POLKA‘s interactive CUT Lamp invites its owner to customize the design to his or her heart’s desire. The pendant shade even comes with its own pair of scissors – yet another innovative design from the playful Vienna-based studio of partners Monica Singer and Marie Rahm.

*Images courtesy of POLKA

When approaching their designs for a new pot collection with traditional Austrian enamel company Riess Email, young Vienna-based design duo POLKA chose to reimagine the ways in which we interact with this common object. Asking questions like “How many handles does a pot need anyway?” and “What makes a functional object?” the pair created a new form of pot, one in which the idea of the pot is mutated and modified, rearranging our expectations for interactions with daily-used objects. The resulting collection of creatures entertain the user, allowing one to handle them as he or she sees fit, and encourages all of us to think about our daily routines and expectations.

Describing their playful approach to design, POLKA partners Marie Rahm and Monica Singer say:
“We like to observe, we like to surprise, we like to discover, we like to irritate, we like to find solutions, we like to tell stories, we like to entertain, we like to change the point of view . Above all, we like to create. And we like things.”

POLKA Pots are made on order.

POLKA product pleasure
Mariahilferstr. 9/7, 1060
Vienna, Austria
polkaproducts.com

* Photographs by Michael Stelzhammer. Images courtesy of POLKA.

Now showing at Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum: “Ted Muehling Selects: Lobmeyr Glass from the Permanent Collection.”

Jewelry and decorative arts designer Ted Muehling has been invited to curate a Cooper-Hewitt show of more than 100 pieces by legendary Viennese glassmaker, Lobmeyr. The resulting exhibition – which runs through fall 2010 – features J. & L. Lobmeyr glassware from 1835 to 2008 (spanning nearly the entire history of the firm) from the museum’s permanent collection, alongside original drawings lent by Lobmeyr, and other related works from the museum’s collection. The result is a thoughtful show, grouped by period, that demonstrates the timelessness of Lobmeyr’s glassware, the company’s influence on the modern aesthetic, and the its ongoing collaborative spirit.

Over the years, Lobmeyr has collaborated with an amazing list of designers and artists, including Josef Hoffmann, Adolf Loos, Michael Powolny and Josef Wimmer. The collection also features works by major 19th-century designers, such as Ludwig Lobmeyr and Josef Storck, as well as glass by contemporary designers like Max Lamb and Polka.

Muehling, who has also created his own designs in glass for Lobmeyr (see below!), brings a unique perspective to the show, and has chosen works that celebrate the art of drinking and entertaining.

Celebrated for its clear, simple forms, many of the Lobmeyr’s designs have been in continuous production since their introduction in the mid-19th century. One of Lobmeyr’s most celebrated commissions is the Starburst Chandeliers at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.

According to Lobmeyr co-owner Leonid Rath, “Our parents conserved an appreciation for quality and the abilities of craftsman. We inherited a great opportunity…and we have a great love for designers in a time when people are fed up by superficial products.” Rather than compromising on quality, he says, Lobmeyr continues to create quality work that simultaneously pleases the contributing designers, the company and the public. “There is no tradeoff.”

“Ted Muehling Selects” is the 10th in a series of small one-gallery exhibitions in the Nancy and Edwin Marks Gallery. The museum invites guest curators from all around the world to create exhibitions and installations interpreted in their own voice from works in the museum’s permanent collection.

*above: Butterfly” Tumbler, pattern no. 279. Designed by Ted Muehling (American, b.1953) . Manufactured for J. & L. Lobmeyr. Austria, 2007. Glass. Museum purchase through gift of Arthur Liu and Anonymous Donor and from General Acquisitions Endowment Fund.

*above: Josephine bedside bottle. Designed by POLKA (Marie Rahm (Austrian) and Monica Singer (Austrian). Manufactured by Bšhmische Manufaktur for J & L Lobmeyr. Vienna, Austria, 2006. Glass. Museum purchase from General Acquisition Fund.

