67 — Eike König

EIKE KÖNIG

EIKE KÖNIG

Front cover — HOMER VS. HOMER, screenprint on canvas, 120x160cm, edition of 5, 2022 Back cover — I LIKE YOUR STYLE / PROBLEMS, 3 color animated neon, 150x200cm, 2017, from the solo show I LIKE YOUR PROBLEMS at Âme Nue, Hamburg

I’VE NEVER BEEN SO HAPPY.

Installation view of the solo show GLOBAL ISSUES / COOL BLEIBEN at Matter Hamburg, 2022

BEST OF JUMPSUIT, size 46, embroidery and patches on blue jumpsuit, 2020

Designer, artist, teacher, lecturer…What’s the relationship between your many incarnations?

MY ARTISTIC WORK IS VERY MUCH RELATED TO MY COMMERCIAL WORK. IT JUST GREW OUT OF IT VERY NATURALLY.

How did the shift towards art practice begin?

I THINK THAT ARTISTIC PRACTICE STARTED WHEN I GOT THIS RESIDENCY AT VILLA MASSIMO, IN ROME. THIS IS A GERMAN ACADEMIC INSTITUTE. AND USUALLY, THIS AWARD IS NOT GIVEN TO APPLIED PRACTICES. IT IS MORE FOR ARCHITECTS, WRITERS, CLASSICAL MUSICIANS AND ARTISTS. SO HAVING THE CHANCE TO DO THAT, AS A GRAPHIC DESIGNER, SOMEHOW OPENED THIS PATH TO ME. BUT I THINK THAT THE APPLIED WORK I HAVE DONE OVER THE YEARS, THAT IS COMPLETELY WOVEN INTO WHAT I'M DOING RIGHT NOW. MY ARTISTIC PRACTICE IS SO

THE JOURNEY FROM INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNISED DESIGNER TO ARTIST AND TEACHER.

CONNECTED TO MY COMMERCIAL WORK. ALL THE KNOWLEDGE, THE STRATEGIES, THE BRANDING OF MYSELF, THE WAY I USE TYPOGRAPHY AND LANGUAGE. YOU FIND ALL OF THIS ALSO IN MY APPLIED WORK. SO IT'S NOTHING RADICALLY NEW. IT REALLY FEELS LIKE A TREE THAT’S JUST GROWN ANOTHER BRANCH. AND THAT BRANCH IS STARTING TO BLOSSOM.

It’s been a gradual, organic process?

THE SHIFT WAS COMING FOR QUITE SOME YEARS, BUT THEN I SLOWLY CHANGED MY FOCUS TO ACCEPT, ‘OKAY, IF I REALLY WOULD LIKE TO MOVE FORWARD IN THE ART WORLD - IT'S A NEW WORLD TO ME - I REALLY HAVE TO PUT ENERGY INTO IT AND FOCUS ON THAT A LITTLE BIT.’ THIS WILL NOT HAPPEN OUT OF NOTHING. I NEED TO BE INVOLVED IN IT, AND I NEED TO INVEST IN IT. AND I NEED TO LEARN HOW IT WORKS. IT JUST NEEDS TIME AND ENERGY. SO I DECIDED TO STEP OUT OF MY

STUDIO, MORE AND MORE, AND REALLY FOCUS ON MY ARTISTIC WORK. AND, MY STUDIO, IT ALSO HAPPENED THAT WE REALLY GOT HIT VERY HARD BY CORONA. WE LOST ALL OUR CONTRACTS WITH CLIENTS. THE GLOBAL CRISIS WAS ALSO A VERY PERSONAL CRISIS... SUDDENLY, WE UNDERSTOOD HOW THIN THE ICE IS, OR HOW SENSITIVE THE WHOLE IDEA OF STUDIO IS.

That realisation was tough on a lot of people.

YOU KNOW, IF THERE ARE NO PROJECTS ANYMORE, WHAT ARE WE DOING? I REALLY THOUGHT OF CLOSING THE STUDIO BECAUSE OF THAT. NO ONE KNEW HOW LONG COVID WOULD LAST. WE HAD TO MAKE DECISIONS AT ONE POINT. AND, EVERY MEMBER OF OUR COLLECTIVE SOMEHOW MADE THEIR OWN DECISION.

