Gestalten.tv

Gestalten.tv - The Life of Cycle

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 14:00:00 +0100

Beyond the messenger and fixed-gear scenes, contemporary bicycle culture is more fashionable, diverse, and alive than ever before. According to Dustin Nordhus of Berlin's Cicli Berlinetta, "people who live in a big city are becoming aware that it's nicer to have a beautiful bicycle than a car." Gestalten.tv talks to Dustin as well as bike enthusiast Anna Valtonen from Pelago Bicycles, who are featured in Velo-2nd Gear. Along with presenting their stories and their outstanding and unconventional bicycles, the video shares different perspectives on why, according to Standert's Max von Senger, the bicycle is evolving into "an object of desire for everyone."

Gestalten.tv - Jessica Hische

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 14:00:00 +0100

In a recent two-day Gestalten workshop, participants worked closely with Jessica Hische (a letterer, illustrator, and crazy cat lady known for her silly side projects and occasional foul mouth, as she jokingly describes herself) to develop a full vector alphabet and learn about drawing type in a short amount of time. Hische has been named a Forbes Magazine "30 under 30" in art and design as well as an ADC Young Gun and one of Print Magazine's "New Visual Artists". Gestalten.tv took the chance of a very brief break during the workshop to let Jessica talk us through some of the pros and cons of the letters B/E/R/L/I/N. Her work is profiled in Hand to Type, Playful Type 2, and Precursor: The Creativity Watchlist.

Gestalten.tv - The Iranian Internet

Tue, 5 Feb 2013 14:00:00 +0100

"Design is my conviction and my religion," says Iranian designer Maral Pourkazemi. For her master thesis project "The Iranian Internet" at the University of Applied Science in Potsdam, she created a beautiful infographic which contains six content panels to explain the complexity of online censorship in Iran. Including information on the general Internet usage, Iran's national web project, namely the "Halal" Internet and its evasion, the Iranian blogosphere, the cyber police, criminal hackers, and the systems of governance, the six panels decipher the Iranian Internet between freedom and isolation. This thesis has become a much talked about design activist project. Gestalten.tv sat down with Maral Pourkazemi to talk about her infographic vision and how she has made an ugly topic accessible through visual storytelling.

Gestalten.tv - The Home Project

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 14:00:00 +0100

Albio Nascimento and Kathi Stertzig are initiators of an unusual design studio: The Home Project. Based between Berlin and Faro, Portugal, the studio is dedicated to making objects informed by vernacular cultural research and originating from the relationship of people to their places. The Home Project’s exquisitely simple glassware, basketry, and ceramics are made by local artisans and craftsmen in the southern Algarve and Alentejo regions. Shot in Portugal and in Berlin, Gestalten.tv introduces you to a perfect example of responsible design innovation.

Gestalten.tv - Deichkind

Tue, 8 Jan 2013 14:00:00 +0100

'Impulsive people know no limits.' This translated lyric could be the slogan of Deichkind, a German band that manages to constantly and boundlessly reinvent itself. Gestalten's eponymous photobook Deichkind by Nikolaus Brade documents the daily life on tour of one of today’s most exciting and successful live acts in Germany. Each band member, mystically and theatrically disguised, becomes a seamless part of the Deichkind performance phenomenon that continues to pack sold-out concert halls. Gestalten.tv spoke to the crazy yet disciplined band about self-promotion, anonymity, megalomania, and losing weight. The limited, hand-signed special edition of the book will be available soon.

Gestalten.tv - Oliver Jeffers

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 18:00:00 +0100

Oliver Jeffers is a world-famous creator of picture books for children, such as the award-winning Lost and Found. With his captivating paintings, collages, installations, and collaborative works-presented in his first monograph Neither Here Nor There-Jeffers also tells deeply incisive stories and poses provocative philosophical questions. Gestalten.tv met him in the wake of his current exhibition HERE OR THERE at Gestalten Space to learn about kids as critics, the art of storytelling, and, of course, quantum physics.

Gestalten.tv - Little Big Books Trailer

Wed, 5 Dec 2012 18:00:00 +0100

Despite, or because of, the ubiquity of televisions and computers, picture books have remained popular with kids and parents. These books have also not lost their appeal for illustrators and publishing houses-not least because a hit children's book can serve as the lucrative basis for TV programs, video games, toys, or other merchandising. In addition to its presentation of cutting-edge visuals from around the world, Little Big Books offers insightful texts for those who hope to create or market visual content for children. These include interviews with experts about the educational aspects, make-up, and psychology of children's picture books as well as the significance of children's book awards and practical advice on publishing rights and licensing. The publication is rounded out with an introduction that puts current work into the historical context of classic books by the genre's seminal pioneers.

Gestalten.tv - We Love Graphic Design

Sun, 11 Nov 2012 18:00:00 +0100

On October 6th, the second We Love Graphic Design symposium in Copenhagen made quite an impact. This otherwise gray and rainy Saturday became absolutely vibrant as Emil Kozak, Handverk, SNASK, James Victore, and others shared their desires and ideas with the audience. Gestalten.tv reports from the scene, where we spoke to all participants, including Sarah Illenberger, whose first monograph we published and who is also featured in Taken By Surprise, as well as Jessica Hische, whose work is presented our recent release Hand to Type. Find out what drives these creatives to the top of their game and hear them give young designers some sound advice.

Gestalten.tv - Visualized

Tue, 13 Oct 2012 18:00:00 +0100

The Visualized Conference, which just took place in New York last week, explored the new era of visual communication at the intersection of complex knowledge, visual storytelling and aesthetic design. Having become a proud sponsor of this conference, Gestalten.tv had the great opportunity to interview the speakers live and report the conference on-site. Including Sven Ehmann, our creative director, all the speakers were selected creative leaders as well as information enthusiastics. They inspired us on combining both creative and analytical sides of the brain while designing, presenting and interacting with data. In this video, we have interviewed: Amber Case, Sha Hwang, Peter Crnokrak, Michael Migurski, Benjamin Wiederkehr and Kim Rees.

Gestalten.tv - Small Stories Bigger Picture

Wed, 24 Oct 2012 18:00:00 +0100

In today’s world where information is practically unlimited, we are faced with the fundamental challenge of how to extract, interpret, and create meaning out of the data and information overload. A new generation of designers are tackling the challenge head on and using graphic design, infographics, illustration, and photography to convey information in the most elegant, entertaining, and informative way. Gestalten has always been passionately following and documenting the evolution of visual storytelling through our and Data Flow and recent Visual Storytelling books and now it's in the form of an exhibition. The “Small Stories Bigger Picture” exhibition at the Museum of the Image (MOTI), curated by Gestalten’s Sven Ehmann and MOTI curator Dennis Elbers, reveals how image-makers create and share visual stories from various roles and perspectives—as poets, journalists, researches and agitators. Gestalten.tv was recently in Breda, Netherlands to interview the curators and several of the designers—Catalogtree, Peter Orntoft, Floris Kaays, and Vahram Muratyam—in the widely successful exhibition, on show until December 9th.

Gestalten.tv - CRAS

Thu, 9 Oct 2012 13:00:00 +0100

The Brazilian artist Stephan Doitschinoff has developed a unique and deeply symbolic visual language comprising iconoclastic and folkloric elements. His paintings, sculptures, installations and public performances provide glimpses into another political and philosophical dimension, while his recently published second monograph CRAS includes impressive close-ups that capture the detail and complexity of his new work as well as a specially developed series of illuminated texts. We met him at Heri, Hodie, Cras, his first solo show in Berlin, which features canvases, drawings, multiples and a limited edition ceramic sculpture incorporated into a mixed-media installation.

Gestalten.tv - Forever Tattoo Event

Fri, 28 Sep 2012 13:00:00 +0100

The suggestion that “tattoos are not just for sailors any more” is a familiar one. It might be surprising to learn, then, that the popular media has been reporting the arrival of tattooing in high society for nearly one hundred years. To celebrate the release of “Forever: The New Tattoo”, Gestalten hosted an evening of informative and entertaining talks by renowned tattoo artists Alex Binnie and Duncan X, as well as by heavily tattooed art historian Matt Lodder, author of the book’s preface. Further tattoo protagonists, namely Jon John, Liam Sparkes and Zoe Binnie, attended the event at the Gestalten Space in Berlin and gave us additional insight.

Gestalten.tv - Alex Binnie and Duncan X

Tue, 25 Sep 2012 13:00:00 +0100

A new tattoo underground has emerged in recently years and their cutting-edge visuals go far beyond the tattoo mainstream. Visual artist Alex Binnie is a legend within the international tattoo scene and his Into You studio that he’s been running for 19 years in East London continues to foster countless talents and innovators including Curly, Thomas Hooper, Nick Schonberger and Duncan X to name but a few—all featured in Gestalten’s new Forever: The New Tattoo book. We met Duncan and Alex in London to talk about the current mass appeal of tattoos, its uniqueness as an art form and the ”holy trinity“ of tattooing styles.

Gestalten.tv - Sebastian Errazuriz

Tue, 18 Sep 2012 13:00:00 +0100

In order to understand the cross-genre works of the New York-based artist Sebastian Errazuriz, take a glimpse into his Brooklyn studio. A piano spontaneously hangs from the the ceiling intermingling with Jesus sculptures on the wall. Errazuriz’s interest towards the fusion of functionality and artistic freedom spurs him to explain the world in new creative spheres. Leading up to the launch of the artist's first monograph The Journey of Sebastian Errazuriz and his solo show at Rove Gallery at this year’s London Design Festival, Gestalten.tv has a special feature on the the Chilean artist. He reveals the secrets to his international success, his insatiable aspiration for persistent creativity, and the challenges he faces while pushing his oeuvre to the next level.

Gestalten.tv - Das Geheime Cocktail Buch (english)

Mon, 03 Sep 2012 19:00:00 +0100

Jim Meehan is the leading figure of today’s cocktail culture. Das geheime Cocktail-Buch, the German-language edition of Meehan’s PDT Cocktail Book, takes you behind the counter of Meehan’s PDT Bar in New York and shares more than 300 classic and offbeat cocktail recipes as well as Meehan’s comprehensive knowledge about spirits, bar accessories, glasses, appliances, techniques, and everything else involved in skilled mixology. Gestalten.tv met Meehan at PDT Bar, where he revealed what makes Das geheime Cocktail-Buch so special and how his fruitful collaboraton with illustrator Chris Gall came to be.

Gestalten.tv - Das Geheime Cocktail Buch (german)

Mon, 03 Sep 2012 19:00:00 +0100

Jim Meehan ist der Protagonist der aktuellen Cocktailkultur. Sein Buch nimmt uns mit hinter den Tresen seiner New Yorker PDT-Bar und teilt mit mehr als 300 Rezepten klassischer wie ausgefallener Cocktails sein umfassendes Wissen über Spirituosen, Zubehör, Gläser, Gerätschaften, Techniken und alles, was zum Mixen dazugehört. Gestalten.tv traf ihn eben dort, wo er unter anderem verrät, was sein Das geheime Cocktail-Buch so besonders macht und wie es zur kongenialen Zusammenarbeit mit dem Illustrator Chris Gall kam, der das Werk im Comic-Noir-Stil bebildert hat.

