Author: Henning

STASI. State Security in the SED Dictatorship

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Training centre of the BStU, Berlin

Erich Mielke’s red suitcase

Background

The permanent exhibition of the BStU illustrates the consequences of the secret police’s activities on individuals and society. Its nine narrative chapters document the history, ideology, structure and influence of the Ministry for State Security (MfS) of the GDR.

The exhibition consists of an anteroom with a multivision, a passage room with a filing cabinet illustrating the STASI’s working methods and an exhibition room presenting an array of documents and other materials.

Hovering above the ground, visitors see an intricately designed »biographer« with the paradigmatic life stories of nine GDR citizens, each of whom had become targets of the STASI. Each of the stories has been supplemented by a short film and an object. A labyrinth of grey vitrines appearing to grow from the ground and movable doors covered with fabric illustrate how the STASI’s working methods seamlessly fit into citizens’ everyday life.

Portfolio / Range of Services: exhibition dramaturgy, exhibition architecture, graphic design, media design, production, printed material, outdoor advertising material, signage, interior design of the training centre

Details

• Opening: January 2011
• Exhibition site: Training
Fcentre of the BStU, Berlin
• Client: Federal Commissioner
Ffor the Records of the State
FSecurity Service of the former
FGerman Democratic Republic,
FBStU
• 535 m²

Related projects

• The dissenter is the enemy
• Forced labour. The germans
Fthe forced labourers and the war
• STASI. State security in the
Fsed dictatorship (catalogue)

Design process

Team

• Jens Imig
• Birgit Schlegel
• Thilo Albers
• Christian Hoffmann
• Christina Kitta
• Marten Suhr

Fotografie
• Markus Müller
• Susanna Hufsky

Forced Labour. The Germans, the Forced Labourers and the War

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Industrial Museum Zeche Zollverein, Dortmund

Logotype of the exhibition »Forced Labour«

Background

Having visited Berlin, Moscow, Dortmund, Warsaw, Prague, Hamburg and Steyr, the traveling exhibition introduces 60 representative case studies of forced labour during WWII. It aims to show how the occupied territories were exploited by National Socialist Germany in its abduction of more than 20 million people that it forced into providing labour.

Within a metal frame encompassing all technical equipment in use, the exhibition creates linearly structured compartments, which have been individually coloured, lit and substructured.

In order to visualize the brutality and imminence of forced labour as a system, throughout the course of the narrative the exhibition’s modular compartments become steadily larger, narrower and darker. The exhibition ends with a series of video interviews with contemporary witnesses.

Portfolio / Range of Services: exhibition architecture, media design, graphic design, production, production management, supervision of the exhibition at the different exhibition sites

Details

• First opening: October 2010
• Exhibition sites: Berlin, Moscow,
FDortmund, Warsaw, Prague,
FHamburg, Steyr
• Client: Memorial Foundation
FBuchenwald and Mittelbau-Dora,
Finitiated and supported by the
Ffoundation »Memory, Responsibility
Fand Future«
• 1.000 m²

Related projects

• Wolfenbuettel prison –
FRemodelling of the former
Fexecution site
• STASI. State security in the
Fsed dictatorship (catalogue)
• STASI. State security in the
Fsed dictatorship (exhibition)
• The dissenter is the enemy

Design Process

Team

• Jens Imig
• Birgit Schlegel
• Klaus Fermor
• Julia Junghänel
• Christine Kitta
• Marten Suhr
• Marie-Luise Uhle
• Ann-Christin Warntjen

Architektur
• Johannes Gotaut
• Jan Leisse

Ausstellungsbau
• Walther Expointerieur

Schriftsatz
• Klaus Böhm

Druck
• Radebeuler Machwerk e.K., Radebeul

Fotografie
• Christoph Musiol

Pills and Pipettes – The chemical pharmaceutical industry as exemplified by Schering

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Verlag Koehler & Amelang, Leipzig

Wie bedeutend ist die Entwicklung der Pharmazie und der Chemie für die Welt? Ein ergänzender Ausstellungskatalog über die Industriegeschichte Berlins.

Background

The catalogue »Pills and Pipettes – The chemical pharmaceutical industry as exemplified by Schering« supplements the exhibition at the German Museum of Technology and provides the reader with an overview of the various different perspectives involved.

With critical essays, historical photographs and infographics, the book encompasses everything from historical development to crucial current topics like the search for alternatives to animal experimentation, the supply of medicines worldwide and advances in the field of modern biotechnology.