Coming out of the other side of COVID, do you see any differences out there in the world?

HAPPY BRANDING VARIATIONS, modelling paste & enamel on canvas, each 120x160cm, 2022

TO BE HONEST, I'M VERY DISAPPOINTED. I REALLY FELT LIKE THIS WAS A HUGE, ONCE IN A LIFETIME CHANCE TO MASSIVELY REFLECT ON WHAT'S GOING WRONG AND MAKE DECISIONS IN A POSITIVE WAY TO CHANGE THINGS IN THE FUTURE. I THINK PEOPLE DID THAT ON A PERSONAL LEVEL. BUT WHEN THINGS SLOWLY RETURNED TO WHATEVER NORMAL IS NOW, LIFE JUST WENT BACK INTO THE SAME MODE, LIKE IT WAS BEFORE. IT DIDN'T REALLY FEEL LIKE THERE WAS ANYTHING DIFFERENT FROM WHAT HAS BEEN BEFORE. AND THAT WAS QUITE DISAPPOINTING.

FOR ME, I THINK THAT WE’RE STILL SUFFERING FROM THE PANDEMIC. IT'S NOT OVER. IT HAD A HUGE IMPACT ON US. AND, I THINK WE DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW BIG THE IMPACT WAS YET. WE WILL FIGURE IT OUT OVER THE COMING YEARS. BUT YEAH, I DON'T THINK IT REALLY CHANGED TOO MUCH FOR THE BETTER.

CRISIS. THAT’S ALSO VERY POSITIVE. I SPENT SO MUCH TIME WITH OUR SON. TIME I USUALLY WOULDN'T HAVE SPENT. SEEING HIM LEARNING HOW TO WALK, HOW TO SPEAK AND ALL THESE THINGS THAT ARE QUITE MAGICAL IN LIFE. THINGS THAT OFTEN HAPPEN SOMEWHERE ELSE, WHEN YOU’RE NOT INVOLVED. OR RATHER, YOU ARE INVOLVED, BUT YOU DON’T SEE THEM REALLY HAPPENING IN SUCH AN INTENSE WAY. I COULD REALLY FOCUS ON WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO ME. THAT'S WHY WE DON'T REALLY DO

AN OUTCOME FROM THIS CRISIS. I REALLY DELETED THINGS THAT HAD A MASSIVE IMPACT ON MY MENTAL HEALTH. I REALLY FOCUSED ON BRINGING MENTAL HEALTH BACK IN MY LIFE AGAIN, TO FIND A BALANCE, TO FIND OUT WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO ME.

And the fast-paced design life has taken a back seat?

IN THE WAY THEY LIKE TO READ

A LOT OF WORK WITH THE STUDIO ANYMORE. JUST TWO TO THREE PROJECTS PER YEAR

So, the future looks bright?

There were some positives, though, right?

WELL YES, THE BIG PICTURE IS A LITTLE BIT SAD, BUT FROM MY OWN PERSPECTIVE, I REALLY HAD THE CHANCE TO DO THINGS I COULDN'T DO WITHOUT THAT

A MONTH AGO STEFAN SAGMEISTER, AT A LECTURE IN VIENNA, HE ASKED ME ON STAGE HOW I WAS FEELING. I SAID, “I’VE NEVER BEEN SO HAPPY.” THAT'S WEIRD, KNOWING WHAT THE CRISIS DID TO ME PERSONALLY AND GLOBALLY, AS A SOCIETY. BUT I STILL CAN SAY I'VE NEVER BEEN SO HAPPY. THAT IS ALSO

I FEEL LIKE OVER THE YEARS, I JUST ACCEPTED THIS HIGH SPEED LIFE AS A GIVEN. I HAVE TO BE PART OF IT, I NEED TO BE DRIVING AT THE SAME SPEED, JUST LIKE ALL THE OTHER PEOPLE. NOW I SAY ‘NO, I NEED TO HAVE MY OWN SPEED.’ AND IF THAT DOESN’T FIT WITH OTHER SPEED SYSTEMS THEN IT'S NOT A MATCH ANYMORE. THAT REALLY HELPED ME A LOT TO FIND MYSELF AGAIN. THAT SOUNDS SO PATHETICALLY CLICHÉ. BUT I REALLY FEEL LIKE I CAN FEEL MYSELF MUCH MORE INTENSELY THAN I DID BEFORE. I CHANGED THE WAY I EAT FOOD AND DO SPORTS AND SPEND TIME. I’M NOT SO EASILY STRESSED ANYMORE.