Gestalten.tv - Deutschland verstehen

Mon, 27 Aug 2012 12:00:00 +0100

Deutschland verstehen not only tells of Prussians and Goethe, but also of Love Parade and Oktoberfest. It draws the family tree of the Red Army Faction, examines Germany's relationship to nuclear power, and looks at the impact of the country’s business activities around the world; it compares apples with potatoes and the Federal Republic of Germany with the former GDR. The result: infotainment at the highest level.

Deutschland verstehen bietet eine kurzweilige Bildungsreise durch unser Land. Die im Buch versammelten Schaubilder zeigen Kanzleramt, Reichstag und Gorch Fock von innen und erzaehlen von Preußen, Goethe, Kernkraftwerken, Loveparade und Oktoberfest. Sie zeichnen Stammbaeume der RAF und der Deutschland AG; vergleichen Äpfel mit Kartoffeln, BRD mit DDR und Stefan Raab mit Thomas Gottschalk. Mit Infotainment auf hoechstem Niveau ist dieser neuartige Atlas DAS Wimmelbuch für Erwachsene.

Gestalten.tv - Frank Höhne

Mon, 6 Aug 2012 12:00:00 +0100

Frank Höhne brought us into his home and studio space in Berlin to show how (and why) he works as an illustrator. Pen in hand, Höhne works quickly, intuitively, and spontaneously, rarely with a plan, and always with his quirky and easygoing sense of humor. Joy, or "Bock," as it’s said colloquially in German, is an important aspect of life and work for Höhne—something which he hilariously describes in his first monograph, "The Book of Bock." It's this combination of idiosyncratic humor, refreshingly childlike spontaneity, and down-to-earth nature that has allowed Höhne to quickly establish himself as one of Germany’s leading illustrators, with clients including BMW Mini, Nike, Aveda, as well as a broad range of German newspapers and magazines.

Höhne’s first monograph, "The Book of Bock," is now avaialbe from Gestalten: http://shop.gestalten.com/book-of-bock.html

Höhne is also showcasing illustrations from "The Book of Bock" in addition to new works at "Bockumenta 1," his solo-exhibition at Gestalten Space, which is running from August 9th to September 16th, 2012: www.gestalten.com/event/bockumenta-1

Gestalten.tv - Infographic Thinking

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 12:00:00 +0100

Information designers, editors, illustrators, animators, and journalists came together at Gestalten Space in Berlin on July 2nd and 3rd for a two-day "Infographic Thinking" workshop, the latest in a series of workshops hosted by Gestalten. Francesco Franchi, one of the masters of information design and the much-awarded art director of IL – Intelligence in Lifestyle, led the workshop and guided the attendees through the left-and-right-brained process of interpreting, contextualizing, and visually representing information — a process which is as much journalism and storytelling as it is design. The attendees learned by doing, working in groups to produce insightful and informative visual content of their own, with Franchi's invaluable expertise at their disposal.

Gestalten.tv - Andrew Losowsky

Wed, 04 Jul 2012 12:00:00 +0100

Although the way we read may change, our passion for the written word is left unaffected by format. Who would know better than NYC-based editor, writer, and consultant Andrew Losowksy, whom we met at the offices of The Huffington Post, where he is Books Editor. Losowksy has conceived and contributed to numerous books, including Gestalten's Turning Pages and Visual Storytelling, as well as We Love Magazines and We Make Magazines. In our Gestalten.tv feature, Losowsky talks about the various methods of storytelling in the digital age and why hitting the right note on the web doesn't always translate into a compelling print product (and vice versa).

Gestalten.tv - KLUB7

Thu, 07 Jun 2012 18:00:00 +0100

As KLUB7, Dani Daphne, Diskorobot, Mike Okay, Kid Cash, Lowskii, and Otto Baum have made a name for themselves with their street art as well as the murals, customizations, and illustrations which they create on various surfaces. Since its inception over 10 years ago, the Berlin-based collective has progressively and continuously expanded its oeuvre. In the wake of their exhibition opening at Gestalten Space, Gestalten.tv met them to discuss the joy of spontaneous artistic interactions and the evolution of graffiti.

Gestalten.tv - Bill Moggridge

Tue, 29 May 2012 18:00:00 +0100

As founder of the legendary Silicon Valley-based design company IDEO and current director of the Smithonian Institution's Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in NYC, Bill Moggridge surely knows a thing or two about the value, function and importance of design. So Gestalten.tv met him who designed the first laptop ever to realize why today's increasing services are a design opportunity, to discover the richness of variety of the Cooper-Hewitt's historical collection and to learn why design in the US still needs to get more recognition.

Gestalten.tv - Reza Abedini

Mon, 14 May 2012 12:00:00 +0100

For Tehran-born and Amsterdam-based designer Reza Abedini Graphic Design is not merely a visual art form but "a value". Combining traditional and contemporary types in his own body of work -logos, posters, corporate identities and three-dimensional designs- for more than 20 years. As a professor he is also teaching Graphic Design. In our Gestalten.tv interview feature he gives insight into the merits of Arabesque 2: Graphic Design from the Arab and Persian World, why there is a "useless distance between the letters" in Western printing and how to find one's own visual identity these days.

Gestalten.tv - Tessa Farmer

Mon, 7 May 2012 12:00:00 +0100

The artist Tessa Farmer creates magical worlds ruled by minuscule fairy skeletons, who are not just mischievous but downright evil. Her striking sculptures, which are made from insects, animal taxidermy, and plant roots, depict narratives that are no doubt dark and infused with maliciousness, yet their savagery is, for Farmer, an expression of a raw survival instinct inherent in us all. We met Tessa Farmer in London while she was preparing an exhibit for Danielle Arnaud Contemporary Art, and spoke with her about her process, why she isn’t interested in beauty, and what materials she can find on eBay these days—or in a canal by her house for that matter.

Gestalten.tv - Henrik Vibskov

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 12:00:00 +0100

To describe Henrik Vibskov as merely a fashion designer would be a vast understatement. As an artist, passionate musician, innovative stage designer, and head of his trendsetting eponymous fashion label he is at the vanguard of a new generation of creative multi-taskers. Gestalten.tv visited him in his Copenhagen studio for a chat about music, colors, the first comprehensive monograph of his remarkably versatile creative vision and (not) being your typical Scandinavian designer.

Gestalten.tv - Aram Bartholl

Wed, 4 Apr 2012 12:00:00 +0100

Aram Bartholl’s work explores the power structures, the social systems, the cultural innovations, the inner dynamics, the languages, and the products that are shaping our age. The Berlin-based artist, whose first monograph Aram Bartholl: The Speed Book is published by Gestalten, creates savvy experiments with transitions from the virtual to the physical like USB sticks embedded into walls, buildings, and curbs; giant real-life versions of Google's red map markers positioned in public spaces; and portraits generated from image search results. We met him for a Gestalten.tv interview to discuss what he refers to as his "self-created twilight zone."

Gestalten.tv - Stählemühle

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 12:00:00 +0100

When he stumbled upon Stählemühle, an old dormant mill used as schnaps distillery, former Art publisher Christoph Keller took upon the task of bringing it back to life. next to the Aqua Vitae - fruit brandies in small, high-quality batches -with his companion Alexander Stein of Black Forest Distillers he also distills Monkey 47 (named after its 47 different ingredients) through his second label Schwarzwald Dry Gin, which was awarded “Best Gin in the World” in 2011 at the International wine and Spirit Competition in London. We visited the Master Distiller to learn all about the ancient alchemical science of distilling, the most exotic and obscure fruits imaginable and to see how such a sustainable and organic operation can be achieved on a small farm with only a small amount of land, a lot of know-how and the work of four hands.

Gestalten.tv - Metalheads

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 12:00:00 +0100

Heavy metal is a cultural phenomenon that unites its fans across borders, generations, genders, religions, and social classes. Photographer Jörg Brüggemann traveled to Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Egypt, Germany, Indonesia, Malaysia, Switzerland and the USA to shoot pictures of heavy metal fans for his Gestalten-published Metalheads:The Global Brotherhood. He told us all about the globalization of heavy metal, the fine line between being a fan and keeping the distance and headbanging women in Egypt.
This latest Gestalten.tv will surely work up your appetite for our forthcoming exhibition at Gestalten Space. Accompanying the release of the book and featuring a live performance by SUN WORSHIP (black metal from Berlin) with Jörg Brüggemann in attendance, the show presents vivid images that capture the lives and passion of heavy metal fans from around the world.

Gestalten.tv - Numen / For Use

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 12:00:00 +0100

Under their group moniker Numen, Industrial designers Sven Jonke, Christoph Katzler and Nikola Radeljković focus on experimental architecture and spatial installations, meanwhile concentrating on designing objects as their second alias For Use. The Croatian/Austrian collective might be best known for the huge accessible tape installations they realized in Melbourne, Berlin, Vienna, Frankfurt and Belgrade so far. We met Christoph Katzler in the Belgian town of Hasselt where he talked about the evolution of their true grids from ephemeral tape to permanent net (materialized in the Net Z33), the social aspect of their work as featured in Learn for Life: New Architecture for New Learning and why hell doesn't need to be hot to give you an idea of infinity.

Gestalten.tv - Talking Type

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 12:00:00 +0100

Gestalten.tv met a true "Type Writer" and typography expert to find out more about the "GPS for fonts." Alongside Martin Lorenz and Lupi Ascensio of TwoPoints.Net, Jan Middendorp edited Type Navigator: The Independent Foundries Handbook, the essential overview of the modern typefaces currently available and the innovative people and companies behind them. Hear him talk about the need for a substantial guide within the ever growing landscape of typography and the current popularity of typefaces and fonts within the design community.

Gestalten.tv - Francesco Franchi

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:00:00 +0100

Francesco Franchi is the art director for IL-Intelligence in Lifestyle, the monthly magazine of Il Sole 24 ORE, Italy’s leading financial daily. "Embracing new languages in journalism", Franchi is a true master of combining representation and interpretation, creating a visual form that is as graphic as it is narrative, as entertaining as it is informative. His work has been awarded on numerous occasions, including the European Design Awards and at the renowned Malofiej conference. Gestalten.tv met with him last summer in Berlin to talk about his influences, innovative storytelling and non-linear reading in today's editorial design.

Gestalten.tv - Mark Jenkins

Sat, 10 Dec 2011 12:00:00 +0100

American artist Mark Jenkins's urban (and rural) interventions are street-smart—in the truest sense of the word. Jenkins creates and sets free a colorful cast of characters by way of clear tape casts: the homeless, kids, vagrants, polar bears, and horses (to name but a few) all take their place in the wild, wild urban space, while interacting with the surrounding buildings and public places that provide the context and set the stage. Positioning them around the world, Jenkins’ sculptures have made their way around the world in cities throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Disturbing, humorous, and enigmatic in equal measures, Mark Jenkins enlists his hyper-realistic sculptures into the service of, for example, Greenpeace, as well as for exhibitions, performances, art galleries, and workshops. We met the Washington, DC-based Jenkins in Berlin, where he was contributing to a dance theatre piece.

Gestalten.tv - House Industries

Tue, 6 Dec 2011 12:00:00 +0100

House Industries has been producing their premier league retro design and their true love…Fonts! Fonts! Fonts! since 1993. House Industries’ lead letterer Ken Barber recently visited us in Berlin to give a workshop at our Gestalten Space, which explored the creative process of hand-lettering and the application of illustrative letterforms in contemporary graphic design. We took this chance to interview him on Gestalten.tv where he talks about the necessity of specialization and the fine lines between lettering, typography, and font design.

