihnen ins gespräch zu kommen, gerade dann, wenn ich das foto bereits im „kasten“ habe.

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that is part of any designer’s requisite theoretical know-how but tends to be ignored in practice, i.e. that ornamen-tation destroys the form “if it can be taken away or added like an accidental embellishment.” Barbara schmidt knows that “fighting ornamentation is a useless enterprise.” this is one reason why she has a head-on and easy-going approach to ornamenta-tion and décor. for example, with a light touch of irony, she applied a mock-style version of the good old onion pattern on her Cumulus cups and thus gave a very popular motif a second lease on life. And her latest collection teems with references to the abundance of forms developed in the course of kAHLA’s existence since 1844. to create her Centuries set, she did not only mount historical handle forms on contemporary ves-sels, but, with playful lightness and unaffected reverence to history, she takes up historic relief patterns and deconstructs and modifies them, for example the festoon, a type of arcade-shaped garland that can be found in almost all art genres. “Bring-ing familiar motifs to light and inte-grating them in contemporary porce-lain” is her idea behind the Centuries set. Barbara schmidt combines “complex ornamentation with mini-malist shapes and the elegant refine-ment of historical details with the user friendliness of modern porcelain.”

kAHLA fOsteRs cReAtiVity

since 1992, kAHLA has also been giving young up-and-coming designers a chance by inviting them to attend workshops and organizing, since 1999, international design competitions. until October 23, 2011, under the title of Inventing, the Porzallanikon museum in selb staged a three-part exhibition which had its premiere in Leipzig’s grassi Museum of the Applied Arts. the exhibition’s first part showed the results of the 5th CReATIVe KAHLA international porcelain workshop held during the summer last year. under the title of Of Plates and Cups, the show’s second part was dedicated to Barbara schmidt’s independent creations as well as those she designed for kAHLA. Genetic Material, the exhibition’s third part, presented the results of a semes-ter project with the same title which Barbara schmidt worked out in collaboration with students at Berlin’s university of the Arts in Berlin while working there as a visiting instructor.

Working as a designer for kAHLA as well as on her own artistic projects, participating in a one-year scholarship program in finland and a three-month working stint at the european Ceramic Work Centre in s’Hertogenbosch, accepting various teaching assign-ments at art universities, being a wife and a mother of two children – Barbara schmidt masters all this because all this is linked both idealisti-cally and practically and she does not accept differentiating between duty and pleasure.

Page 54

LeiPZigeR ALLeRLei

Photography by sylvia schade

As legend has it, the “Leipziger Allerlei” dish was invented after the napole-onic Wars in the once flour-ishing city of Leipzig. People hid their bacon and only added a little crayfish to this vegetable dish in order to protect themselves from beggars and tax collectors. the fact that the Leipzig personalities photographed by sylvia schade presented themselves with the most different objects has nothing to do with this legend. it rather reveals the diversity of our time in which people’s favorite items can either be a piece of jewelry, a Japanese saw or a rolling cart for planters. We would like to thank gallerist daniela seidel for preparing this “Leipziger Allerlei” miscellanea photo shoot for us with so much dedication.

niels gormsenretired city planning director

After having been filled up or covered for 40 years under gdR rule, the Pleissemühlgraben canal was uncov-ered again in 2007 thanks to the initiative of the Neue Ufer (“new Riverbanks”) association. its honorary chairman, niels gormsen, beams with pride over the “freed” waterway. He wears three Illustrated City iron brooches by claudia Rinneberg. the illustrations were created by dirk eckert. gormsen, former city planning director, opted to present himself with three miniature views combined because they remind him of his time as city planner.

dr. irene MildenbergerPastor and liturgics scholar at the faculty of theology of Leipzig’s university

“i like to wear unusual and striking jewelry. the brooch created by flora Vagi is one of my favorite pieces because of its radiant color and uncommon materials. daniela Boieri’s earrings are mobile and lively, and the leaf gold adds a brilliant touch.” flora Vagi’s brooch has been crafted

from ebony, gold and red pigment, and daniela Boieri’s earrings from oxidized silver and gold.

detlef Liefertzpainter and designer

“the chair designed by erich dieck-mann (1896–1944) is my favorite object due to two reasons. On the one hand, it is a Modernist classic, designed by an important Bauhaus designer. it was manufactured by the cebaso, carl Beck & Alfred schulz Ag company in Ohrtruf/thuringia. On the other hand, i am fascinated by its life story. it was found in a decayed garden pavilion in front of which stood a plum tree. thus remaining untouched, the chair attained its present condition.”

dr. Beate schückingpresident of the university of Leipzig

choosing her lorgnette as her favorite object, Beate schücking explains her decision as follows: “the univer-sity deserves closer looks. A lorgnette, still produced until about 1930 as a small piece of jewelry and playful reading aid, especially for ladies, helps me to take closer looks in my function as university president.” the term lorgnette is of french origin. A lorgnette is held by a handle in front of the eyes and is also often worn on a chain.