Have you noticed those changes in feelings and lifestyle coming out in the

work that you produce?

MY WORK HAS DIFFERENT KINDS OF TOPICS. IT'S ABOUT THE DIGITAL WORLD. SOMETIMES IT REACTS TO THINGS THAT HAPPEN. BUT IT'S SOMETIMES ALSO MORE PHILOSOPHICAL. IN A WAY, WHAT YOU CAN SEE IN MY ARTISTIC WORK IS A DIALOGUE I'M HAVING WITH MYSELF. IT'S LIKE, I'M RECORDING PERMANENTLY, THINGS THAT TOUCHED ME, THINGS THAT INTEREST ME. I'M RECORDING THEM AS IMAGES OR TEXT FRAGMENTS. I WRITE THEM DOWN ON MY PHONE. THAT'S SOMEHOW BECOME THE TOOL I USE TO RECORD THE FRAGMENTS THAT HAVE REACHED ME. AFTER A WHILE I HAVE ACCUMULATED A LOOSE LIST OF THINGS, AND I'M ALWAYS GOING THROUGH THIS LIST, LOOKING FOR POTENTIAL. THAT'S THE WAY I WORK. I RECORD THE FRAGMENTS WITHOUT JUDGING THEM. AND THEN, LATER, WITH A DISTANCE, I TRY TO LOOK AT THEM AGAIN. AND THEN I START TO WORK WITH THE FRAGMENTS, I START TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS IF I CHANGE WORDS, OR DELETE WORDS. I'M VERY MUCH INTUITIVE, INTERESTED IN THIS SPACE OF INTERPRETATION.

Are you making a point or exploring an idea with your artworks?

THESE ARE NOT STATEMENTS WHERE I WOULD LIKE TO SAY SOMETHING PARTICULAR. FOR ME, IT'S MORE INTERESTING HOW THE AUDIENCE, THE VIEWER, READS THE CONTENT. AND HOW THAT CAN CHANGE, DEPENDING ON THE AUDIENCE. OF COURSE, I HAVE SOMETHING IN MIND, BUT THAT'S NOT SOMETHING I WOULD LIKE TO COMMUNICATE. IT'S

COMPLETELY OPEN HOW YOU INTERPRET THIS DATA. I FIND THAT FASCINATING.

As Steve Jobs once said, creativity is basically just connecting things.

PEOPLE ALWAYS READ THINGS

MORE LIKE THE EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION AND WHAT HAPPENS IN BETWEEN. WHAT I SAY MIGHT NOT BE THE INFORMATION THAT WILL REACH THE PERSON I'M SAYING IT TO. THAT'S SO INTERESTING. PEOPLE ALWAYS READ THINGS IN THE WAY THEY LIKE TO READ. YOU CAN TRY TO INFLUENCE HOW INFORMATION IS RECORDED. TRY TO PUT IT INTO AN ORDER, TO DESIGN AN OPINION OR A FEELING. BUT, EVEN IF IT'S OUT THERE IN THE WORLD AS DATA, IT'S

YEAH, I TOTALLY AGREE. I THINK THAT EVERYTHING IS THERE ALREADY. NOTHING IS CREATED OUT OF NOTHING. THAT'S ONE OF THE STRENGTHS OF HUMAN BEINGS - CONNECTING THINGS. THAT'S MAYBE ALSO THE ONLY ADVANTAGE WE STILL HAVE OVER ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. THAT WE CAN CONNECT THINGS FROM COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SOURCES. AND I ALSO SEE THAT THERE'S NEVER JUST ONE ROAD. THERE ARE MILLIONS OF ROADS, AND THERE'S NOT ONE THAT’S THE BEST. THERE ARE A LOT OF WAYS THAT ARE GREAT.