Gestalten.tv - Project Projects

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 12:00:00 +0100

Headed by Prem Krishnamurthy, Adam Michaels, and Rob Giampietro, Project Projects is one of the most interesting design studios in practice today. Acclaimed for their conceptual and content-driven approach to visual form, the studio works with a highly-focused set of clients, including, among others, the Guggenheim Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Project Projects produces work across a wide range of media: from artist books, catalogs, and institutional identity systems to websites, exhibition design, signage, and infrastructure projects. Learn more about the three principals' principles in our latest Gestalten.tv interview, which took place in their studio in NYC.

Gestalten.tv - Piet Hein Eek

Tue, 1 Nov 2011 12:00:00 +0100

When it comes to unorthodox, yet hugely successful ways of producing and distributing cutting-edge furniture and product designs, look no further than a former Philips ceramic factory in Eindhoven. Here, Dutch design star Piet Hein Eek has brought a vision into being, a vision that encompasses social responsibility, efficiency, and sustainability to everyone's advantage: his own, as well as that of his business partners, employees, and clients. Graduating from the Design Academy Eindhoven and creating a pioneering cupboard made from scrap wood as early as 1990, the equally humorous, relaxed, yet hard-working Eek is surely at his creative peak these days. Learn all about his unique creative design universe in Gestalten.tv's latest interview feature.

Gestalten.tv - Joep van Lieshout

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 17:00:00 +0100

Recurring themes in Joep van Lieshout's (Atelier van Lieshout) work are the organization of the world, power structures, economy, revolution and new tribal organization, autarky, and the classical themes of life and death. Or, to quote Joep himself: "You can say a lot of things about the apocalypse, but it certainly is not boring." We met the sculptor, who recently worked on a stage design for the esteemed Bayreuth Festival, in his Rotterdam workshop where he was busy addressing the history of farming in his inimitable artistic way.

Gestalten.tv - Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFarès

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 19:00:00 +0100

Typographer, graphic designer, researcher, and writer Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFarès is the founder of the Khatt Foundation, Center for Arabic Typography, which is dedicated to advancing design research and typography in the Middle East, North Africa, and their diaspora. We met the Amsterdam-based expert for bilingual typographic research and design—whose project Typographic Matchmaking in the City is featured in Gestalten's Arabesque 2: Graphic Design from the Arab World and Persia—to talk about the relationships between Arab and Latin typography, typography and architecture, as well as the visual musicality of calligraphy.

Gestalten.tv - Art+Com

Thu, 1 Sep 2011 14:00:00 +0100

With its more than 20-year history, the media artists and designers, software developers, media technicians and engineers, communication and product designers, scientists, and project managers at ART+COM continue to play a central role in defining the international forefront of spatial media communication. We met Head of Design and Chairman Professor Joachim Sauter to learn more about the past, present, and future of the digital (r)evolution which ART+COM helped to set off, shape, and keep alive working for—amongst others—BMW, Esprit, and Deutsche Bank, as well as exhibiting at museums including the Centre Pompidou and the Shanghai Art Museum, along with the Venice Biennale.

Gestalten.tv - Sarah Illenberger

Mon, 8 Aug 2011 11:00:00 +0100

The Berlin-based artist Sarah Illenberger has developed a very unique and strong visual language, conveying even the most abstract and complex content into vivid, humorous, and concise visual forms without ever forcing a meaning on them. For her meticulously-crafted work—including commissions for Vanity Fair, Time, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Wallpaper*, and Nike—she mostly uses simple materials and household items such as paper, food, textiles, and wood. Learn more about how Sarah Illenberger's analog handicraft and creative eye reveal the true essence of things through her first Gestalten-published monograph and the latest Gestalten.tv Interview, which took place in her studio in Berlin.

Gestalten.tv - Found Electronics

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 14:00:00 +0100

When it comes to soulful and emotional interactive design, there are many who try, but few who manage to come up with something that actually deserves these tags. Among those few is the Edinburgh-based company Found Electronics, which is an offshoot of Found Collective, a group of musicians, artists, and designers. Its founders Ziggy Campbell and Simon Kirby create interactive installations and experiences, mostly using sound and music. Their objects appear to have a life of their own and history to match and are nothing short of brilliant. Be it their BAFTA-winning robot band Cybraphon or a sound installation that remembers everything, Found Electronics' work will never leave you unaffected. Learn more about the Scottish geniuses in our latest Gestalten.tv interview.

Gestalten.tv - Beta Tank

Tue, 7 Jun 2011 14:00:00 +0100

What’s the difference between design and art? What if objects could memorize their history? And how can you see with your skin? Beta Tank creates design objects based upon cross-disciplinary research that insightfully explore new technologies and social phenomena—inspiring debate beyond aesthetics or function. In our latest Gestalten.tv video, Beta Tank founder Eyal Burstein sheds light on his ironic, clever documentation and analysis of the effect traditional, bureaucratic procedures have on innovative work. His work—featured in Gestalten's Taxing Art book—spotlights the largely underestimated effect tax laws have on where design ends and art begins.

Gestalten.tv - Christiane Lemieux

Mon, 23 May 2011 14:00:00 +0100

DwellStudio is one of today's most innovative brands when it comes to high-quality bedding and baby, children's, and tabletop designs. The creative spirit and driving force behind the NYC-based company is founder and Creative Director Christiane Lemieux. Running DwellStudio together with her husband, the Canadian finds inspiration for her top-notch collections—which are a treasure not only for design-savvy parents who can't stand the ubiquitous teddy bears in the nursery anymore—in the worlds of fashion and art and when traveling. Most of all, however, being at home with her kids acts as a first-hand source. In this interview for Gestalten.tv, she let us gain insight into DwellStudio's approach and their way of working.

Gestalten.tv - Juergen Mayer H.

Wed, 11 May 2011 10:00:00 +0100

For almost 15 years, the Berlin-based architect extraordinaire and his team have researched the relationship between the human body, technology, material, and nature, reaching new heights of innovative spatial creation and architectural solutions. Recent projects include the spectacular redevelopment of the Plaza de la Encarnacion in Sevilla, as well as constructing a town hall in Germany. Juergen Mayer H.'s work is included in the collection of both New York and San Francisco's Museum of Modern Art. He has won numerous awards and currently teaches at Columbia University in New York. We met one of the most outstanding architects of modern times for a Gestalten.tv interview, taking place at Berlin's Kicken Gallery earlier this year.

Gestalten.tv - Bompas & Parr

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 10:00:00 +0100

Taking the term to whole new levels, the British food and design consultancy duo Sam Bompas and Harry Parr has breathed new, refreshingly artifical, and entertaining life into what is known as "food experience." For example, they revived the basis of everything wobbly in Britain's kitchen universe: the jelly, recreating—among other things—the famous St. Paul's Cathedral in gelatinous form. Using cutting-edge technology, they even beat the gingerbread house as the known climax of architecture and food symbiosis and came up with what is known as "Alcoholic Architecture." Though magicians won't ever reveal their secrets, find out more about the two Jellymongers in our latest Gestalten.tv Interview.

Gestalten.tv - Kurt Weidemann 1922—2011

Mon, 04 Apr 2011 10:00:00 +0100

Kurt Weidemann, one of the most influential typographers of the 20th century, died at the age of 88 on March 31st, 2011. Weidemann helped form the identities of companies such as Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Zeiss, and Deutsche Bahn, changing their corporate designs not only for the better, but for the best. After returning from captivity as a prisoner of war in Russia, he took up a career in the fields of graphic design, typography, and moral courage that was second to none.
Word came easily to him. His career did not. We met King Kurt—who was as anarchic and humorous as he was disciplined and hard-working—in his castle, an altered switch tower in Stuttgart. The King is dead, long live the King!

Gestalten.tv - Masahiko Yendo

Mon, 28 Mar 2011 10:00:00 +0100

By definition, the Greek term Utopia is literally a non-place. Commonly, it is used to describe an ideal society, respectively a perfect community, which does not (yet) exist. By definition, an architect is a person trained in the planning, design, and oversight of the construction of buildings. Masahiko Yendo's approach reaches far beyond this simple term, as his "take on experimental architecture is non-built." So join his "process of discovering", and find out who really builds the buildings in our latest Gestalten.tv interview, which took place at Mas's studio in New York’s Hamptons.

Gestalten.tv - Irana Douer

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 10:00:00 +0100

Illustration, painting, drawing: Argentinean artist Irana Douer's art is a "huge mix" of many techniques and styles. In the latest Gestalten TV video, Irana, editor of the online art magazine Ruby, talks to us about the importance of color in her work, the role of women in society, and how she connected to fellow artists—over 400 of them—when compiling the upcoming Ruby: Otherworldliness book for us.

Gestalten.tv - Papercraft 2: Design and Art with Paper

Tue, 1 Mar 2011 10:00:00 +0100

Paper doesn't blush. But it entertains in various unexpected ways and formats. This trailer is papered with bright, punchy and pop-culture relevant pieces from the Gestalten book and DVD Papercraft 2: Design and Art with Paper. Presenting the best bits of cutting-edge stop motion footage, animation, ace music videos, and smart advertising this Gestalten.tv feature shows the creative potential of what was once our primary material for communicating information.

Gestalten.tv - A Cutter's Edges

Mon, 14 Feb 2011 10:00:00 +0100

The New York-based artist James Gallagher is a master of contemporary collage. As the curator of the "Cutters" exhibition, which has toured New York, Berlin and now on show at the West Cork Arts Centre in Ireland, and co-editor of Gestalten's Cutting Edges book, he is also helping define a new generation of outstanding artists and illustrators who are rediscovering an art form with an outstanding tradition. Although collage is not so much about what's in the picture but rather what's left out, we couldn't resist putting James Gallagher into the picture of our latest Gestalten.tv video interview.

Gestalten.tv - Erik Spiekermann

Tue, 1 Feb 2011 10:00:00 +0100

Typographer, graphic designer and businessman Erik Spiekermann has created timeless, influential and, yes, Meta-physical work over the past three decades.
Next to founding MetaDesign and FontShop, the latter being the first ever digital distributor of fonts, and designing more instant classic typefaces than any other, he has been recognized as an outstanding expert internationally.
Listen to the design genius talk about new visual languages, design processes, the analogies of music and typography, and why we need better client culture in our latest Gestalten.tv video and you will easily realize why. Before heading to new visionary pastures, the bike enthusiast will make a short stop to receive the German Design Lifetime Achievement Award 2011 in February.

Gestalten.tv - Shepard Fairey

Mon, 17 Jan 2011 10:00:00 +0100

Introducing the American artist Shepard Fairey is a bit like explaining whose portrait he famously altered for the "Hope" campaign that was widely used by Barack Obama's supporters in 2008. Since the mid 1980s he has created outstanding (then: street) art that is strong, iconic, and expressive. Shepard Fairey is also a thoughtful, committed, and outspoken activist who revives the artistic virtues of standing up for the freedom of speech and fighting for rational and non-corporate ways of dealing with the issue of copyright. Obey the interview we did with him in Los Angeles in late 2010!