Michael Berningergarden aficionado and cultured citizen

the Rolf rolling carts and the Karsten eurocrates – we can only guess why they have been given such human names – are graduation pieces. Both are the offspring of Robert Haselbeck’s ingenious mind, created in the 2009 summer semester at the Burg giebichenstein university’s industrial design department. Ber-ninger chose them out of gratitude for functional products: “functional products from workshops, storehouses and building supply stores make our everyday life easier. this is why i elevated standardized crates, which usually lead a rather hidden existence as means of transport, into the rank of presentable protagonists.”

Jörg MeinelceO

those who take a seat on a classic designed by Verner Panton (1926–1998) to be photographed with their favorite object, will sit securely, while at the same time displaying a well-developed taste, but not exactly make an original impression. After all, similar motifs have been used for decades in the Vitra advertisements. in collaboration with Michael Petersen, Jörg Meinel manages the smow furniture store in Leipzig.

kim Wortelkamparchitect

Because i have no favorite piece, as i had to realize, i chose the Kataba saw as an epitome of a well-designed everyday object. it considerably facilitates an activity, lacks any trace

of a designer’s individual style and nevertheless has a good shape.” this statement reveals that kim Wortelkamp does not only design and plan but also likes to create things. the Kataba is a Japanese dōzuki saw and is manufactured by the Tajima company.

gregor Meyerchoir director at the gewandhaus concert hall

this shoe aficionado, who wanted to be photographed with a pair of Trippen King shoes as his favorite pieces, explains his choice as follows: “some people think these are sandals and green socks. But they are not! i love wearing these shoes because of their beautiful green hue which is favorably offset by the brown strings.” Produced by the Berlin-based Trippen manufactory in maggio elk/grey wax, these shoes are from the summer 2007 collection.

frank Brinkmannceramist

What is so special about Marita Helbig’s vase? its “bottom” is in the middle of the inside so that it has a smaller and a larger usable space. frank Brinkmann, master ceramist at the schaddelmühle ceramics atelier, plays with this highly imaginative vase as if it were a discus. is this how one handles one’s favorite object?

swantje Henningadvertising officer at the Leipziger Messe company

it was not hard for swantje Henning to decide on the orange-colored Smal-calda tool bag from sandra kuhne’s Vital Archive of items from the past gdR culture: “i simply fell in love with it because, besides being square, convenient and good, it brings back memories of my time at kindergarten and primary school, when life focused on hooped socks and eating ice cream. in addition, this bag features a striking signal red so that, as my companion in all situations of life, i will never accidentally leave it anywhere.”

daniela und thomas seidelMangold gallery

daniela seidel wears the B-Re-Cycle rubber necklace by nikolay sardamov: “Originally, i tried on nikolay’s neck-lace at his exhibition for a client of mine. since that moment it has been my favorite piece. it’s fun to wear, can hardly be felt and is an eminently unpretentious adornment.” thomas seidel comments on the brooch created in 2003 by Rainer schumann from silver, rolled gold and rolled platinum as follows: “At first sight, it looks like a military badge of rank. At a second glance, however, it reveals an eminently aesthetic approach to the materials.”

