Wed 09. August 2023, 18:00 – Sun 08. October 2023, 20:00

Schmutzige Ecke prologue exhibition

A.K.T; in Pforzheim
A.K.T; in PforzheimTheaterstraße 2175175PforzheimBaden-WürttembergDeutschland

Join the official opening on Wednesday August 9, at 6pm

In preparation for ORNAMENTA 2024, a new generation of designers is working on recontextualizing regional industries and companies based in the Northern Black Forest. As part of next year's curated programme, they will present fresh (unsolicited) proposals for these companies through spatial experiences, product presentations, research projects, and other formats. Visitors will experience how regional know-how offers a fertile ground for new ideas, brought to life by innovative makers from the local region, Germany, and beyond.

On the second floor of the A.K.T; tower works from three design studios are showcased in installations resembling fair stands. These stands present imaginative explorations of potential new divisions within three regional companies. Designers Henriette Waal, Studio Basse Stittgen, and Studio ThusThat, all part of the thematic neighborhood Schmutzige Ecke, contribute to our understanding by engaging in activities such as exposing physical labor, working with industrial waste, and shedding light on uncomfortable truths.

Opening: August 9, 2023 at 6pm

Exhibition:
August 11 - October 8, 2023
Fri. - Sun.
10am - 8pm

Learn More
1) Blood Related - A Visitor Center For Mass Meat Consumption
Designer Basse Stittgen adds a new narrative to a prominent slaughterhouse in the region through his ongoing project, 'Blood Related.' Stittgen raises questions about our connection to meat consumption, specifically focusing on whether we remain mindful of the meat's origin. For instance, he achieves this by creating a record made from discarded cow blood that plays the heartbeat of the animal. In 2024, he aims to explore design strategies for slaughterhouses to adopt new transparency in their operations.
2) Northern Black Forest In a Bottle - New frontiers of Local Beer Brewing
Henriette Waal, a designer and brewer, collaborates with various alumni, including those from Hochschule Pforzheim, to explore new applications for independent beer breweries in the region. Her exhibited project, "Mining Water – Mien Blééch," presented at Transferium 2023, features stainless steel water bottles designed for Belgian mine workers using hydroforming techniques. This project addresses the irony of preferring bottled water to clean tap water. Meanwhile clean tap water is wasted due to extensive mining activities in this specific part of Belgium. The bottles are accompanied by illustrations made by Jenny Stieglitz.
3) Emotional Recycling - Hidden Memories In Our Material Culture
The work 'This is Copper' by Studio ThusThat explores the aesthetic potential of waste materials. Utilizing slag, an industrial byproduct from the copper industry, they rework and breathe new life into discarded trash, transforming it into new designs. This philosophy invites metal recycling companies in the region to consider incorporating remnants of old memories that come with second-hand metal into new designs, turning what was once seen as waste into new design elements.

Schmutzige Ecke