Gestalten.tv - Jennifer Rubell

Mon, 3 Jan 2011 10:00:00 +0100

Artist Jennifer Rubell uses food as her canvas to create culinary concoctions carved straight out of a hedonist's dream. With a near demented sensuality, her installations, for example at the Brooklyn Museum and Simon de Pury's wedding, combine an appreciation for the rustic with a knack for the avant-garde: unctuous meats, glittering displays, an exact chocolate replica of Jeff Koons' rabbit sculpture, all to extravagant, delicious effect.
Rubell's penchant for the lush life has her positioned next to prime players in the industry, like Mario Batali as the vegetable butcher at his grandiloquent Eataly. We speak to the daughter of collectors Don and Mira Rubell on location at her home and at Eataly in New York to learn just what drives her voracious appetite.

Gestalten.tv - Arabeschi di Latte

Mon, 13 Dec 2010 10:00:00 +0100

Florence-based collective Arabeschi di Latte has taken up the course of new design experiences. Providing a copious supply of inspiration with food-related workshops, exhibitions, and events, founders Francesca Sarti and Silvia Allori, together with Cristina Cortese and Arianna Pescetti encourage adults and kids alike to share their fascination for the power of food. We met the "women designers with a passion for conviviality" in London to recall the Pasta and create a better future.

Gestalten.tv - TwoPointsNet

Mon, 29 Nov 2010 10:00:00 +0100

Lupi Asensio and Martin Lorenz founded TwoPoints.net in 2007 and are paving the way for new and exceptional design work. Their book Left, Right, Up, Down: New Directions in Signage and Wayfinding is just one exciting example of how the Barcelona-based couple combines intuition and ratio, the subjective and the objective, and the experimental with the traditional. We trekked all the way up to the Catalan capital's mighty Mount Juic to chat about work that excites clients, work that hasn't been done before, and work that does more than just work.

Gestalten.tv - The Story of Eames Furniture

Tue, 16 Nov 2010 10:00:00 +0100

To understand why The Story of Eames Furniture is "a design geek's dream" (Alice Rawsthorn, The International Herald Tribune), how it portrays the Eames Office "as though we're eavesdropping on the staff at the watercooler" (Justin McGuirk, The Guardian), and how "this book has been put together with almost the same attention to detail as a piece of Eames furniture!" (Jasper Morrison), you need to get to know its authors. So let us introduce you to Marilyn Neuhart with her husband John Neuhart. They tell their tale at their Los Angeles home for Gestalten.tv's latest look behind the Eames.

Gestalten.tv Site Launch - Trailer

Tue, 2 Nov 2010 10:00:00 +0100

To mark our three-year anniversary producing Gestalten.tv podcasts, we're proud to unveil the new and improved Gestalten.tv website! A channel devoted completely to our 80-plus beautifully shot films on the leaders, vanguards, innovators, players, and thinkers of our time, the new website is the sleekest, most-up-to-date platform to enrich your viewing experience.

We've simplified things and boiled down the films to the essence of what it means to be creative. Check out the new site, and also our new Gestalten.tv trailer that highlights the best-of from the past three years!

It's been a joy, and we look forward to the future.

Gestalten.tv - Studio On Fire

Tue, 2 Nov 2010 10:00:00 +0100

Without dispute, Studio On Fire are masters of the design and letterpress world. Their impossibly detailed work, featured in Gestalten's Impressive: Printmaking, Letterpress & Graphic Design, is the product of love, driven by a true passion for paper and print. Now in their new Minneapolis workshop, SOF principal and design director Ben Levitz gives us insight into the obsessive design process and the beauty of their in-house modern printing capabilities, which include several legendary Heidelberg letterpresses. For Gestalten.tv's new podcast, we're nothing short of deeply impressed.

Gestalten.tv - Alex Trochut

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 10:00:00 +0100

Illustrator and typographer Alex Trochut synthesizes illustration and lettering like no other. The expressive, richly ornamented typography he creates ooze of fluidity in which movement is practically palpable. One of the most sought after talents, he has created knockout work for the likes of Wired and The New York Times as well as clients including Adidas and Coca-Cola. We met the 29-year old, Barcelona-based whiz kid at his studio to talk about visuals, identities and the legitimacy of legibility.

Gestalten.tv - Aaron Rose

Mon, 04 Oct 2010 10:00:00 +0100

Ever impossible to pigeonhole, the artist, curator, writer, film director, musician and self-declared beautiful loser Aaron Rose is one of the most dazzling characters portrayed and introduced in Gestalten's Beyond the Street book. Being involved and active in everything street and art and real for a looong time already, having a.o. introduced Shepard Fairey and Harmony Korine to a larger audience he just brought some suitcases of trouble back to Berlin. We met Aaron who would love to see one of his exhibitions vandalized - keep in mind! - and recently set up creative workshops for kids to have a chat about art, anarchy, kids and work for the latest Gestalten.tv video interview.

Gestalten.tv - Established & Sons

Wed, 29 Sep 2010 10:00:00 +0100

Established & Sons hosted a series of exciting installations and events during London Design Festival, including a pop-up Gestalten book shop. So while we were on location, Gestalten.tv also documented the design process and interviewed some of the designers and artists - among them Committee, Richard Woods, Gavin Turk and Tord Boontje - using their vision and energy as well as their own bare hands to design against the clock.

Gestalten.tv - Martin Allais

Mon, 13 Sep 2010 10:00:00 +0100

How do you call someone of Venezuelan origin with a fondness for French and Greek philosophy, Swiss design, Italian polymaths and Austrian painters, who has worked with British musicians, US-American Rappers, German TV-Executives, Catalan film companies and Spanish publishers and is based in Barcelona? Answer: Latino. Providing evidence of this claim is Martin Allais, one of the outstanding young creatives featured in Gestalten's latino-gráfico - Visual Culture from Latin America. Watch him chat in his flat alongside his cat!

Gestalten.tv - Atelier Vostok

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 10:00:00 +0100

The Catalan "cosmonaut" Alexis Rom and his creative Italian partner Claude Marzotto are a perfect team. Not only because she lets him listen to his music as loud as he likes while working but also because they both love to experiment in different fields of visual communication, mixing illustration, graphic design and printing techniques. Together they run Atelier Vostok - a "workshop for ideas" based in Barcelona and Milan - and were kind enough to let us share their inspired spirits when we met them in the Catalan capital.

Gestalten.tv - Arno Piroud

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 10:00:00 +0100

Recognized recently for giving Parisians a place to sit in unlikely locations, Arno Piroud crafts together urban art works meant to bring a smile to your face. In fact, the Paris-based contemporary artist has been applying this spirited sense of humor to his sculptural work and street installations for more than decade. For Gestalten.tv's latest podcast, we grabbed Piroud at the book launch of Urban Interventions at London's Andipa Gallery and put him in a hot seat of our own.

Gestalten.tv - The New York Times

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 10:00:00 +0100

They've won countless awards for their graphic work, but now it's time to dive behind what makes America's most venerated general interest newspaper stand a world apart. Graphics director Steven Duenes and his team of 30-some journalists at The New York Times turn around images at a breakneck daily, if not an hourly, pace, sorting and sifting through reportage to provide the clearest visualization of data possible.
How the information is manifested – through diagrams, charts, or interactive media – is up to them, though we've grown to trust their authority on all stories, from the sensitive (9/11) to the scientific (a perfect triple axel at the Olympics). In Gestalten.tv's latest podcast, we speak with Duenes and graphics editor Archie Tse on location in their New York headquarters to learn a few tricks of the trade.

Gestalten.tv - Slinkachu

Mon, 05 Jul 2010 10:00:00 +0100

You never know what original trickster Slinkachu has got up his sleeve, but chances are that it's microscopic in a big way. The London-based artist uses the street as his stage, setting up teensy tiny figurines and installations that cleverly interact with their real-size environments: a surfer gliding on spilled milk, a pack of deer grazing on discarded cigarette stubs. The results, snapped and uploaded onto the artist's website, are as entertaining as they are astute commentaries on the world around us.
Watch our Gestalten.tv podcast with the Beyond the Street: 100 Leading Figures in Urban Art contributor to find out just how he turns such little things into big ideas.

Gestalten.tv - Michael Schirner

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 10:00:00 +0100

In his oeuvre Michael Schirner treats the visual worlds of mass culture and high culture as well as the perception of images communicated via media.
He does not create new images. His images are images about images. Magazines, newspapers, films, television, the internet, advertising, and art are his image archives. Schirner works and reworks that which is stored in our collective memory.
His book Bye Bye shows his latest series, 32 coarse halftone reproductions of images that appear vexingly familiar to us, even though we have never seen them in this form. We spoke with the visionary and former "pope of advertising" in his studio in Berlin about the advertising of art, the art of advertising and his ability to be apparently invisible.

Gestalten.tv - Patrick Nguyen

Mon, 7 Jun 2010 10:00:00 +0100

Namedropping where namedropping is due: Shepard Fairey, Swoon, Faile, Blu, WK Interact, Os Gemeos, Jeffrey Deitch, Jonathan LeVine, Martha Cooper, Wooster Collective, Brad Downey, Futura, Dzine and Blek le Rat – these are just some of the key 100 players of street and urban art from around the world featured in Gestalten's Beyond the Street with extensive and richly illustrated interviews. We met with Patrick Nguyen, insider, art collector, ex-lawyer and editor of the book, to talk about street and urban art – and the fine art of persuading normally arcane artists to do interviews.

Gestalten.tv - Laura Keeble

Tue, 25 May 2010 10:00:00 +0100

When Laura Keeble refers to herself as "someone who does stuff," she means a hella lot of cool stuff: spectacular urban interventions, thought-provoking public installations, and cheeky sculptures. The London-based artist recently made headlines with a mock-up of Damien Hirst's For the Love of God, bejazzling an anatomical model of a skull with 6,522 Swarovski crystals and showcasing it in a glass box, a satire of the notorious diamond-encrusted skull. Here, Keeble chats with us on location at Andipa Gallery in London for the book launch of Gestalten's Urban Interventions.

Gestalten.tv - Chris Rubino

Mon, 10 May 2010 10:00:00 +0100

Chris Rubino wears many hats, but perhaps the biggest project the New York City-based designer tackled was Manhattan's Distrikt Hotel, which opened in February 2010. Sourcing from more than 10,000 photographs, the artist created bold digital collages – 31 of them, one for each elevator lobby – that also revealed a conceptual brilliance. Guests can whiz 30 floors "uptown" in a lift that springs from the Financial District to Harlem in a matter of seconds; from the Wall Street Bull to the Apollo Theater. It's one project of many for the 2006 ADC Young Gun winner, whose enviable list of clients includes The New York Times, Banana Republic and Urban Outfitters. We swing by Rubino's Brooklyn studio for a chat about digital layering, comic books and how screen-printing is just an approximation of life.

Gestalten.tv - Made Of...

Mon, 26 Apr 2010 10:00:00 +0100

While working for O.M.A. Rotterdam, FACE Design New York and David Chipperfield Architects, Berlin-based architect Christiane Sauer carved out a niche in researching innovative materials and applying them in unconventional ways in the industry.
Now with her own studio formade and a new book, Gestalten's "Made Of..." – an inspirational and application-oriented reference for those seeking to expand their design palettes with cutting-edge developments – Sauer shares with us a few of her utmost secrets. What's the matter? Where does it come from? And what is good for?