OuR WORLd is RetOucHed

sylvia schade was born in Leipzig in 1953. in the 1980s, she made her first acquaintance with the career of

frenchman Régis Mayot cuts the walls from plastic bottles and reassembles them like collages. the light source inside each object gives it a radiance that calls to mind medieval stained glass windows.

in the genre of ceramics, existing shards undergo further processing. either the décor is augmented or else the glaze and the motifs are partially removed, as they are by karen Ryan. the craft of metalworking is repre-sented by david clarke, who cuts apart old containers, assembles them anew, pulls and stretches them to create novel shapes based on forms from the 18th century. clarke buys his raw materials at flea markets or over the internet, then alters them by adding other parts, extensions or angular breaks. the seams remain visible to accentuate the contrast between new and old. clarke thus calls into question both formal conventions and societal consensuses.

frédérique Morrel’s works are exceptional items in the textile genre. He pulls old embroideries and tapes-tries over plastic casts of animals’ bodies and heads. the collage-like but chromatically and thematically harmo-nious juxtaposition of different textiles results in colorful and fabulous creatures, some of which have long neon eyelashes. the nostalgic value of these pieces, their emotional connec-tion to the past and the appreciation of the labor and expense that these pieces necessarily entail all combine to form the basis for their reutilization.

the exhibition shows how the interest in new materials and the questioning of conventional notions of value can create impulses for seeking and finding beauty in the conventional and the quotidian. in playful, experi-mental and simultaneously also serious ways, waste products can be trans-formed into objects that are imbued with high aesthetic appeal and that metamorphose “rubbish” into genuine opulence. the paradoxes endow these creations with a special attraction. this discipline offers designers and craftspeople extraordinary opportuni-ties for diverse innovations and experiments. the relationship between craftsmanship and industry undergoes redefinition; things and materials are given a new life through artisanal crafting.

Transformations – MetamorphosesOctober 19 – november 19, 2011galerie HandwerkMax-Joseph-strasse 4d-80333 Munich www.hwk-muenchen.de/galerie

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PORceLAin à LA cARte

BARBARA scHMidt

By Renate Luckner-Bien

As is well-known, success is based on many pillars. this also applies to the kAHLA/thüringen Porzellan gmbH. it is unlikely, though, that this porcelain manufactory would write design history without Barbara schmidt. this successful designer knows what those who like to cook and invite their friends for dinner need.

Barbara schmidt and porcelain – a love story. even in her childhood she dreamed about becoming a porcelain painter. during a visit to Meissen, however, she realized that she “did not want to be the person who paints the same rose every day.” After graduat-ing from school, she studied ceramic design at the Burg giebichenstein university of Art and design Halle. And what she learned there is what she still does today, i.e. designing porce-lain. Right after obtaining her degree in 1991, she started working as a designer for the thuringian kAHLA porcelain manufactory.

Barbara schmidt and porcelain – a success story. it began with the simple realization that new user habits and requirements call for new table-ware shapes so that the individual pieces can be flexibly used and com-bined. grandma’s twelve-piece coffee and dinner sets have long since ceased being objects of prestige and, because they are completely unsuitable for italian or Asian cuisine, for example,

have been relegated to the most remote corners of our kitchen cupboards. countless coffee pots now lead a sad, because unused, existence. After all, an espresso machine only requires cups. this is why Barbara schmidt’s Five Senses tableware program includes nine different cup sizes.

Barbara schmidt thought it all through in time and, above all, thor-oughly, i.e. what new lifestyles, changing family structures and eating habits implied for a porcelain manufac-turer. And she took action: she replaced the traditional, standardized serving concept by modular, variable and combinable tableware sets and thus made the user her main concern. Her formula is: combine + complement = vary. Her ideas owe their success not least to the fact that they are based on her respect of history: “A cup is a cup, but also a lot more: it bears the genetic material of a whole series of ancestors that go back thousands of years,” she says.

Barbara schmidt’s concept mani-fests itself in each of her tableware sets such as, for example, her experi-mental, austere Cumulus set, her elixyr set with its touch of luxury, her multi-functional, straightforward Update set or her Five Senses program with its emphasis on sensual experiences. “Five Senses”, Barbara schmidt explains, “has been created for people who have a passion for cooking and appreciate professional kitchen utensils. in addition to basic items, it includes many useful special pieces that don’t combine to form a ‘fixed menu’ but instead can be chosen‘ à la carte’.”

