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"Wiener Werkstätte" Tag


“It is better to work for ten days on one item than to produce ten items in one day.”


Thursday, November 12, 2009
Wiener Werkstätte

Wiener Werkstätte

The first thing I saw of the book “Wiener Werkstätte” was the cover which was a original signet of the Wiener Wrkst. from 5th avenue NYC.

It is strange, but I was looking for the book for more then three years. The publisher Taschen doesn’t sell the book anymore for quite a long time. So for me, it wasn’t coincidence that I finally found the book.

In this book you can find a described history from Wiener Wrkst. from 1897 till 1932.
The content is filled with photographs of furniture, glass works, ceramics, metal works, jewelry, fashion, architecture and graphic design.

The Wiener Werkstätte created hand works from different types of styles who were practical for the daily life.

My feeling about this book is more than positive. I am impressed by the motto from Wiener Wrkst. “The characteristic principle of the Werkstatte…is that it is better to work for ten days on one item than to produce ten items in one day.” I feel that this is exactly the problem from the nowadays mass fabrication because it doesn’t have an artistic value.
I dearly recommend to take a look in the book cause It will give you a nice esthetic feeling.

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The ‘Wiener Werkstätte’ and the concept ‘Gesamtkunstwerk’


Wednesday, October 14, 2009

At the beginning of the 20th century Josef Hoffmann, Kolo Moser and the industrialist Fritz Werndorfer founded the ‘Wiener Werkstätte’. In order to protect traditional handicraft from mass-production they designed exclusive handmade everyday objects and gave them the aura of art. At the same time they tried to find an alternative to old representative art forms favored by the rulers of Austria which shaped the picture of Vienna at this time. When they started to design architecture which they filled with their handmade furniture and their handmade objects their work became a concept that led to an idea of a different society based on pure aesthetics: they tried to create a ‘Gesamtkunstwerk’.

Under which circumstances could such a concept develop? The design of the ‘Wiener Werkstätte’ is still very modern and popular while the concept of the ‘Gesamtkunstwerk’ is not relevant anymore. But why? Do we need a similar utopia today? If one wants to get an idea ‘why’ one has to take a closer look at the development of the concept ‘Gesamtkunstwerk’ in relation to its historic background.

Wiener_Werkstätte


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