Portfolio / Range of Services: catalogue design, layout and typesetting, final artwork, supervision of the production

Details

• Published: May 2010
• Catalogue accompanying the
Fexhibition by Volker Koesling
Fand Florian Schülke
• Editor: Foundation of the
FGerman Museum of
FTechnology Berlin and
FSchering Foundation
• Verlag Koehler & Amelang,
FLeipzig
• 266 pages

Related projects

• Alles Zucker! Nahrung –
FWerkstoff – Energie

Team

• Birgit Schlegel
• Christine Kitta

Photography
•  gewerkdesign

Flight and Metamorphosis – Nelly Sachs, writer, Berlin

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Suhrkamp Verlag, Berlin

A glimpse into the surroundings of the poet and Nobel Laureate Nelly Sachs

Background

In the catalogue accompanying the exhibition, the Swedish author Aris Fioretos illustrates the historic and biographic context of Nelly Sachs’s poems, presenting numerous previously unpublished photographs and documents.

Nelly Sachs, who in 1940 fled from Berlin to Stockholm on one of the last passenger planes, was awarded to Nobel Prize for Literature in 1966. A large portion of her poetic output was written in a 4 m2 alcove within her apartment in Stockholm. The furniture of Sachs’s apartment are stored at the Royal Swedish Library and were documented and photographed for the catalogue.

Portfolio / Range of Services: catalogue and print design of all graphic products

Details

• Published: March 2010
• Catalogue accompanying
Fthe exhibition by Aris Fioretos
• Suhrkamp Verlag Berlin
• 350 pages

Related projects

• Starke Frauen
• Solange ich lebe, kriegt
Fmich der Tod nicht.
• Vom Locken der Federn –
FLeben als Modistin,
FMuse, Stilikone
• Flucht und Verwandlung.
FNelly Sachs, Schriftstellerin
F(Ausstellung)

Design process

Team

• Jens Imig
• Birgit Schlegel
• Katharina Erben
• Christine Kitta

Publishing
• Ola Wallin

Cover Photography
• Harry Järv, Kungliga Biblioteket Stockholm

Photography
• gewerkdesign

Flight and Metamorphosis – Nelly Sachs, Writer

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Museum of Literature Strauhof, Zürich

The basic idea of the exhibition drawn on a napkin: the events concentrate around a centre

Background

The scenography of this travelling exhibition visualises the mental images and emotional states of the poet and Nobel Laureate Nelly Sachs, who in 1940 fled from Berlin to Stockholm on one of the last passenger planes.

Flight, persecution and constant threats from the National Socialists resulted in the poet suffering panic attacks and needing psychiatric treatment. A large portion of her poetic output was written in a 4 m2 alcove within her apartment in Stockholm. A reconstruction of this »ship’s cabin« constitutes the center of the exhibition.

Supported by: German Federal Cultural Foundation, Jubilee Fund of the Swedish National Bank, Swedish Academy, Stockholm, German Academy for Language and Literature, German Lottery Foundation

Portfolio / Range of Services: exhibition design, graphic design, printed material, production management during the travelling, project management, controlling, overall management

Details

• First opening: March 2010
• Exhibition sites: Berlin,
FStockholm, Zürich, Frankfurt,
FDortmund
• Initiated by: Prof. Dr. Aris
FFioretos und gewerkdesign
• 375 m²

Related projects

• Flight and metamorphosis,
FNelly Sachs, Writer (catalogue)
• Forceful women –
FCatalogue series

Design process

Team

• Jens Imig
• Birgit Schlegel
• Thilo Albers
• Andreas Baumbach
• Christine Kitta
• Stefan Schöbinger

Externe Mitarbeiter
• Prof. Dr. Aris Fioretos

Fotograf/in
• Olle Kirchmeier (Stockholm)
• Christoph Musiol (Berlin)

Signs and Boards for the Hannover Garden Region

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Background

In order to make to Hannover Garden Region accessible to tourists, gewerkdesign created a distinctive signage system that highlights its parks, gardens and points of interest in the garden region’s 21 cities.
The signage system includes signs and boards for guidance and information. The signs harmonically blend into the landscape yet remain recognizable thanks to their distinct colours and can be combined according to their particular function.

Portfolio / Range of Services: development of a signage system for guidance and information, design, detailed design, graphic design of boards and signs, applying the design to printed materials for tourists, designation of the signs’ and boards’ positions, supervision of the production

Details

• Opening: August 2009
• Region Hannover
• Client: Project Office for
Fthe Hannover Garden Region
• 400 signs

Related projects

• Berliner Mauerweg –
FAußenring
• Didaktik trifft Gestalt –
FWald. Berlin. Klima.

Design process

Team

• Jens Imig
• Birgit Schlegel
• Andreas Baumbach
• Christine Kitta
• Rita Rentzsch

Curator
• Ralf Rummel

Photography
• gewerkdesign

Rome for Home – Merchandising Products for the Rome Art Museums

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Rome State Museums, Rome

Background

In order to introduce their historical art treasures to a broader audience, the Rome State Museums hosted a competition for ideas about merchandising products adapted from objects from their collections.