“PORceLAin fOR tHe senses”

this is the kAHLA porcelain manufac-tory’s advertising slogan. Right after germany’s reunification, this former leading company of the state-owned fine ceramics combine in the german democratic Republic found an inves-tor. in 1993, however, the new owner had to file for bankruptcy. the com-pany was then reorganized by günther Raithel, well-experienced in the ceramics industry, and is now managed by his son Holger. since 1997, kAHLA has been has been

generating profits. this is due, last but not least, to Barbara schmidt. With her ideas, her attitude, her intel-ligence and her designs, she contrib-uted substantially to the fact that the manufactory’s success can hardly be matched by any other company in this sector. since 1994, both Barbara schmidt and kAHLA have been show-ered with national and international design awards.

in late October, at the finissage of the A Lasting Impression: Wilhelm Wagenfeld exhibition at Bauhaus dessau, Barbara schmidt will talk about her work. As is well-known, porcelain design played a minor role in Wagenfeld’s multifaceted oeuvre. However, he admired the porcelain objects created by Marguerite fried-laender-Wildenhain and trude Petri. so what is it that unites the most influential designer of the past century with the successful porcelain designer of today? Wagenfeld is considered a pioneer of industrial design. everybody knows the Bauhaus lamp, this small table lamp that he designed right at the beginning of his time at the Bauhaus and under the influence of Moholy-nagy. neverthe-less, Wagenfeld always kept a critical distance to the Bauhaus: “i probably felt more persistently attached to the Bauhaus by an inner ambivalence than others were due to a firm conviction.” Both his works and his writings show that he was an advocate of what can be termed a moderate functionalism. design, as we all know, always has a dimension that goes beyond what’s merely functional. the “proper” relationship between form and function is defined by each individual epoch. Wagenfeld would surely realize that Barbara schmidt’s decon-struction of the classic porcelain set presupposes a new openness in terms of “formal interrelationships within a series”.

Without any doubt, however, Wagenfeld and schmidt would agree on the issue that the usefulness of an object is a self-evident prerequisite. Wilhelm Wagnefeld expressed this as follows: “if the first things that some-body notices and points out in my works are their useful aspects, i know that i have failed to perform my task properly. since the purpose of household items is determined by their use, […] it is essential that the purpose-related requirements be implemented and their purposefulness be hidden in such a manner that nobody notices them right away. […] Because everything designed is only delightful if it can be readily perceived by our senses and if we can absorb it as a result of pure sensation, without explanation.

fORM WitH And WitHOut

ORnAMentAtiOn

And there is something else which Wagenfeld and schmidt would cer-tainly have been unanimous about: their attitude towards ornamentation. Wagenfeld advocated an opinion

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his early Weimar years,” as eugen gomringer put it, “and found his way back to that clarity in terms of design that befitted him,” is not only testified by the glass wall pictures he created during his time at the Bauhaus, but above all by the subsequent architec-ture-related glass works that matched the new notions of architecture focused on eliminating the division into interior and exterior space. this finds its expression in the grassi windows as well as in the windows of the entrance hall of the ullstein publishers’ building in Berlin-tempel-hof. As far as can be judged from the old photos, they are similar to the Leipzig windows both in formal and technical terms. According to Wulf Herzogenrath, those in the ullstein building are characterized by a “simple composition comprising three vertical bands […]. A new form of glass win-dows in line with the building’s archi-tecture was found, implemented economically and in accordance with the relevant material properties. thus any incomprehensible subjectivity has been avoided […].”

RecOnstRuctiOn As inteRPRetAtiOn

in 1998, the grassi Museum started searching intensively for glass manu-factories with the requisite technical means and skills to tackle the demand-ing task of reconstructing the win-dows. since 2008, Wilhelm Peters from the glasmalerei Peters glass design studio in Paderborn and chris-tine triebsch, a glass artist from Halle, have been dealing with the artistic and technical issues related to their reconstruction. christine triebsch, who is also professor of the glass class at Burg giebichenstein university of Art and design Halle, has already been collaborating with the Peters manufac-tory for twenty years. Her artistic oeuvre is dominated by installations and architecture-related glass crea-tions. for example, in collaboration with sculptor Bernd göbel, she designed a frameless glass building shell, coated black on the inside and screen-printed with white enamel paint on the outside, for the center for technology and Business founders in Halle.

in the course of more than three years of working intensively on the artistic concept, of closely examining Josef Albers’s „idea“ for the windows and after solving many compositional and technical problems, christine triebsch has made the experience that reconstruction is always interpretation as well, i.e. includes more or less hypothetical elements. Of course, like everybody else involved, she took great pains to create windows that are as close to the originals as possible. Her research had also led to excluding less expensive manufacturing methods as well as the use of industrially produced glass instead of hand-blown glass because it would never have produced the wonderful effect of the opalescent single- and double-layer flashed glass: those parts with double

layers look dark from the inside and bright from the outside.

christine triebsch appreciates Albers not least for the fact that and for the way he achieved a maximum of variants in spite of limiting himself in terms of form, color and techniques. she found out that Albers also turned parts of the glass’s inside to the outside, a technique of applying “economic” means which he had made his artistic program. to enhance his glass by color and at the same time by graphical structures, he painted the glass with black lead, partitioned it into segments of different hues of gray and used the prism effect obtained by notches and flat surfaces cut in the glass, which he used as graphical elements.