Gestalten.tv - Floria Sigismondi

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 14:30:00 +0100

Born to opera singer-parents off Italy's Adriatic coast, director Floria Sigismondi transfused an inherited love of music into crafting rich, deeply dark music videos for the likes of Sigur Ros, David Bowie, Björk and Leonard Cohen. Now Sigismondi brings this ethos to the big screen: The Runaways, about the eponymous 70s, Joan Jett-fronted girl band, is the director's first full-length feature and debuted in the US last month to much critical acclaim.
Though Runaways departs from Sigismondi's trademark hyper-surrealistic style, the film is exemplary of her range and sheer multi-disciplinary brilliance. In Gestalten.tv's latest podcast, we meet up with the artist in New York just hours before her New York premiere.

Gestalten.tv - Julius von Bismarck

Mon, 29 Mar 2010 14:30:00 +0100

Artist Julius von Bismarck reached infamy with his spectacular mass media weapon, The Image Fulgurator, but his objects, installations and urban interventions defy snappy simplification. Part nerd, pop star, scientist and activist all rolled up into an intimidating 26-year-old package, the Berlin-based student at Olafur Eliasson's Institute of Space Experiments is more interested in "perception" and innovation designed to blow your mind away. We play point-and-shoot with von Bismarck in Gestalten.tv's latest podcast.

Gestalten.tv - Pfadfinderei

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 10:30:00 +0100

Whether providing haunting visuals for Moderat or live VJing at the Louis Vuitton store opening in Paris with Pharrell, Pfadfinderei have done for visuals what DJs did to music. Add to that a knack for font design and a campy sense of humor, and you have one of Berlin's brightest stars in the design field. Watch Gestalten.tv's latest podcast to find out more about the group and just what makes their work so damn bright.

Gestalten.tv - Go Faster

Mon, 1 Mar 2010 10:30:00 +0100

You'd never guess it, but these big toys for big boys were at the height of their design during the 1970s – by sheer chance. Mechanics and team members – not designers or marketing strategists – adorned racecars with all of those flashy stripes, logos, numbers and colors prevalent at any Formula 1 race today. After compiling more than 100 examples of sleek cars from this glory age, Go Faster-author Sven Völker takes us for a joy ride at the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart for a whip-fast lesson in competitive war paint, visual anarchy and piggish car designs.

Gestalten.tv - Ilse Crawford

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 14:30:00 +0100

Firmly planted in that place where interior design, product design and media intersect, Ilse Crawford runs Studio Ilse with the personal mantra that "the most important space are the six centimeters around you." Or, as The New York Times once put it, "her work doesn’t have a signature style, but a signature feeling: emotional and deeply rooted to the place". Dive into her world of democratic design and contagiousness of ideas in Gestalten.tv's latest podcast interview, shot in Crawford's homebase of London.

Gestalten.tv - Christoph Niemann

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 14:30:00 +0100

The visualization of data is the graphic designer's core business. For illustrator, graphic designer and art director Christoph Niemann – man behind the überpopular blog for The New York Times and numerous The New Yorker covers – it's daily business. Find out how Christoph Niemann tackles some of today's trickiest dilemmas – what does one do with that bottom arm while spooning? – in exactly the kind of humorous off-color ways that make him an ace in our latest Gestalten.tv interview.

Gestalten.tv - Olaf Hajek

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 14:30:00 +0100

In the verdant garden of illustration and art, many a different species thrive on the grounds. Some flourish in obscurity and some worship the sun. Every now and then you will find a plant of extraordinary beauty and resilience, marrying the magic and the real, the pop and the folk, the client's wish and its own artistic ambition. Illustrator and "Flowerhead" author Olaf Hajek is one such rare example. Watch him come into full bloom in our latest Gestalten.tv feature.

Gestalten.tv - Hoefner and Sachs

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 14:30:00 +0100

The site-specific temporary architecture, innovative performances and constructive interference in the urban environment by Berlin duo Hoefner and Sachs straddle the line between art and architecture. With a subversive and humorous approach, they have reinvented the vocabulary of urban intervention and ironic commentary of modern city planning. Here, the pair talks to us about the kind of irreverent topics that make us love them--bees, architecture and test driving a car filled with water.

Gestalten.tv - Airside

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 14:30:00 +0100

In the arena of today's visual culture it is as equally challenging to entertain audiences as it is to continually reach new milestones. Alex Mclean, Nat Hunter and Fred Deakin of the pioneering London-based design agency Airside have firmly stayed on the top of the game for more than ten years now–having among others created campaigns for brands such as Coca-Cola, Greenpeace, MTV, Panasonic and Sony, plus visual identities and web design for the Serpentine Gallery, White Cube and the Pet Shop Boys. In our latest podcast, the founding members and creative minds unlock the secret to their innovation and entrepreneurial success–and explain why their inimitable style and profound skills are more wide-ranging and vital today than ever before.

Gestalten.tv - Dieter Rams

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 14:30:00 +0100

How to introduce one of the most influential designers of the 20th century -- one whose clear visual language has not only defined product design for decades, but also our fundamental understanding of design's potential and function? We're guessing the "Less and More" exhibition at London's Design Museum, accompanying book published by Gestalten and this video podcast interview is a good start.

Gestalten.tv - Nils Holger Moormann

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:30:00 +0100

It's a bird... it's a cow...it's a lawyer... no, it's Nils Holger Moorman! The Bavaria-based designer and producer of top-notch minimalist furniture and rustic, arcadian interior designs has carved out a niche all his own. To prove this, we neither have to highlight how he's outgunned Ikea nor how he and his team of creatives have won more awards than other people warm meals. We only kindly ask you to watch how Nils keeps it real in an unreal surrounding, i.e. the international design scene and not the mountains.

Gestalten.tv - Postlerferguson

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:30:00 +0100

Postlerferguson is a London-based product, graphic and interaction design firm. Founded in 2007 by Ian Ferguson and Martin Postler after their graduation from the RCA, the company explores issues of technology, culture and economics through design strategies based on thorough research. Their design approach is very systematic, almost scientific, and aims at creating a frame in which mistakes can happen. Asking questions that stoke new ones, Postlerferguson reaches curious conclusions to topics like sustainability and, most noticeably, the delicate matter of weapons and their undeniable aesthetic appeal. High time for us to, well, shoot the duo themselves in their studio.

Gestalten.tv - Rankin

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:30:00 +0100

With a trademark portraiture style and mischievous eye, Dazed and Confused-founder Rankin enjoys a reputation as one of the world's leading photographers. So who would dare destroy him? For the charity project and book, "Destroy Rankin," former subjects -- including Basement Jaxx, Beck, Jarvis Cocker, U2, Ian Brown, Kylie Minogue, Little Boots and Marianne Faithfull -- were given the opportunity to revamp their respective photographs into something both deeply personal and reflective of their artistic style. The result is an au courant body of collaborative art ranging from paintings and drawings to collage. We met Rankin in his London studio to learn about the powerful pairing of music and iconic imagery.

Swoon

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:30:00 +0100

Oh, you've seen her: from New York's P.S. 1 and Deitch Projects to Hui No'eau on Maui and Berlin's gritty street corners. Notorious for constructing a giant floating raft and sailing it down river (twice!), she is neither a pirate nor a street artist. And even if her real name is known these days, that is also neither here nor there. Join us as we swing by Berlin's Urban Art Info Gallery to see what else the ineffable Swoon has got up her sleeve in Gestalten.tv's latest interview."

Katrin Olina

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 14:30:00 +0100

When Icelandic artist Katrin Olina talks about complex dual concepts - science and creativity, for instance, or Nature's Janus face - she does so with a lightness and ease that never denies the darkness but rather celebrates it. The same can be said of the cosmos behind her wholly unique visual language. Olina, who began her career as a product designer, anchors future-proof perfect ideas with strong artistic and spiritual roots, and the results are masterful: painstakingly liquid-like illustrations, ceramics, powerful art posters, holistic interior and fashion designs and animated film. Fresh off a launch with us for a limited series of illustrations for Gestalten's Art Editions, the artist chatted with us in -- where else?-- a landscape befitting of her aesthetic vision, Berlin's "Gardens of the World."

Mario Lombardo

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:30:00 +0100

Content is King, and Kings can be demanding. Especially if they have to edit and design elaborate visual substance for magazines and books while juggling projects whether it be creating movie posters, typography, photography and corporate identity or logo design. Berlin-based designer and artful thinker Mario Lombardo has managed to do exactly this, but exceptionally, for over a decade now. Having established a reputation as one of Germany’s leading designers and editors, Mario is difficult to nail down but easy to rely upon when it comes to everything visual that needs a makeover or creation from scratch. Watch for yourself, to see how this designer extraordinaire works and so graciously pulls another rabbit out of his hat.

Jen Ray

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 14:30:00 +0100

When a large Amazonian woman pulls up in a revved-up vehicle blasting diabolical music, don't run away! It's just the powerful work of visual artist Jen Ray. The American artist creates impossibly intricate drawings of mystical minutia, dream worlds and entities of unknown origins. It's a feast for your eyes and mind -- and in recent work, Jen Ray transforms her inherent knack for myth and storytelling into spectacular live performances. Gestalten.tv met the artist in her Berlin studio, where she answered tough questions on artistry before discussing lighter topics like American muscle cars.

Feld72 and Raumlabor

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 13:30:00 +0100

Bucking the conventional idea of architecture, the designers from Viennese team Feld72 and Berlin-based Raumlabor subvert the paradigm with work that reexamines the potential of space in social situations. From creating ad hoc communication tools for traffic jams to an experimental collective taxi system and transforming a natural park into a creepy temporary hotel, they show that the term "architecture" cannot be applied in its traditional sense. Watch Gestalten's latest podcast to discover just how they do it.

Büro Destruct III

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 13:00:00 +0100

Bucking the conventional idea of architecture, the designers from Viennese team Feld72 and Berlin-based Raumlabor subvert the paradigm with work that reexamines the potential of space in social situations. From creating ad hoc communication tools for traffic jams to an experimental collective taxi system and transforming a natural park into a creepy temporary hotel, they show that the term "architecture" cannot be applied in its traditional sense. Watch Gestalten's latest podcast to discover just how they do it.

Papercraft

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 13:30:00 +0100

From playful and whimsical to downright painstaking, paper is resurging among young artists and designers worldwide as an experimental material for design. This video teaser for Gestalten’s upcoming book, “Papercraft: Design and Art with Paper,” showcases the often bright, punchy and pop-culture-relevant work from artists Jeremais Boettcher, Julien Vallée, Asif Mian and more—who employ techniques as simple as cutting and folding to cutting-edge like embossing and laser cutting. A true best-of collection, the book gathers the most extraordinary creations independent of discipline; all demonstrate reaching towards new artistic heights. An accompanying DVD includes printable templates for creating paper toys plus a curated selection of stop-motion animations.

Stefan Diez

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 13:30:00 +0100

In its persuasive functionality, elegant simplicity and well-crafted accuracy, the work of Stefan Diez not only applies to the virtues of what could be tagged as 'German school of design' but they also reflect the personal appearance of the young German designer. With a family of carpenters in the background and studying at the Academy of Fine Arts in Stuttgart, he has worked for renowned designers Konstantin Grcic and Richard Sapper before opening his own Stuttgart-based studio in 2003. He seamlessly combines strong conceptual designs and elementary craftsmanship that take shape as chairs, tables, tableware, products and objects that are sustainable visually in nature and in substance. We interviewed Stefan Diez during Salone del Mobile, where he had an impressive number of new products being launched for big names such as Moroso, Thonet, Rosenthal and e15 – the showroom in which the interview took place with his Houdini chairs.

