What Fits in an Evening - a Lot!

There are easier things than keeping up with a blog when you live an exciting life. Susan, guess what an coincidence: yesterday we paid the MAK a visit!

What would make a better after-work-eye-candy than glass ware!

The designer Christian Haas collaborated with Theresienthal, a Bavarian manufacturer. The craftsman work the designs from their eyes - they look at the master design and then they transform it to the glass free hand!
I liked the ISS floating through space on a high end glass product. He adds ironic details where you need to take a second look to see it. At first glance you are blinded by the sheer beauty of the product itself.

Here you see the designer

After the glass ware we headed on to the Nespresso exhibition, theme was recycling. 10 years ago we refused to drink Nespresso at work because we could not stand the waste these machines produce. I studied in an environmental-focused field, so it was clear I would rebell against such a waste machine. To my surprise most of the co-workers (mainly educated in technologies and economics) were also against the coffee maker that produces one waste capsule per cup. Yesterday at the exhibition I realized how right we were back then: I mean Nespresso calls for entries for recycling solutions, sustain.ability, they ask how people can deal with the capsules and the whole system they built around the recycling process. Horror!
I knew back then that this product is not the future speaking in terms of sustainability, but until yesterday I had no idea how bad it actually is. Designers came up with ideas how people might collect the used capsules at home and bring them back to the store, 70% of the customers have stores nearby where they can return the capsules. Some designers invented ideas what the other 30% could do with the waste. One entry said that from all the capsules collected in one day, 1 child in the third world that suffers from hunger can be saved. 1 child? Looking at the company that stands behind the capsules, I would say they could save 1 child every minute of the day.
Coffee!!!!! Coffee is one of the most easily to compost goods in the kitchen. How a company could design a whole waste circle around something like coffee is miraculous. Ok, I stop here because I made my point clear how little I appreciate what this company is selling.

On to some far more relaxed environments: the Akademietheater. We had almost forgotten that we had tickets for yesterday's play, Thomas Vinterberg (yes, Dogma!), "Die Kommune"

Taking a break at the theatre cantine. The man to the right was on stage during the play.

The interior design is outdated and I hope it stays like that for another 40 years.

The crowds are coming
The Beginning

The Ending

And off we were to the MAK, Museum of Applied Arts, where the Coffee-House-Experiment Part II opened yesterday. How convenient, my jacket fits in the LV Neverfull, because there is no time to lose at the cloakroom.

Cute museum staff explaining the interactive exhibition device that showed me around.

I kept this photo in orginial size, you can read all the components that make a Viennese Café. Cute!

In the basement an architectural exhibition opened the same evening, on vertical public space.

Speaking of vertical public space, now I have a 360° scaffolded view at home. Not only the house vis a vis is under construction, our house, too!

Ways to Work II ... and to VDW

Since photos taken in the streets of Vienna seem to please you, I took some photos on my way to work and later in the afternoon on my way from work, heading towards the Vienna Design Week.

Today my day started in the kitchen, I peeled and cut and boiled this wonderful vegan soup:

Soup, brought to work in a Thermos, consumed throughout the day, last dosage given before heading to the next VDW presentation, keeps my energy level high.

Since silken tofu and yoghurt are not always available at our fridge, I reduced the soup to it's minimum - veggies.

It's akward having fingers that smell of onion and garlic in the morning, before breakfast! And I left the house with my smelly fingers* and found these gentlemen approaching:

Our house is getting a face-lift (leaving the house in the morning)

The streets are wet because they get a wash every morning.

The autumn light has been exceptional for days in a row!

A few hours later, heading to some presentations at the Vienna Design Week:

The light is even better in the afternoon!
Uli Budde unfolded a diamond at Köchert est.1814.

We attended three presentations, such a nice atmosphere at every venue!

Installation at J. & L. Lobmeyer

I heading off to some events plus a theatre play! Event collisions!!
And I take extra care I don't spill any soup on my favourite shirt - the Armor Lux striped cotton. Armor Lux is a brand that origines in Quimper, Brittany. That's where you find B&B's where the old lady has black/white photos hanging on the wall with her daughters, dating back from the 1960's, her girls wearing striped marine-heavy wool sweaters, trousers pulled up to the knees, posing in front of their fathers boat, barefoot in the sand. Marine as functional wear. I will never have that "cool" the girls from Brittany had, wearing the design as 100% functional wear, but enjoy bringing some cool to this Town. Whenever I see another woman wearing those stripes, it feels like meeting a new fashion-mate in the street.


... more to come!

* my fingers were not smelly at all, I found this miracukous "steel soap" that erases all unwanted scents from your hands.

Vienna Design Week 2011

Opening Night at the Palais Liechtenstein
The Vienna Design Week opened last Thurdsday and we are busy, visiting all the events, presentations, exhibitions, lectures, labs etc. ....
The Vienna Design Week as started and this year the talks and labs take place at a new venue, the Jean Nouvel Tower, close to the city centre.

Recycled designs

Designers at the VDW Lab

Another recycling design: reflecting buttons made of old license numbers

Next to the lab is the entrance to the Sofitel Stephansdom - a hotel that is situated somewhere in Vienna, but definitely not at St. Stephan's Cathedral.

Something went wrong - no hotel guests make use of the lobby

The building oposite the Jean Nouvel tower, what a contrast!

Speaking of buildings opposite - the construction site opposite our apartment is moving/changing slowly ...
There must have been 4 or 5 presentations going on at the same time.

les toilettes

Later on we moved to other venues, not as glossy as the Jean Nouvel building, but neverthe less very charming:

Today we visited an exhibition of polish designers:

The designers had to design objects that would fit in those boxes, I guess they are 1 x 1 x1 m

I liked these old drawers, that came to new life

The exhibition takes place in the building where the academy of fine arts has is placed:

Not a single cloud in the sky, bright light in early autumn.

Today's temperatures went up to the high 20's:

October 2nd in Vienna - unusual weather conditions

... still, winter goods already arrived in the shops.

I will pass on this pair of boots!

I have been carrying my LV Neverfull with my, it's the perfect purse since it's never full. Mr Paula thinks it's not the right design for the occasion and I guess he is right. What he does not know though - fashion needs fractions, by carrying this iconnic design I break the meaning of design whatever!

Right now Mr Paula is attending another lecture at the lab, later we will meet for a lecture in a movie theatre. I have to leave and save him a seat!!