Josef Albers’s grassi windows represented a radical turning away from sacral models in the field of stained glass. the glass’s transparency and interplay of colors were consist-ently conceived with regard to both the interior and exterior perspective. According to the classical modernist concept, transparency and the visual elimination of the inside and the outside represented a democratic notion of buildings.

the yellow-green flashed glass used for restoring the Museum’s windows, with its milky, opal and partly “torn” layer on one side, was manufactured by the Lamberts glass manufactory in Waldsassen. they were really lucky, says christine triebsch, that they were able to restore the windows now: “in the foreseeable future, it would probably have been very difficult to find a company still capable of mastering this extremely artistic craft.”

Page 72

WHAt tHe gRAssi-

Messe is

eVA MARiA HOyeR

By Reinhold Ludwig

since its reestablishment in 1997, the grassimesse has been annually staged on the last weekend of October in Leipzig. this curated sales exhibition presents a high-quality spectrum of creations in the genre of contemporary applied arts. the museum’s director dr. eva Maria Hoyer talks about the grassimesse’s concept and its cultural intentions.

art aurea   the 2012 grassimesse continues the tradition of the forum and fair, which gained fame as a “meeting point of the modern-ist movement.” What are the essential differences between the grassimesse’s past events and the current fair?

hoyer   the museum, along with the earlier grassimesse, organized strictly judged and high-quality museum fairs that served as counterweights to the semiannual samples fairs staged by the Leipzig fairs office. the idea was to present a first-rate selection in contrast to commercially mass-produced merchandise. A closely allied and fundamental goal of crafts museums was to educate the tastes of consumers and produc-ers. these lofty standards have remained. Participation has always been understood as a seal of quality. nowadays the gras-simesse’s profile is more strongly determined by the interrelation-ships among art, handicrafts and design. Additionally, four prizes are awarded in recognition of especially outstanding achieve-ments. Beyond this, and with support from our circle of friends, we continue our tradition of acquiring at least one prizewinning piece for our collections, as well as purchasing additional items that document the most important basic tendencies of the current year’s fair. this gives our exhibi-tors the opportunity to add their pieces to the long series of works by artists and designers, many of whose names have become leg-endary, and whose creations are represented in our collections.

art aurea   the modern movement in art and design was influenced before the second World War by ideals such as the appropriate use of materials, the unity of form and function, and the vision of a new and better human being, although this last-mentioned ideal may seem somewhat naïve from today’s viewpoint. Which of these princi-pals are still relevant? does anyone even dare to articulate ideals nowadays?

hoyer   i have never agreed with the assertion which claims that “any-one who has ideals belongs in prison.” there would be no devel-opment without ideals. More so than ever before, today’s design-ers must be acutely aware of functionality and the appropriate use of materials. they must also be conscious of social aspects, questions of economy and ecol-ogy, and norms and standardiza-tion. they must be open to techno-logical and stylistic experiments that can give the industry an international competitive advan-tage. from this vantage point, we can see that although good design doesn’t necessarily create a better human being, it surely produces a better-designed environment. the situation isn’t fundamentally

different for a classical artisan whose creations are either one of a kind or produced in small series. good objects for daily use, and even jewelry or fashions, must combine good practical attributes and convincing styling. A maker of unique artistic objects, which are free from industrial constraints, undoubtedly has more freedom to express his own style than his colleagues in the field of industrial design. An artistic object can be entirely free from practical con-cerns. its material can deliberately be brushed, as it were, against the grain and can thus become the bearer of an artistic message.

art aurea   Which tendencies can be observed at the present time?