That outlook gives you a lot of freedom

I WORK WITH STUDENTS, AND A LOT OF THEM THINK THAT ALL THESE THINGS ARE COMING OUT OF THEM. THEY SEE THEMSELVES AS THE SOURCE, BUT THAT'S DEFINITELY NOT THE SITUATION. ONCE YOU REALISE THIS YOU

Installation view of the solo show THE AESTHETICS OF BOREDOM, Künstlerforum Bonn, 2019

HAVE A TOTALLY DIFFERENT WAY OF WORKING OPEN TO YOU. THAT'S WHAT STEVE JOBS DID. IF YOU LOOK BACK ON HIS WORK, HE CONNECTED THINGS THAT ALREADY EXISTED, AND HE JUST MADE THEM BETTER, OR CHANGED THE WAY THEY WERE CONNECTED. AND THEN SUDDENLY, YOU HAVE THIS SMARTPHONE IN YOUR HAND, WHICH COMPLETELY CHANGED OUR LIVES. HE CONNECTED A LOT OF THINGS THAT ALREADY EXISTED AS IDEAS OR EVEN AS PROTOTYPES OR PRODUCTS. THAT MADE IT SO POWERFUL. YOU DON'T HAVE TO DEVELOP THINGS FROM SCRATCH, THAT'S THE THING. WE ARE PART OF HISTORY, OF THINGS. YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT THE HISTORY OF ACTIONS AND THINGS ARE ALSO PART OF YOUR OUTPUT.

Moving from design into artistic practice, you must enjoy learning new things?

LIFE ISN'T COMPLETE, IT IS A FLUX. IT'S A PROCESS. SO LEARNING NEVER STOPS. THE DIFFICULTY IS, IF YOU KNOW HOW TO SOLVE A PROBLEM, THEN YOU WILL ALWAYS REPEAT THAT SOLUTION. THAT'S VERY HARD TO STEP OUT OF. AND IF YOU JUST FOLLOW A PATTERN, YOU WILL NOT LEARN ANYTHING, NOT DISCOVER ANY NEW SOLUTIONS. ONE WAY TO STEP OUT OF IS TO LEARN SOMETHING NEW. THAT

WAS ALWAYS AN ENGINE IN MY LIFE. TO DO SOMETHING I HAVE NEVER DONE BEFORE. AND MY EXPERIENCE FROM THIS IS VERY POSITIVE. WORKING WITH OTHER PEOPLE IS ANOTHER IMPORTANT WAY TO PUT YOURSELF INTO A SITUATION WHERE YOU WILL LEARN SOMETHING.

What cooled your interest in design work?

I HAVE LOST COUNT HOW MANY BRANDINGS I’VE DONE IN THE LAST 30 YEARS. AT SOME POINT, I HAD TO ASK, ‘WHAT DOES IT PERSONALLY BRING FOR MYSELF, MY OWN DEVELOPMENT, TO DO ANOTHER BRANDING?’ IT JUST DOESN'T KICK ME ANYMORE. IT DOESN'T REALLY CHALLENGE ME. THAT'S A PROBLEM I HAD TO FACE. THAT I DIDN'T REALLY FEEL SO FASCINATED ANYMORE BY THAT WORK. BUT, HAVING THE CHANCE TO START DOING MY ARTISTIC PRACTICE REALLY BROUGHT THE FUN BACK TO COMMERCIAL WORK, EVEN IF IT'S NOT MY DAILY LIFE ANYMORE. THAT WAS VERY IMPORTANT FOR ME - TO JUST STEP AWAY. AND NOT FEEL SO DEPENDENT. BECAUSE WORKING WITH CLIENTS HAD SUCH A HUGE IMPACT ON MY PERSONAL LIFE, NOT JUST BECAUSE OF MONEY, BUT ALSO REGARDING TIMING, AND FULFILMENT.