For this competition gewerkdesign developed a series of small objects, a brand design and a packaging concept, which also referred to world famous objects from the Rome art collections – a haptic experience following the mostly visual experience of visiting the museum: »Rome for Home«.

The competition’s initiator decided to reproduce gewerkdesign’s »Medusa« swimming cap and »Dornenzieher« keychain.

Details

• European competition
Ffor product design
• Initiated and hosted by:
FZétema, Progetto Cultura
• Duration: July 2009

Related projects

• IXC Berlin Stuhl und Tisch

Team

• Stefan Rothert
• Friederike Gerlach
• Marten Suhr

The Dissenter is the Enemy

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First opening at the Hamburg Chamber of Trade and Commerce

Background

The travelling exhibition of the Stasi Records Agency (BStU) has been travelling across Germany and Europe since 2008.
On 200 m² of exhibition space luminous cubes resembling the metal filing cabinets of the Stasi explain the administrative machinery behind the assault. A table with a timeline defines important events in the history of the GDR. Biographical display stands recount the individual fates of people who were monitored by the Stasi.

Portfolio / Range of Services: exhibition design, exhibition graphics, graphic design of printed and supplementary material (catalogue, materials for journalists and students), production of the travelling exhibition

Details

• First opening: November 2008
• Exhibition sites: Hamburg Chamber
• Other sites: Europewide
• Client: Federal commissioner for
Fthe Records of the State Security
FService of the former German
FDemocratic Republic, BStU
• 200 m²

Related projects

• STASI. State security in the
Fsed dictatorship (catalogue)
• STASI. State security in the
Fsed dictatorship (exhibition)

Design Process

Team

• Jens Imig
• Birgit Schlegel
• Christine Kitta
• Susanne Kluge
• Stefan Schöbinger

Metallarbeiten
• Paul Klier

Fotografie
• Bert Brüggemann
• Ursula Böhmer

Stackable Porcelain cp08 – Catering Porcelain for Gastronomers

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Manufacturer Seltmann Weiden

Porcelain compatible with the metric system of the »GastroNorm«

Background

Initiated by the Berlin Congress Center bcc, gewerkdesign developed stackable porcelain for caterers and gastronomy at large events.
Taking into account the demands on dishes during the different phases of the catering process, gewerkdesign first developed a metric system, which was then developed into a rectangular porcelain design.
The design improves the tangibility as well as the stackability of the porcelain during the catering process and minimizes the space needed for storing the dishes after use. The metric system was also applied to a serving tablet design, the cleaning and storing of baskets and drinking glasses.
The licence for manufacturing the porcelain was issued to the company Seltmann Weiden in 2011. Because of their automatic production and long experience Seltmann Weiden is able to manufacture the porcelain with the exactitude and durability necessary.
cp08 is a listed trademark of the of the bcc and gewerkdesign.

Portfolio / Range of Services: concept and design, system development, detailed planning, supervision of the prototyping, manufacturing and quality

Details

• Rollout and presentation 2008/
FSupplements 2012
• Manufacturer:
FSeltmann Weiden
• Cooperation with the Berlin
FCongress Center – bcc
• Collection of 26 pieces

Related projects

• cp08 – Kataloggestaltung
• bcc – Berlin Congress Center

Design process

Team

• Stefan Rothert
• Isabell Fringer
• Marten Suhr

Photography
• Ursula Böhmer
• Markus Müller-Witte

Goodbye & Hello – A dialogue with the hereafter

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Museum of Communication Bern, Switzerland

There are many different ideas as to what the afterlife may look like. The exhibition »Goodbye & Hello« presents an impressive collection of bizarre objects.

Background

There are many different ideas as to what the afterlife may look like, but most of these are rather vague. The special exhibition »Goodbye & Hello« does not try to present a definite image. Rather, it presents an impressive collection of photographs and audio material, interviews and bizarre objects that themselves attempt or dare to communicate with the afterlife.

Alluding to optical illusions, the exhibition has a very graphical appearance in order to evoke astonishment and incredulity. The iF International Forum Design in Hannover awarded »Goodbye & Hello: A dialogue with the hereafter« with the »iF Communication Design Award 2009«.

Portfolio / Range of Services: exhibition dramaturgy, exhibition architecture, graphic design, exhibition media, construction management / supervision of the production

Details

• Opening: October 2008
• Client: Museum of
FCommunication Bern,
FSwitzerland
• 400 m²

Related projects

• Our Black forest –
FRomanticism and reality

Design Process

Team

• Jens Imig
• Susanne Kluge
• Rita Rentzsch
• Ann-Christin Warntjen

Fotografie
• gewerkdesign