hoyer   this year’s grassimesse again shows that experiments with materials are on the agenda. Material attributes are being explored to their limits. People are experimenting with unconven-tional combinations of materials. for industrial design, on the other hand, the return to craftsmanly qualities has gained greater importance. in the virtual world of today’s computer age, we run the risk of losing the feeling for textures and materials. the need for individuality accordingly makes itself all the more evident. there’s a yearning for things that touch our senses, trigger emotions, reflect individuality and make individuality possible in the first place.

art aurea   for you personally, what is the most important cultural and social concern of this museum fair?

hoyer   We have always understood the grassimesse as a showcase for good design. We want to heighten people’s awareness of design-related questions as essential components of our daily lives. We want to sharpen our visitors’ senses to recognize and appreciate stylistic quality. We present a broad spectrum of classical and experimental works from nearly all areas of the applied arts and design. We strive to keep our visitors well informed about the latest developments by presenting exemplary pieces that are no more than two years old and that have been selected by a jury of special-ists, who chose them from among hundreds of submitted pieces. furthermore, it would be nearly impossible to imagine the foster-ing of up-and-coming young artists and designers without the gras-simesse. Once again this year, students in nine specialized classes at internationally renowned academies were given opportuni-ties to present ambitious pieces and projects, and thus to exhibit their creations on a par with the work of established designers and international prizewinners.

art aurea   What would you say is the difference between the gras-simesse and events such as Design-ers’ Open in Leipzig?

photography in front of the camera’s lens as a photo model. Her subsequent photographic work was primarily influenced by her collaboration with dr. eva Mahn at Burg giebichenstein Art Academy in Halle, where schade was a guest student between 2003 and 2004. Her photographs have been shown at numerous solo and group exhibitions since 2002. the project of photographing well-known people from Leipzig along with their favorite objects turned out to be a most unusual challenge for her.

art aurea   Which new insights into the relationships between people and their objects did you gain through this photographic project for ARt AuReA?

sylvia schade   everyone who owns an unconventional piece of designer jewelry naturally identi-fies with it and is proud of it. But the pride and identification aren’t necessarily understandable for an outsider.

art aurea   to what did you devote particular attention when you shot these photos?

sylvia schade   Working on commis-sion and according to a predefined schedule demands a basic idea, a concept, advance discussions and appropriate directions because there are so many screws that can be turned to make fine adjust-ments. to the greatest possible extent, i tried to comply with the wishes of the people who posed for me. to portray and give equal importance to a person, her favorite object and her preferred location is a challenge because every pictorial arrangement calls for priorities. it was sometimes difficult to reconcile the brief amount of time available for working with each person, the fickle moods of the weather, the places chosen and the designer pieces. it was a great pleasure for me that niels gormsen, former director of urban planning, agreed to wade with me into the Pleisse River. gormsen deserves much of the credit for having “unearthed” the river, which now meanders through Leipzig, but which had been rerouted underground and been polluted during the gdR era. this photo successfully shows the interrelationships between this person, the city and the jewelry.

art aurea   As a photographer, you visit many places and cities. in your opinion, what is the most special aspect of Leipzig?

sylvia schade   Leipzig, the city where i was born and raised, suffered dramatic decline until 1989. that too was a reason to want to leave it. i’m all the more pleased today to witness a grand restoration of the architecture and the civic life here. Our cultural city is lovable, compact, open and sometimes also a bit megaloma-niacal. the people of Leipzig are self-confident, ambitious and sociable. Music, literature, the

visual arts and the performing arts are practiced here at unconven-tional locations and they can be enjoyed in diverse ways. Art has a home in Leipzig. A lively dialogue is cultivated between the artists and the citizens.

art aurea   What did you know about artistic jewelry before your col-laboration with galerie Mangold?

sylvia schade   i’ve been contact with artistic jewelry for decades through my husband Rainer schade, who teaches at Burg giebichenstein Art Academy. i’m always aware of the alternative cognitive and creative processes. Alongside the many pieces that he gave me as presents, i’m also familiar with the Academy’s workshops thanks to the annual tours. i especially appreciate the uniqueness and individuality of artistic jewelry.

art aurea   What do you usually want to express through your photogra-phy? What’s important to you?

sylvia schade   Moving through streets and landscapes sharpens my eye. street photography is authentic for me. i want my pic-tures to capture a piece of the times we live in. this is becoming increasingly difficult. One must ask permission from the people one photographs: that destroys every last shred of spontaneity. Buildings and artworks are pro-tected by copyrights. digital techniques can make things disappear or add something else. Our world is retouched. this doesn’t really interest me. i’m challenged by the random and the accidental. i strive to achieve a personal photographic “handwrit-ing.” My strength is my ability to approach people and strike up conversations with them, espe-cially when i already have the photo “in the can.”