*above: Ambassador” wine decanter, pattern no. 240. Designed by Oswald Haerdtl (Austrian, 1899–1959). Manufactured for J. & L. Lobmeyr. Vienna, Austria, 1925. Glass. Museum purchase through gift of Arthur Liu and Anonymous Donor and from General Acquisitions Endowment Fund.

*above: “Black and Gold” Water pitcher. Designed by Karl Massanetz (Czech, 1890–1918). Manufactured for J. & L. Lobmeyr. Vienna, Austria, 1913–14. Glass. Museum purchase through gift of Arthur Liu and Anonymous Donor and from General Acquisitions Endowment Fund.

*above: Group of table glass, pattern no. 218 . Designed by Stefan Rath (Austrian, 1876–1960). Manufactured for J. & L. Lobmeyr. Vienna, Austria, ca. 1905. Glass. Museum purchase through gift of Arthur Liu and Anonymous Donor and from General Acquisitions Endowment Fund.

*above: Drinking set no.248 – “Loos.” Design: Adolf Loos, 1931. The bar set. The architect Adolf Loos was ahead of his time with this clear, uncompromising concept of form. This tumbler service is made with a so called brilliant pattern on the base. Each line is still cut by hand and carefully matt-polished. This series paved the way for modern glass design and is another Lobmeyr classic since 1931. This particular image courtesy of Lobmeyr.

*All photographs by Andrew Garn, except Drinking set no.248 – “Loos.” Images courtesy of Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum.

New for 2010, Vienna-based design house POLKA introduces the Floyd Sofa Range. Designed for Wittmann, this unconventional sofa series combines the classic couch shape with interchangeable, attachable elements that give the furniture a surprising versatility. Back cushions and armrests in various sizes let it go from a couch to a chaise, and a selection of accessories – a laptop table, a tray, a lamp, and a small round table – make it super-functional and fun.

Created in 2004, POLKA ( Polka Product Pleasure) is the brainchild of design duo Monica Singer and Marie Rahm. The pair “regards everyday life phenomena as their project’s fuel. To discover the beauty in the banal, the extraordinary out of the ordinary is the aim. We show shifting points of view, we like to surprise and carry on the ease of life forward on the way to create ‘product pleasures’.” Already, their impressive client list includes names like Lobmeyr, MINI/BMW and MAK among many others. To learn more about these product and visual designers, visit polkaproducts.com.

This week, the Design Museum Holon presents its inaugural exhibition: “The State of Things: Design and the 21st Century.” Opening March 4th and running through May 15th, the exhibit – which takes place in the new Ron Arad-designed, Israeli building – features more than 100 objects that collectively reflect issues concerning the practice, consumption and cultural impact of contemporary international design.

*above: Design Museum Holon, by Ron Arad Architects

The star-studded cast of contributing designers includes Maarten Baas, Jaime Hayon, Max Lamb, Joris Laarman, Front, Yves Behar, Stephen Burks, Tokujin Yoshioka, Konstantin Grcic, POLKA, Tom Dixon, Ingo Maurer, the Campana Brothers and Dror Benshetrit, among others.

*above: “Cabbage Chair” by Nendo

The curated objects range from ordinary household items to life-enhancing and saving technologies. According to Design Museum Holon Creative Director, Galit Gaon: “The museum is committed to showcasing the importance of quality design and its relevance to our lives at this particular point in time; the objects in the exhibition will reveal the same ingenuity and poetry evident in the new Ron Arad building that will house them.”

*above: “Wiek Cabinet” by Maarten Baas

*above: “Brave New World Lamp” by Moooi

Each grouping of works represents a contemporary category. Whether through the materials employed, the concepts conveyed, or the uses intended, these objects reflect our times so acutely that they could only have been made in the last few years: thus, the current “state of things.”

*above: “Cappellini Love Table” by Stephen Burks

For more information on the new Design Museum Holon, check out www.dmh.org.
Tel: +972 7 32151515
Fax: +972 3 6520331

*Images courtesy of Design Museum Holon.