Getting perspective has a magical effect sometimes

ESPECIALLY AFTER BECOMING A FATHER, IT REALLY CAME INTO FOCUS THAT I NEEDED TO ORGANISE MY LIFE COMPLETELY DIFFERENTLY - AROUND MY CHILD NOW. THAT’S THE NEED. AND IF THIS CHOICE IS ALWAYS DISRUPTED BY A CLIENT WHO WANTS TO MAKE SOME CHANGES TO A PROJECT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, I CANNOT REALLY ORGANISE MY OWN TIME. SO, I FEEL LIKE IT'S VERY NATURAL, HOW EVERYTHING IS SHIFTING INTO NEW DIRECTIONS. IT FELT GOOD TO CHANGE THAT PART OF MY LIFE. I'M ALSO TEACHING, I CANNOT CHANGE THAT, I DON'T WANT TO CHANGE THAT. I SOMEHOW MANAGED TO ORGANISE MY PERSONAL LIFE SO THAT I CAN PRODUCE THINGS. SO I FEEL HAPPY.

Do you still enjoy collaborating?

I LOVE WORKING WITH OTHER PEOPLE, COLLABORATING AND BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER. ESPECIALLY IN MY STUDIO WORK, COLLABORATING WITH PEOPLE WAS WAS A KEY. I HAVE GROWN AND LEARNED AND CHANGED, JUST BECAUSE OF THE PEOPLE I'VE BEEN WORKING WITH. IF I HAD JUST STAYED ALONE, I WOULD HAVE CREATED MY OWN

THE PAST, THE FUTURE, modelling paste and enamel on canvas, each 120x160cm, 2022

LIFE ISN'T COMPLETE, IT IS A FLUX. IT'S A PROCESS.

UNIVERSE TO WHICH I WOULD ALWAYS REFER. IF YOU OPEN THAT KIND OF UNIVERSE TO OTHER UNIVERSES, THEN SUDDENLY YOU CAN STEP INTO NEW ROOMS AND DISCOVER NEW WAYS OF THINKING. THAT'S WHY WORKING IN A COLLABORATIVE WAY REALLY BROUGHT ME TO WHERE I AM. BUT NOW I'M WORKING ALONE AGAIN.

Would you ever consider jumping back into design’s fast lane?

SOMETIMES I STILL STEP INTO THIS SPEED AND I FEEL LIKE,

BUDGET. YOU CAN’T JUST PRESS A BUTTON AND HAVE CREATIVITY. THINGS REALLY NEED TIME TO DEVELOP, TO BE TESTED AND QUESTIONED AND REFINED. IN THE LAST 20 YEARS, THIS WAS TAKEN AWAY FROM US, LITTLE BY LITTLE.

How did that happen?

Is it digitisation?

THE RISE OF THE COMPUTER WAS DEFINITELY AN AMAZING MOMENT. IN MY LIFE AS A DESIGNER IT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT. AT THE SAME TIME, I SEE WHAT IT HAS TAKEN

The sheer volume of images we see every day, is a new kind of revolution. Is that having an effect?

THOSE IMAGES, THEY’RE SOMEHOW WITH YOU FOREVER, BUT AT THE SAME TIME THEY ARE DELETED. IN A WAY IT FEELS LIKE THEY DEFINITELY HAVE AN IMPACT ON YOU, WITHOUT YOU KNOWING IT. YOUR OWN WORK IS VERY MUCH INFLUENCED BY THE DATA YOU'RE CONSUMING EVERY DAY. AND THEREFORE, INSTAGRAM AND STUFF LIKE THAT, THEY HAVE A MASSIVE IMPACT

STOPS NEVER LEARNING

“OH. I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG I CAN RUN WITH YOU!” IF YOU STEP BACK A LITTLE BIT, THEN FOR SURE, IT ALL BECOMES VERY SHARP AND VERY COLOURFUL. YOU CAN SEE WHAT'S GOING ON. IF YOU'RE ‘IN IT’ YOU DON'T REALISE. IF YOU STEP OUT OF IT, AND JUST LOOK AT IT, YOU SEE, ‘OH, WOW!’ BUT IT WILL TAKE A LONG TIME FOR PEOPLE TO ACCEPT THAT YOU NEED MORE TIME. I REALLY TRIED A LOT, I PUT A LOT OF ENERGY INTO TALKING WITH MY CLIENTS ABOUT THE NEED FOR TIME IN THE DESIGN PROCESS. IT’S NOT JUST THE

