This article continues Design Exposition: Tomorrows Visuals (Part 2). If you have not read that article yet, you can find it here.
Industrial Design
If you do not know what industrial design is go read the Wikipedia article. Basically it is using design to improve usability, functionality, and brand development of a product. This was probably the most interesting section to me. I would include pictures, but I do not feel right presenting someone else’s project. Mostly because I am not here to promote something someone else might want to market themselves.
One group within the University was tasked with making a kitchen which would fit within a 1 meter square space and allow several people to prepare and serve a meal. I think the project was focused toward apartment dwellers who do not have a lot of space. Most of the projects seemed to revolve around everything required for a kitchen shoved into it counter top minus the fridge. Most were not something I would want in my kitchen because they were to limiting. One design which I liked involved a round center section which had three different counter tops you could swivel into different positions.
My favorite kitchen happened to be designed by a friend of ours. It was completely unlike the other kitchens because it was just a single counter. Before I start describing my favorite kitchen I should write about how German apartments vary from their American counterparts. When I rented my first apartment in the United States it included a stove, fridge, and most surprisingly a kitchen sink. I say surprisingly because our German apartment included NOTHING. Just a room with four walls and some capped pipes for the sink on one wall.
So, onto my favorite kitchen design. Like I said it was basically a single counter covered by a silicone membrane, yet it contains so much. Within the counter surface are several burners. Creating a very smooth, clean, cooking surface. Off to one side there is a sink and you can store pots and pans within the legs. Now, my honest impression is I would not buy this kitchen to create my everyday meals. I could see where it would fit into the lifestyles of some people, but not into mine. Where I would love to have this kitchen is within my garden or at the campgrounds. It splits into three parts and could easily be transported in a small car or trailer. Setup would be quick and easy, and everything would be contained in one convenient spot. You could be boiling corn and potatoes on your counter while the burgers are cooking on the fire AND have everything within your reach.
I realize my words do little justice to my friends project. Maybe after he reads this I will be asked to post a picture of the project.
Artistic Design
Dog sculpture in Halle, Germany
The last second I am going to talk about is what I will chunk together as Artistic Design. I am throwing everything into here that was basically created for the pure purpose of art. Almost every project had a artistic component to it. As any good design will have. Yet, some sections of the exposition were purely done for arts sake. Especially in the sculpture section. The picture to the right was my favorite. We found it while walking out one side of a building. If I owned dogs like these two I would have bought this metal sculpture on the spot. There were other things like a painting with people and their pet chickens, a camp out in a bottle, or the stairway into the celling from the tar covered floor.
Conclusion
I had a great time visiting Halle. Especially evident by my ability to recall details about the weekend months later. I hope I get another opportunity to do something like this again. Plus, I cannot wait to write more articles about places I have visited. I enjoyed this glimpse into Halle, Germany. I hope you did too.