Page 64

A BAuHAus LegAcy in

tHe gRAssi MuseuM

tHe ALBeRs WindOWs

By Renate Luckner-Bien

soon, we will have one more good reason to visit the grassi Museum in Leipzig: the legendary windows designed by Josef Albers in 1926, which lent the build-ing – characterized by its Art deco ornamentation – a touch of Bauhaus modernity, have been reconstructed.

On december 4, the reconstructed Albers windows will be revealed to the public, 85 years after Bauhaus artist Josef Albers (1888–1976) was commis-sioned to design the eighteen large windows of Leipzig’s grassi Museum and 68 years after their destruction. this matter-of-fact-like information conceals what is indeed an event of art-historical importance. the techni-cally complex as well as expensive reconstruction of the Albers windows will finally complete the museum’s renovation between 2001 and 2005. the new museum building, erected between 1925 and 1929 on Leipzig’s Johannisplatz (st. John’s square) and financed by franz dominic grassi, a Leipzig businessman, had been severely bombed during World War ii and almost completely burned out. After the war, the damage could only be repaired provisionally. After the building’s successful renovation, the three museums it had housed – the Museum of ethnography, the Museum of Musical instruments and finally, in 2007, the Museum of the Applied Arts as well – moved back in with their exquisite collections.

All those involved knew that the impressive Art deco building called for the Albers windows in order to be complete. Attempts at redesigning them had already been made in the 1950s and 1970s. Back then, however, nobody was aware of a fact that was not found out before 1996: the Berli-nische galerie, which accommodates the archives of the united Workshops for Mosaics and glass Painting Puhl & Wagner, gottfried Heinersdorff, also stored photos of eleven of the eight-een windows and even the original front view drawings in full size. the Museum contacted the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation in the usA and won

their support. under the dedicated project management of eva Maria Hoyer, director of the grassi Museum of Applied Arts, the dream of the windows’ reconstruction gradually became reality. in addition to experts, this also required money which was provided by the sparkasse Leipzig bank and the eastern german sparkasse foundation which already had generously supported the recon-struction of the Museum’s column hall, a magnificent hall dominated by its twelve columns on triangular bases.

“nOBOdy WiLL feeL tHe need tO

Ask ABOut tHe designeR”

1927 was an important year in the history of the grassi Museum. With european Arts and Crafts in 1927, an internationally acclaimed exhibition between March and september, the Museum of Arts and crafts presented “a selection of high-quality products of modern german crafts and artisti-cally refined industrial products, including excellent contributions from abroad”. the Albers windows were installed in the spring after gottfried Heinersdorff, co-owner of the reputed Puhl & Wagner, g. Heinersdorff glass manufactory, had presented the drafts for the artistic design of the Museum’s window front by painter Josef Albers in the fall of 1926. Heinersdorff was in favor of the austere, geometrical design based on the modular principle of the square: “the advantage of our principle […] lies in its eminently […] classic simplicity, so that nobody will feel the need to ask about the designer, i.e. not even an artist who was not allowed to unleash his creativ-ity on this surface can feel offended.” this was on november 25, 1926. eight days afterwards, Heinersdorff pre-sented sample panes and on the very same day, the building authorities decided to commission Puhl & Wagner, g. Heinersdorff, Berlin, with the implementation of the designs. their installation in March 1927 involved a number of technical problems which took until december 1931 to be solved. in this context, Olaf thormann pro-posed the plausible thesis that these unfavorable circumstances contrib-uted to the fact “that Leipzig’s Albers windows did not receive the attention they would have deserved for their artistic importance.”

during his preliminary studies at the Bauhaus (starting in 1920), Albers created glass assemblages which he himself called “shard pictures”. in 1922, as “Bauhaus journeyman”, he was charged with reorganizing the glass workshop, and in 1923 was appointed its technical manager as of that year’s summer semester. “this is how i suddenly had my own glass workplace,” he wrote, “and it didn’t take long until i also received orders for glass windows.” in 1922 he created a large window for the Sommerfeld Villa in Berlin, designed by gropius. the fact that he soon “escaped the exaggerated Romantic influences of