Jason Forrest

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 11:30:00 +0100

Growing up in South Carolina and having curiously peculiar names with DJ alias Donna Summer and a music label called Cockrockdisco, doesn’t spell freak or kinky. The Berlin-based musician Jason Forrest is quite the contrary. The former photographer is a serious electronic musician and praiseworthy live performer, whose sample-based music and downright punk rock attitude towards music distribution has rightfully caused a stir since entering the global arena of audiovisual entertainment ten years ago. In fact, his cunning skills recently lead him to create a new iPhone application for a relatively known IT company. We met up with Jason in his current hometown of Berlin. Watch our latest Gestalten.tv podcast to form your own opinion on this artist extraordinaire.

Nendo

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 12:30:00 +0100

Nendo alias Japanese product designer, architect and graphic designer Oki Sato likes to arouse what he describes as "small '!' moments". Since those light bulb moments often get overlooked in daily life, Nendo applies his approach to a broad variety of products and designs, be it furniture, packaging design, installations, architecture, interior designs and, yes, chocolate pencils. Nendo opened his first office in Tokyo in 2002 and since then not only won numerous design awards and exhibited all over the world but also realized many collaborations with international clients s.a. Capellini, Moroso, Sony and Swedese. We met Oki Sato in Milan during the Salone del Mobile 2009 where he was contributing to the Senseware Tokyo Fibre exhibition.

Erwin Wurm

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 12:30:00 +0100

Erwin Wurm started out as a painter and sculptor, then swallowed the whole world digesting all its pompous grief and absurdity so as to spew out terrific sculptures, hilarious installations and stunningly grotesque pieces of spatial art and architecture that all have one thing in common - dead serious funny lightness in heavy doses. Unlike many of his professionally melancholic fellow specimen who got deliberately f***ed to become pregnant with meaning, the art of this decent great man from Austria makes us laugh, think and wonder. Although not necessarily in that order. Thus, meeting him in person in his studio in Vienna was an enlightening experience which you might like to share with us by watching the latest Gestalten.tv podcast.

Shigeru Ban

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 11:30:00 +0100

Long before sustainable architecture became the talk of the day, Japanese uber-architect Shigeru Ban created stunning and long-lasting buildings out of paper as well as objects that make a difference in form and function. But since being one of the world's most renowned and forward-thinking architects is no coincidence, beware of tying him down to anything but outstanding architecture and design. Or in his own words, "architecture is architecture" and design is of course a vital part of it. So, instead of categorising, we are not only thankful that he set out time for an interview with us in Milan at this year’s Salone del Mobile, but also that his juvenile aspiration of becoming a carpenter didn't really work out...

Arik Levy

Tue, 19 May 2009 11:30:00 +0100

Born in Tel Aviv, Arik Levy is one of the widest ranging industrial designers at work today. Having earned a degree from the Swiss Art Center College of Design, Levy settled in Paris, where he designed stage sets for modern dance performances and theater before co-founding the design studio Ldesign in 1997 with Pippo Lionni. Together, they have developed a broad range of projects extending from furniture, interiors, lighting, to consumer products and graphic design. His inimitable approach to design, imbued with emotion and poetry, can be seen throughout his work whether it be minimalist and functional designs for the masses or eccentric installations for the art world. We met Arik at his Osmosis exhibition in Milan where he explained why his design world is not so much about tables and chairs but about people.

Carsten Nicolai

Tue, 05 May 2009 11:30:00 +0100

Carsten Nicolai is one of the most renowned artists working at the intersection of art and science and infamous for his minimalist approach. Having exhibited internationally at Documenta X and the Venice Biennale, he is also an active musician working under his music alias Alva Noto and has staged performances with Ryuichi Sakamoto at the Guggenheim NY to the Centre Pompidou in Paris. This week, Gestalten is releasing his new book Grid Index, the first comprehensive visual lexicon of patterns and grid systems. A reference book for designers, visual artists, architects, researchers, musicians and mathematicians, Nicolai has discovered and unlocked the visual code for visual systems into a systematic equation of grids and patterns. We met Carsten in his studio in Berlin Mitte to talk about art, grids, books and the graphical language of music.

Addictive TV

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 14:30:00 +0100

British audiovisual artists Addictive TV began remixing moving images and music in the early 90s when most people didn't even know what a music remix was, let alone a film remix. Since then, the dream team consisting of musician/composer Tolly and former camera man/producer Graham have not only invented the groundbreaking Transambient and Mixmasters series for UK’s Channel 4, played hundreds of gigs, won awards and a huge following from all around the world, but have also created mind-blowing audiovisual collages and remixes for clients like Adidas, Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios, and the British Film Institute to name but a few. Not to forget that they became the first to remix the 2008 Olympics live for television. We met the cutting-edge yet down-to-earth-pioneers in Berlin for an interview, whose latest efforts include official remix commissions for blockbuster films Slumdog Millionaire and Fast & Furious. But honestly, you have to see it to believe it!

Marcel Wanders

Wed, 08 Apr 2009 16:00:00 +0100

Dutch designer Marcel Wanders is undeniably one of the most prolific and celebrated international designers today, with his theatrical approach to design, being both decorative and minimal. He has garnered fame through his ingenious talent, turning conceptual visions into stunning products and dazzling environments by fusing cutting-edge technology, artistry and a love of the bizarre. The designer handmakes the mass-produced and gives flesh to fantasy in his opulently illustrated first monograph Marcel Wanders: Behind the Ceiling published by Gestalten, which marks its European release this month. We met up with him in Miami where he spoke about his design for the Mondrian South Beach Hotel and at Westerhuis, the newly opened cultural flagship in Amsterdam – home to his new office, Moooi showroom and a host of creative businesses, where he narrates for us his imaginative ideas about identity, contemporary design and the importance of humour.

Baupiloten

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 16:00:00 +0100

Founded in 2003 by Susanne Hofmann, Baupiloten is a Berlin-based architecture collective that has a unique approach to working with architecture students, giving them the opportunity to apply their creative energy to real life practical experiences. The award-winning studio specialises in realising innovative social design projects such as schools and kindergartens. Featured in one of our new book releases Play All Day: Design for Children, the Erika Mann Elementary School they designed in Berlin proves how innovative architecture can play a significant role in the creative and interactive interplay between students and their environment.

Brian Dettmer

Wed, 04 Mar 2009 12:00:00 +0100

American artist Brian Dettmer’s passion for books is not of the standard kind. What once served as reading material on his bookshelves are cut up, glued and torn apart into pieces altering their original state. Epic novels transform into sculpture-like objects that hold a new and compressed meaning and significance – where there was once a story, is now a multitude of skillfully crafted tangible semantic levels. Dettmer also composes and dissects found newspapers, maps and magazines in the same way and also employs this practice to create sculptures with old cassette tapes. In Gestalten.tv’s interview with the artist, during one of his recent trips to Berlin, Dettmer rejoices about how books and printed matter continue to develop and redefine its form and function.

rAndom International

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 13:30:00 +0100

Working at the intersection of science, design and art, Stuart Wood, Flo Ortkrass and Hannes Koch are not just interested in designing unique design products, but inventing and creating interactive, experiential installations by marrying high-end digital and analog worlds. The trio founded their collective rAndom International in 2002, after receiving their Masters from the Royal College of Art. They have managed an impressive list of projects including PixelRoller, a paint roller that prints digital information in pixels to their recent AUDIENCE installation at the Royal Opera House in London, where they positioned digitally guided mirrors that engaged and followed the movements of the visitors. Experimentation and meticulous research are essential for rAndom International who has already won numerous awards and gained commissions by a diverse range clients and artists such as Philips Design, the BBC, MetaDesign, Studio von Klier, Olafur Eliasson, PearsonLloyd and Audi Design. Gestalten paid them a visit in their studio in London’s East End.

Julien Vallée

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 14:00:00 +0100

The striking creations of Canadian-born graphic designer Julien Vallée incorporate splendid handcraft and digital technology. For the cover art of Gestalten’s new book Tangible: High Tough Visuals, Vallée uses his multidisciplinary graphic-inspired approach and stages his design spatially by crafting three-dimensional objects and lettering. The result - a stunning almost palpable cover! Not limiting himself to print, he uses the stylistic means of graphic design to create art installations, motion graphics, animations and video designs. His playful graphics has gained him commissions and props from clients such as New York Times Magazine, MTV and Swatch to musicians like Kanye West. We met Julien, who’s recently moved to Berlin, while he was preparing his installation for his group exhibition here in the city. A Gestalten favourite, his work is also featured in a number of our books; Tactile, Fully Booked and Lemon Poppy Seed.

Stephen Burks

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 15:30:00 +0100

The New York industrial designer Stephen Burks is interested in the possibility of placing traditional craft techniques in a new context. While his studio Readymaderprojects plays host to a myriad of projects including contemporary home furnishings, luxury products and package designs, he takes an active role in working with non-profit organizations to develop sustainable products which bring economic and social benefit to local artisans in developing countries. He has a fresh approach to design; researching off beat tracks and experiments with low cost materials and traditional techniques but shifts the technique into a new dimension, relieving it of its usual context. In our interview Stephen discusses the meaning of conscious design and gives insight into his collaborations with artisans in Peru and South Africa.

The Future Laboratory

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 12:00:00 +0100

We live in uncertain times but one thing about the future is certain: The business of trend analysts Chris Sanderson and Martin Raymond from the London firm The Future Laboratory is no fortune-telling business. They are all about the research of data, its correct interpretation and to some extent, about intuition. For ten years, The Future Laboratory has combined meticulous research and basic gut feeling which their clients have proffered from. TFL work for a broad range of international brands and companies as well as on special projects like Gestalten's recent book release crEATe.: Eating, Design and Future Food, which they helped conceive and co-edited. We met the accomplished speakers, whose lectures are as informative as they are entertaining, in Berlin to chat about the city as an indicator for trends, the importance of buzzwords and the fact that true optimism is best built upon profound pessimism.

Strike a Pose

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 16:00:00 +0100

Strike a Pose documents a new extroverted architectural language. Manifested in spectacular structures, eccentric forms and vivid colours, this expressive approach goes way beyond conventional stylistic and geographic boundaries. The book leads the reader around the globe to iconographically charged scenes and futuristic spaces, with examples of architectural playfulness and experimental wanderlust ranging from private residences to schools and operas, museums and interior design. In our latest podcast Strike a Pose Editor Lukas Feireiss comments on a publication which inspires beyond the traditional borders of genre, further indicating architecture’s pop appeal and its contagious and entertaining effect.

Temporal

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 13:00:00 +0100

Calma is not only artist Stephan Doitschinoff‘s street alias, but also the abbreviation of “con alma” (c’alma) in Latin, meaning “with soul”. His emblematic metaphoric imagery feeds off Afro-Brazilian folklore, pagan and alchemistic symbolism and contemporary pop culture. Doitschinoff composes spectacular murals and applies his extraordinary talent to emblazon houses, churches and walls in rural cities in his South American homeland. Temporal provided courtesy of Carol Dantas, Paula Cavalcanti (Production Executives), and Bruno Mitih (Director) documents his artistic journey through the Brazilian countryside of Bahia and features an interview with the artist – introducing the complete visual pandemonium of a young urban artist who creates powerful and unique figurative worlds.

