T H E W ID E W O R L D OF C R A F T
Left:
Andrea Auer
The IVhite Tube,
electric wire.
Below:
Barbara Bloom
Installation of
Kaffeehaus chairs
at MAK.
“W e come from the applied arts, a n d our approach is hands-on.
W e freely m ove back a n d fo rth betw een one-of-a-kin d pieces a n d
in d u stria l production methods, establishing a dialogue betw een
the handm ade a n d industry. ”
— K a r l E m ilio P ircher
T e d M u e h lin g to c re a te g la ssw a re ; it is
an o ft-c ite d exam p le o f th e su cce ssfu l m ar-
riage o f trad itio n a l c ra ft sk ills and te ch -
n iq u es w ith fresh ideas.
B u t th is is n o t th e first tim e th at y o u n g
d esig n e rs w ith n e w c o n c e p ts and tra d i-
tio n a l c ra ft w o r k s h o p s h a v e c o lla b o ra te d
to c re a te d esig n s re c o g n iz e d w e ll b e y o n d
A u s tria . T h e W ie n e r W e r k s ta tte (V ie n n a
W o r k s h o p s ), fo u n d e d in 1903 b y J o s e f
H o ffm a n n and K o lo m a n M o s e r as a p ro -
d u ctio n c o m m u n ity o f v isu a l a rtists, also
re lie d o n th e h ig h le v e l o f trad itio n a l c ra ft
sk ills a va ila b le h e re . W it h a co m m itm en t
to applied arts m o d eled a fte r th e B ritish
A r ts and C r a fts m o v e m e n t and a d esire
to c re a te a
Gesam tkunstwerk
(to ta l w o r k
o f art) b y d esign in g p ro d u cts and ob jects
o f high q u a lity fo r all asp ects o f d a ily life ,
th e W ie n e r W e r k s ta tte su cce e d e d in in flu -
e n cin g m o d e m d esign w e ll b e y o n d its liq -
u id atio n in 1932.
T h e e x h ib itio n d isp lays at M AK, w h ic h
h o ld s th e W ie n e r W e r k s ta tte a rc h iv e s,
u n d e rw e n t a m ajo r re d e sig n in th e m id -
90s. B a rb a ra B lo o m , a s c u lp to r, c re a te d
a d isp la y fo r th e tra d itio n a l V ie n n e s e
ch air, th e ic o n ic lam in ated b e n tw o o d e x -
am p les d e sig n e d b y T h o n e t, b y p la cin g
th e co ffe e h o u se chairs b eh in d a m ilk y glass
sc re e n and lig h tin g th e m fro m b e h in d .
T h e ir g ra p h ic silh o u e tte s illu stra te th e
d esign s as i f th e y w e r e fe a tu re d in a fu rn i-
tu re catalog: sim p le fo rm s, e a sily id en ti-
fied , w ith m ass ap p eal fo r th e tu rn-of-th e-
2 0 th -cen tu ry con su m er.
N o sta lg ia fo r trad itio n is g iv e n a c o n -
te m p o ra ry tw is t in H in te rla n d , a sh o p
o p en ed b y G u d ru n W a lle n b o c k , an arch i-
te c t, and D o rte K a u fm a n , an art h isto ria n ,
w h ic h c a rrie s c o n te m p o ra ry h an d m ad e
c lo th in g , m o st n o ta b ly W a lle n b o c k ’s
W a lk in g S k ir ts , in c o rp o ra tin g p h o to -
graph s o f th e A u stria n co u n try sid e , in clu d -
in g m ou n tain s, w o o d e n farm h o u ses, c o w s
and e d e lw e iss. T h e s e m o tifs are p rin ted
on a re v e rsib le d o u b le-ap ro n d esig n o ffe r -
in g a n e w use fo r th e ap ro n , an im p o rta n t
c o m p o n e n t o f th e d irn d l—a tra d itio n a l
A u s tria n d ress w ith a tig h t b o d ice and fu ll
sk irt still c o m m o n ly w o r n b y m an y w o m -
en a cro ss th e c o u n try regard le ss o f th e ir
so cial stan d in g.
A n d at th e K lau s E n gelh orn C o lle c tio n ,
th e artist R o b e rt S ta d le r o ffe rs an u p d ated
in te rp re ta tio n o f a n o th e r tra d itio n a l
o b je c t, th e so fa , w ith P o o ls & P o u f! T h is
Auer photo Beranek / Bloom photo © Gerald Zugman / MAK.
