Apr / 27 / 2009 ¬

Big success of GD2D + PD3D - Fresh Air by PureAustrianDesign in Milan

Large crowds at the opening of the exhibition on Wednesday evening, April 22, at Milan's “O'artoteca”: 200 guests were expected, but over 500 came, amongst them plenty of Austrian design prominence and Austrians living in Milan, who valued the exhibition with the airy cylinders as very positive and successful. So did head of O'artoteca, Sara Serighelli, who for the first time presented  a design exhibition in her premises with "GD2D + PD3D - Fresh Air by PureAustrianDesign", especially impressed by the presentation in the form of air cylinders.

Georg Schnetzer, director of the Austrian Cultural Forum Milan, and Andrés Fredes from studio JULAND * Barcelona Vienna, responsible for curating this itinerant show, opened the exhibition. In his welcome speech Georg Schnetzer stressed the exciting, professional presentation of the design exhibits and was pleased that the Austrian Cultural Forum could bring this exhibition to Milan. In its unconventional form and by combining graphic and product design, the exhibition properly reflects the high level and the talent of Austrian creativity in the featured fields, he said.

A varied buffet and eclectic desserts, complemented by Austrian wine, led to the cozy part of the evening, musically accompanied with electronic sounds by Milan-based DJ Giuseppe Ielasi.

Content with the event were Mr. Berger from Auria as well as the Austrian furniture industry, represented by Georg Emprechtinger (Team7), Herbert Schwingenschuh & Silvia Trenker-Schwingenschuh (Conform Badmöbel) and Dolunay Yerit (austrian furniture industry). Right next to the exhibition in the main hall, a video lounge invited to comfortably sit down on seatings by Auria and watch “Design im Wandel (Design in transition)", the video by the austrian furniture industry, featuring various interviews with representatives of the austrian furniture industry and Austria's design scene.

But that's not enough: On the gallery of O'artoteca, one could view the exhibition "off the record", an exquisite selection of work by 7 Austrian product designers: Polka, destilat, Rainer Mutsch, Angelika Rümmele (rotario), Soda Designers, Martin Mostböck and Thomas Feichtner who also showed up in the opening event.

The exhibition wonderfully fits in the pleasant atmosphere of O'artoteca's exhibition hall, especially during the day, when the continuous skylights optimally illuminate the different exhibition areas. On the following 5 exhibition days, the art space faced keen interest by the visitors.

Also on Saturday evening, when a concert of the special kind was on schedule: Up to 100 people interested in music came to "PureAustrianSound". Three of the most interesting Austrian composers and musicians for contemporary experimental music performed in three separate sets, offering soft notes and dense soundscapes in the field of tension between acoustic and electronic sounds. Werner Dafeldecker (double-bass), Martin Brandlmayr (percussion, drums, electronics) and Michael Moser (cello, electronics) are the three international sound artists, who sonically filled the airspace between the airy cylinders.

"O'artoteca", which, in addition to its artists' residencies, is also promoting the experimental and contemporary music field with concert series and festivals, is located in the heart of the Isola district, far from Zona Tortona crowded during Milan's Salone Internazionale di Mobile. Conterminous to the city center from the north, Zona Isola with its studios and galleries - slowly but surely - turns out to be an exciting new alternative to the creative mainstream areas of Milan. For good reasons droog design from the Netherlands are in the area this year. The Isola district stands for the new creativity, apart from the mainstream trends, that seek to forge new ways - thus an ideal environment for fresh design from Austria to land.

© Photo: Michelangelo Princiotta / PureAustrianDesign.com (2009)

off the record

Dolunay Yerit (afi), Sylvia Schwingenschuh-Trenker (CONFORM), Herbert Schwingenschuh (CONFORM)

Georg Schnetzer (Austrian Trade)

Thomas Feichtner (Designer)

Stefan Kerle (Designer), Monika Singer (Polka Design), Robert Rüf (Designer)

Lounge Area by Auria
Lamp "Andromeda" by destilat

Lounge Area by Auria
Lamp "Andromeda" by destilat

Hats by Mühlbauer
Sponsored by WienProducts

Julia Taubinger (JULAND), Andrés Fredes (JULAND), Georg Schnetzer (Austrian Trade Commissioner)

Thomas Neuber (destilat)

Rainer Mutsch (Designer), Stefan Berger (Aurea)

Andrés Fredes (JULAND), Alicia Mann (Reed Exhibitions)

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