Marije Vogelzang

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 12:00:00 +0100

Marije Vogelzang is not a food designer. She is a Dutch product designer who graduated from Design Academy Eindhoven and chose to use food as her main material because of her love for it. Her work is featured in Gestalten's new book crEATe.: Eating, Design and Future Food and she has also just published her first monograph Eat Love which speaks volumes. She is the foundress of Proef, a food-design laboratory and "eating places that started out as food design studios" in Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Be it the re-design and re-thinking of a typical Dutch funeral ceremony, a Christmas dinner or playful ways of making children eat vegetables voluntarily(!), all of her ideas and creations are characterised by a lively and wholehearted approach that reexamines the way we eat and think about food. In Gestalten.tv’s latest podcast, she gives us a tasty morsel of her philosophy that will surely make you want seconds and thirds!

Doshi Levien

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 14:00:00 +0100

Nipa Doshi and Jonathan Levien form the London-based design partnership Doshi Levien. They combine a celebratory approach to design, interweaving narratives into distinctive products, exhibitions and furniture design as well as in installations and interactive design for clients such as Moroso, Nokia, Intel, Tefal and the Wellcome Trust. Since 2000, they have brilliantly managed to bring together the best of both worlds –Nipa’s Indian upbringing and Jonathan's British background complementary materialize into Eurocentric results. We met the couple for an interview in their new studio in London's East End shortly before the arrival of Rahul, "surely" their most fascinating and praised collaboration yet.

Five Star Liner

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 10:00:00 +0100

Nicola Carter and Luise Vormittag who founded the multidisciplinary art and design collective Container dreamed up so many playful concepts and creations across a multitude of 2D and 3D platforms while having lots of fun, that it was only a question of time when they'd back up their dream team with more like-minded artists to have even more fun. So that is what they did, and now as ContainerPLUS, we experience the full force of Luise Vormittag, Anna Fulmine, Victoria Sharokh, Patricia Niven and Nicola Carter, combining their skills as illustrators, designers, photographers, actors, typographers and then some. The creative quintet has designed the cover of Gestalten's recent release Playful Type: Ephemeral Lettering and Illustrative Fonts. If you want to find out where their laughter comes from and why even Zaha Hadid works with them, then watch the podcast feature we’ve produced on them in London during London Design Week 2008.

Fully Booked

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 16:00:00 +0100

Many prophesied that the printed book would be doomed by developments in digital media. Far from it! The book has not only survived, but – as tactile qualities have gained significance in our increasingly digital world – there is also more unhindered experimentation with bound paper pages now than ever before. The newly released Gestalten publication Fully Booked: Cover Art and Design for Books is devoted to current cover and book design. It presents material from printed publications that succeed in striking a crucial balance – between the market’s demands for availability, legibility and durability on the one hand and sophisticated visual and content design on the other. To dig even further into the topic of book design and the future of THE book, we met qualified experts, designer David Pearson whose work is also featured in Fully Booked and Jim Stoddart, the Art Director at Penguin Books.

Data Flow

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 10:00:00 +0100

Visualising information may not be making headlines today, but it surely will tomorrow in graphic design and everywhere else since more and more information is being visualised. Diagrams, data and information graphics are utilised wherever increasingly complex elements are present, whether it is in magazines, non-fiction books or business reports, (food) packages or exhibition designs. Chart-like diagrams such as bar, plot, line diagrams and spider charts, graph-based diagrams including line, matrix, process flow, and molecular diagrams to extremely complex three-dimensional diagrams are employed beyond their classical fields of use. In Gestalten.tv's latest video podcast the co-editors Nicolas Bourquin and Thibaud Tissot reveal more about the concept, clues and various chapters of our newly released book Data Flow: Visualising Information in Graphic Design.

Martin Eder

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 12:00:00 +0100

Despite or due to his Catholic upbringing in Bavaria, Augsburg-born artist, musician and photographer Martin Eder's dedication to his art is "fundamentalist" as he puts it himself. Some people misinterpret his obsessive paintings and photographs as provocative, but according to Eder, they are definitely not meant to be. He simply creates fragile and violent beauty by practicing his very own, very realistic artistic (self)concept of nakedness. We met the charismatic and performative, yet friendly, humble and self-critical artist in his Berlin studio, which could easily pass for a location in a David Lynch movie.

Studio Makkink & Bey

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 14:30:00 +0100

Jurgen Bey and wife Rianne Makkink of Rotterdam-based Studio Makkink & Bey weave whole narratives through their product, furniture and interior design. Bey has long been known for his investigations into everything from urban planning and dust to the ways that people wait in order to create objects faithful to the way we (wish we could) live. And through these objects and environments the stories he tells about people come through with great wisdom and clarity. It is this curiosity about the reciprocal relationship between people and things that drives the innovation and poetry of Makkink and Bey’s work. During their recent trip to Berlin, the couple visited our Berlin office. In this podcast interview, the two unassumingly tell us how they work as a creative duo – Bey the dreamer collects and dreams up ideas and Rianne with the architectural expertise materialises the visionary cloud of ideas into form.

United Visual Artists

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 14:15:00 +0100

In only 5 years since its founding, the London design collective United Visual Artists has built a formidable international reputation with phenomenal interactive installations and captivating environmental visual graphics that perfectly synchronise with it’s surrounding whether it be a large-scale concert, music video set, installation art or fashion event. Their commercial work for concert tours with Massive Attack, U2’s Vertigo World Tour and non-commercial projects such as the Volume installation at the Victoria and Albert and Echo live performance at The Tate Modern Turbine Hall and others share a similarly optical and intellectually stimulating quality that captures any audience. All members having their own field of expertise, UVA uses a diverse range of technologies to create seamless, brilliant, real-time, immersive, responsive experiences combining seductive imagery and light. During one of their recent trips to Tokyo, our Tokyo correspondent Uleshka met with Creative Director Matt Clark on a rooftop at Narita Airport.

DJ Spooky aka that Subliminal Kid

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 15:00:00 +0100

Paul D. Miller alias DJ Spooky that Subliminal Kid is busy as a 21st century bee can be – he’s participated in the Venice Biennale for Architecture, produced music for Yoko Ono, remixed the Reggae label Trojan records’ back catalogue, shot a film in Antarctica, co-published magazines, lectured and played at festivals 24/7 from France to Japan to Mexico City and recently has started to work with acclaimed stage director and playwright Robert Wilson. With all this, it’s hard to believe he’s found time to compile and publish a new book. Sound Unbound is about sampling and digital culture, containing essays from Brian Eno, Jonathan Lethem, Hans Ulrich Obrist, Steve Reich, Simon Reynolds and Bruce Sterling to name but a few. If that sounds like a weird genre-crossing and namedrop-heavy remixed collage to you, fine then, because that's what it's all about. In Gestalten's latest podcast interview DJ Spooky speaks about collage and the visualisation of music.

Jason Miller

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:00:00 +0100

Born and bread in New York, designer Jason Miller continues to live and work in the big apple. Although he started out as a painter, he soon discovered his interest in three-dimensional designs and working with a multitude of mediums making the transition into designing furniture and interior design. After working as an assistant for Jeff Koons and Karim Rashid, he started his own studio in 2001. Since then he has produced his own products and furniture series as well as worked for clients including Areaware, Persol, Brookstone, Carlo Rossi, Kikkerland and Idee to name a few. He was also named “Best Breakthrough Designer” by Wallpaper magazine in 2007 and his work is also included in the permanent collection of the Museum of Arts and Design in New York. Gestalten met the playful and multi-tasking designer at the Ambiente Fair in Frankfurt where he was busy setting up his very own idea of an ideal “ambiente” for shopping pleasure.

Jerszy Seymour

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:00:00 +0100

Designer and "agent provocateur" Jerszy Seymour likes to disengage design objects from their precast applications. Or as one could sum up: He'd like to find utopia without falling for false promises. Having been born in Berlin and now working and living here again, Jerszy Seymour's Polish parents were ballet dancers so it might not be too difficult to get the balance right for him. The balance between being a contemporary and much sought after designer creating objects for established brands and institutions on the one hand, he is also a free-minded character who has spent years travelling the world working as a DJ, and does a lot of work that could easily be defined as art. He is surely a designer with a strong theoretical basis who in case of doubt always opts for the more challenging alternative. We met Jerszy in Berlin for an interview and he talks about current projects and eternal visions.

Oded Ezer

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 16:15:00 +0100

Oded Ezer creates brilliant Hebrew and Latin typography that make it hard for you to say whether he is still working in typography or already in the realm of art. He is also active in crafting object-related installations and commercial designs. Ezer's work is emotional and powerful. The beauty and distinctiveness of his typographies with their stunning shapes are exceptional in this field. The recipient of numerous design awards, Ezer is not only multitalented and hardworking, but also has fun with what he is doing, thus not drawing a line between work and play. The father of one works in Tel Aviv. When he visited Berlin recently to speak at Typo Berlin Conference, we finally met him face-to-face and talked about his plans, Typosperma at MoMa NY and his filmic hommage to Israeli poet and art critic Hezi Leskley.

Architecture of Change

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 17:30:00 +0100

Editors Lukas Feireiss and Kristin Feireiss whom is also founder of the Architecture Forum Aedes presented the Gestalten release Architecture of Change at Aedes Berlin and lead a panel discussion about contemporary sustainable building practices. The book features recently built and realised projects that in addition to their exceptional architectural quality make a notable contribution to a liveable and sustainable future. But the book also covers current initiatives that promote innovative research in this sector and thus encourage an emerging generation of environmentally aware architects and urban planners. At Aedes we not only met up with Lukas and Kristin but also with Christoph Ingenhoven of Ingenhoven architects and German general commissioner for Biennale Architecture Venice 2008 Friedrich von Borries of Raumtaktik to speak about sustainability and humanity in the built environment. In addition to that we interviewed architect Lucas Young of Sauerbruch Hutton earlier this year in Berlin.

Maarten Baas

Mon, 26 May 2008 16:00:00 +0100

Maarten Baas is a little bit of an enfant terrible within the design scene. He had to try more than once to convince his teachers at Design Academy Eindhoven of his talent. When he presented his Smoke series of furniture, all doubts went up in smoke and it immediately gained him a lot of attention, e.g. Marcel Wanders incorporating it into his design company MOOI. After exhibiting in Milan, London and Paris the Smoke series became an iconic collection in contemporary design. At the Salone del Mobile 2008 Maarten launched Clay Furniture. In fall 2008 he will present new exciting objects for Established and Sons and if that wasn't already reason enough to meet him for a filmed interview then it surely was the unusual down-to-earth atmosphere of the former car repair shop which he took as the ideal location for his various designs.

Joost van Bleiswijk and Kiki van Eijk

Thu, 22 May 2008 12:00:00 +0100

Being part of a new generation of highly talented dutch designers Joost and Kiki not only stand out of the crowd because they love each other but also because they put so much personality and mastery into their work that the objects they create are really unique and exceptionally well crafted. Both are graduates of Design Academy Eindhoven and have worked for brands like MOOOI, Swarovski and institutions such as Studio Li Edelkoort Paris. We met the two of them in Milan where they presented their collaborative efforts entitled Recollections.

Konstantin Grcic

Wed, 14 May 2008 13:00:00 +0100

Industrial designer Konstantin Grcic, whose company KGID (Konstantin Grcic Industrial Design) resides in Munich, is not only one of the most influential German designers today but also a decent man and thereby pretty much the complete opposite of your average narcissistic designer/artist. After an apprenticeship as a cabinet maker, he studied at the Royal College of Art in London as Jasper Morrison's assistant. Bavarian born Grcic prefers to stand back behind his work and choses serial (i.e. industrial) designs over limited edition exclusivity. And although his work speaks for itself and the fact that due to a flu he nearly had lost his voice when we met him in Milan, he was kind enough to answer our questions patiently and accurately. In Milan he presented two different projects, the Myto chair which he developed for Plank as well as a 'seating element for public spaces' named Landen for Vitra.

Studio Job

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 19:30:00 +0100

Job Smeets and Nynke Tynagel are Studio Job. The dutch couple started working together after graduating from Design Academy Eindhoven in 2000. In the beginning they were often criticised for their expressionistic symbolism, nowadays the designers are in great demand for the same reason. We met them in Milan where they were presenting their Farm collection as well as a huge globe for Swarovski's Crystal Palace.

Jaime Hayon in Milan

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 10:00:00 +0100

We’re back with Part 2 on the designer Jaime Hayon. It’s no surprise that the star designer had numerous presentation all throughout the city of Milan during the annual Salone del Mobile last week. Gestalten has produced a short video documentary featuring the designer and the unveiling of the first half of his Fantasy Collection for the Spanish porcelain manufacturer Lladró with fantastical porcelain pieces, specially designed shoes for Camper and the first view of his first monograph Jaime Hayon Works, published by yours truly. We also have additional footage of several other breathtaking presentations he has done this year for Bisazza and Swarovski. The presentation at the renowned gallery Spazio Rossana Orlandi was a great success where we sold out of the book even before the opening! In the midst of several other film interviews, the designer took out some time to talk to us about his various projects in Milan. This podcast will be the first of many to come on highlights from Milan including interviews with Dutch designers Studio Job, Kiki & Joost, Maarten Baas and German industrial designer Konstantin Grcic. Keep your eyes peeled.

Jaime Hayon

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 11:00:00 +0100

Jaime Hayon is a rising star in the international creative scene. He embodies a new type of creative Renaissance man, who can realize his unique stylistic language across various areas and media, thanks to his interdisciplinary approach and extraordinary talent. To celebrate the release of his first monograph, Gestalten presents a feature podcast on the designer. Jaime Hayon was in Frankfurt earlier this week to present three new collections of large-scale lamps, Bastoni, America and Solids, for the Spanish lighting manufacturer Metalarte at the Light + Building fair. We hopped on a train to meet the designer on Monday and talked to him about his new pieces and his creative process.

Arabesque

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 15:00:00 +0100

The Gestalten published Arabesque investigates the creative potential of the Arab World and Iran and features examples of recent innovative and groundbreaking design work that is inspired by the richness of the region’s visual culture. Our video podcast includes an interview with Ben Wittner and Sascha Thoma, who edited Arabesque (together with Nicolas Bourquin) alongside footage that they filmed while staying in Cairo for one year. Furthermore it does give detailed insight into the book itself. The interview took place in Berlin.

Gestalten.tv - Daniel Richter

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 15:30:00 +0100

Daniel Richter is one of the most renowned contemporary German painters of today. After studying at the Hochschule der Bildenden Künste in Hamburg from 1991 to 1995 he began his career as an artist. He has developed his own expressive style of figurative painting and showed in international galleries over the years with growing success, ultimately earning him a large-scale solo exhibition at the Hamburger Kunsthalle last year. Coming from an alternative political background rooted in the punk movement and having created graphic artwork for chummy musicians and bands, Daniel Richter still tries to keep a low profile when it comes to fame and public attention. For this week’s podcast interview, we visited the artist in his Berlin studio where he prepares new paintings for a forthcoming exhibition in New York.

David O'Reilly

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 15:30:00 +0100

The animation films of David O' Reilly don't have much in common with the flashy slapstick-ridden works many of his colleagues have resigned to. Instead they are acute and subtle, containing dark humour and psychological suspense. The man from Kilkenny, Ireland who lives and works in Berlin these days has developed his skills over the years by a seldomely seen dedication for animation that owes as much to the love for the genre as it does to the hate for it. For our interview feature he took some time out from "working like a robot" to reveal all about his motivation, his influences and the importance of silence.

Brendan Monroe

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 16:00:00 +0100

Berkeley-based artist extraordinaire Brendan Monroe's paintings, sculptures, illustrations and toys are increasingly causing a stir. While his vegetable-heavy motifs debauch the conclusion that his art appears to be somehow organic, a quote from the web sums it up best': "Saying Brendan Monroe's art is organic is like saying Dr. Suess really liked illustrating children's books." We totally agree, since his work bears a psychotic tension and existentialist strength that offers unequaled opportunities. We met Brendan Monroe in Berlin for a little chat about scientific approaches and his penchant for collecting insects.

Spacecraft

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 13:00:00 +0100

In the words of editor Lukas Feireiss Spacecraft - Fleeting Architecture and Hideouts "is a very playful book that arouses curiosity through the experimental and joyful diversity and visual power of its projects". In equal measure this could be said of this video podcast in which Lukas gives further insight into a Gestalten publication that is showing roundabout 200 installations and buildings from all around the world that build imaginative bridges between the worlds of art, architecture and design.

The Velvet Hammer Burlesque

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 17:00:00 +0100

The Velvet Hammer Burlesque brought back the tease into striptease. Alongside the release of the book, we have prepared a video feature to introduce Michelle Carr, founder of The Velvet Hammer Burlesque, to tell you what it's all about and to give you a few impressions of what's going on in the book and on stage - short and sweet just like a good rock'n'roll song. The Velvet Hammer's shows are a potent cocktail that mixes elements from classical American revues with a post-feminist attitude. Their intricately choreographed and lovingly costumed performances have much more in common with the tradition of Vaudeville than with the sleazy table dancing of today. The Velvet Hammer Burlesque serves up true American beauty consisting of shapely curves, tattoos, tassels and lace, and fuelled by booze, smoke, rock'n'roll and the desire to live life on the wild side.

Fragiles

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 12:00:00 +0100

Fragiles at Design Miami 07 was curated and produced by dgv. The sales exhibition presented over 200 pieces from over 50 designers with a full range of design and art projects of all sizes and editions. The documentary features interviews with a.o. designer Stephen Burks, Jason Miller, Commonwealth and artist Hans van Bentem as well as quotes from visitors, impressions of the actual location and - naturally - the amazing objects. There's still more to come with the book in March 2008 which will feature projects from the show and many more in a 272 page volume.

Hi-ReS!

Wed, 10 Oct 2007 12:00:00 +0100

On the occasion of the release of Hi-ReS!: Amantes sunt Amentes we visited the Hi-ReS! studio and talked with Founding Partner Florian about the making of the book and DVD, romance, nightmares and then some. The London-based design studio Hi-ReS! (Handsome information - Radical entertainment Systems!) was founded in 1999 by Alexandra Jugovic and Florian Schmitt. The publication presents some of Hi-ReS!' renowned and award-winning work which includes original websites and motion graphics for TV programs and feature films as well as examples of their non-commercial pieces and installations. Hi-ReS!' masterly crafted, sometimes disturbing, often ironic and romantic world is pure visual pleasure. These Lovers are lunatic, indeed.

Graft

Sat, 10 Nov 2007 12:00:00 +0100

Despite one of the many meanings of the lab's name, Lars Krueckeberg, Wolfram Putz and Thomas Willemeit of Graft architects are completely incorruptible. It was hard work, along with music in the pursuit of happiness that made up for their story of success. Graft started in 1998 in Berlin and Los Angeles (today there is another subsidiary in Beijing) as a "lable for Architecture, Urban planning and Exhibition Design". Recently quite a few magazines branded them as "the architects of Brad Pitt", which is true and a highly effective weapon for promotion but surely they don't have to stand for that since he is just one client among many, many others. Graft are active all around the world, from Tbilisi, Berlin, Singapore to LA and the Caribbean Islands. Regardless of their tight schedules two of Grafts' founders, Wolfram Putz and Thomas Willemeit, were kind enough to meet up with us for an interview. In which they tell us what Grafting means in terms of architecture (scientifically it describes a method where the tissues of one plant are encouraged to fuse with those of another), a true hybrid's nature and why German academics still live up to their names...

Marcus Fairs

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 12:00:00 +0100

We can be Neros just for one day! That is the provocative thesis on the subject of green design Marcus Fairs drew in his lecture at the Design Hotels Future Forum 2007 in Barcelona. Instead of opting for the usual angst-ridden, sinful concepts of guilt and shame that "green lobbyists" force upon us permanently, dezeen magazine editor-in-chief Fairs takes on the role of a lateral thinker. In a funny, provocative and polemic way he calls his concept Neroism - Like the insane Roman leader listened to music and had a good time while Rome was already going up in flames, we should celebrate the insane times we live in. The way we try we won't change it anyway. To call that cynical does not adress the issue in its entirety, since he does have a point in that and furthermore some ideas what green design could be, i.e. what could be achieved within the small world of design and architecture. But listen yourself to some of his thoughts on green design, carbon-free cities and the human right for free w-lan. Marcus Fairs works and lives as an editor, author and journalist in London. He is writing for publications like Blueprint, The Guardian, The Independent on Sunday and Conde Nast Traveller. Besides his contribution as a lecturer at Design Hotels Future Forum 2007 he has spoken at conferences in London, Tokyo, New York, Stockholm and Cape Town, among others.

Arne Quinze and Theresienthal

Tue, 27 Nov 2007 12:00:00 +0100

Die Gestalten Verlag (dgv) asked the trail-blazing Belgian artist and designer Arne Quinze to create a series of unique glass objects exclusively for our Fragiles showcase and sales exhibition Design Miami] from December 6 – 9, 2007. After some investigation, it soon became clear that Bavarian Kristallglasmanufaktur Theresienthal could be the ideal partner for bringing Quinze’s visions to life. Watching two worlds collide is always amazing. Watching two worlds joining forces to create something unique is even better. So when top-notch designer, artist and jack of all trades Arne Quinze was about to start work with the glassblowers of Theresienthal, we definitely wanted to witness and document this event. The task for Arne was to create several objects exclusively for the Fragiles exhibition at Design Miami curated by Die Gestalten Verlag. The task for Theresienthal’s artisans was to catch up with the zeitgeist while still being well grounded. Named after Queen Therese of Bavaria, the wife of Ludwig I, Theresienthal’s origins date back from the Middle Ages when glassmakers started settling for places of permanent production. Quinze, the zeitgeist of outstanding creativity matched with the excellent craftsmanship of Theresienthal resulted in a breathtaking collection of glass vases. The 'Fluid' collection can be seen for the first time and acquired at Fragiles in Miami as well as his collection of “PORCELAIN” vases.

Gestalten TV

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 12:00:00 +0100

Best known as specialists in developing content for aficionados of cutting-edge visual culture, Berlin's Gestalten proudly present Gestalten TV. Gestalten TV offers a new series of bi-weekly video podcasts from all areas of contemporary visual culture, including graphic design and typography, product and furniture design, architecture, photography, art and more. Gestalten TV aims at creating a preferably broad range of documentaries, interviews and features. The video podcasts will introduce Gestalten-related subjects alongside individuals, projects and companies that make a difference within the realm of visual culture, e.g. architects, filmmakers, artists, graphic designers, illustrators and musicians. Please subscribe to our podcast RSS feed for updates on our bi-weekly program.