FROM ME, BECAUSE I GOT EDUCATED BY HAND. THERE WERE NO COMPUTERS WHEN I LEARNED DESIGN. DESIGN WAS A COMPLETE, BODY-INVOLVED EXPERIENCE. THE COMPUTER AS A TOOL GAVE ME POSSIBILITIES THAT I HADN’T HAD BEFORE. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, THE EXPECTATION CHANGED. SUDDENLY CLIENTS THINK, “YOU HAVE A COMPUTER, YOU CAN DO IT VERY EASILY, AND VERY FAST. WHY SHOULD I GIVE YOU MORE TIME OR MORE MONEY?” SO THEY TOOK AWAY THE MONEY AND THEY TOOK AWAY THE TIME.

ON YOUR OWN WORK, WITHOUT OFTEN BEING RECOGNISED. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, THE LIFESPAN OF IMAGES IS VERY SHORT NOW. YOU SEE IT, YOU FORGET IT. BUT YOU DON'T REALLY FORGET IT. IT'S STILL THERE, SOMEHOW, IT LEFT SOMETHING, OR CHANGED SOMETHING.

It must change how we learn to be creative?

GOING BACK TO MY EDUCATION, THERE WAS NO INTERNET. I COULD ONLY GO TO A LIBRARY AND SEE WHAT OTHER PEOPLE WERE DOING.

Installation view of the studio, from the group show APOCALYPSE NOW at Affenfaust Gallery Hamburg, 2021

SO I SEE THIS AS A PROBLEM FOR MY STUDENTS, THAT THEY ALWAYS COMPETE WITH THE WHOLE WORLD. THAT CREATES CONFLICTS, THEY'RE VERY UNSURE ABOUT THEIR OWN WORK, JUST BECAUSE THEY SEE ALL THE OTHER WORK. I NEVER HAD THAT. AND MAYBE BECAUSE I WAS NOT REALLY COMPETING WITH ANYONE ELSE I DIDN'T JUDGE MY WORK SO HARSHLY. I DIDN'T PUT IT IN RELATION TO OTHER PEOPLE'S WORK ALL THE TIME. BUT THAT'S WHAT MY STUDENTS ARE DOING, EVERY DAY. THEY WANT TO BECOME FAMOUS, THEY WANT TO BE SEEN, THEY WANT TO PUT OUT THEIR WORK AND BE RECOGNISED, SO THEY INVEST A LOT OF TIME INTO PUBLIC PERFORMANCE. FOR YEARS, I DID NOT DO THAT. I WAS JUST DOING MY OWN THING. I WAS REALLY FOCUSED ON THAT.

You don’t suffer personally from image over-saturation?

IT DOESN'T REALLY ATTACK ME AS HARD AS IT DOES THE YOUNGER GENERATION BECAUSE MY SOCIALISATION IS DIFFERENT. I'M NOT REALLY ADDICTED. I'M USING INSTAGRAM AS A TOOL. A WAY TO TALK ABOUT MY WORK. I'M NOT BROWSING THROUGH IT FOR HOURS AT A TIME. THAT JUST DOESN'T DO ANYTHING FOR ME. BUT IF YOU REALLY ANALYSE IT, THEN YOU CAN SEE HOW MUCH IT REALLY HAS AN

IMPACT ON YOU. FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN I BUILT MY STUDIO, I ALSO WANTED IT TO SERVE AS A GALLERY SPACE FOR MY WORK. AND THEN THERE’S THE DIGITAL REPRESENTATION OF YOUR WORK. YOU NEED TO HAVE A KIND OF PHOTO BOOTH SITUATION, WHERE YOU CAN PLACE YOUR WORK, RECORDIT AND THEN PUT IT ON INSTAGRAM. SO, YOU CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT FOR YOUR PHOTO SHOOTING. A DIGITAL MOCK UP OF YOUR GALLERY SPACE. IT'S CRAZY. BUT IF I REALLY ANALYSE IT, I BUILT THE STUDIO AS I DID BECAUSE OF THAT. MAYBE NOT KNOWINGLY, BUT THE NEED CREATED A DRIVE.

Maybe the effect is so powerful because it’s so subtle?

DEFINITELY, THINGS LIKE INSTAGRAM HAVE A LOT OF INFLUENCE ON VISUAL CULTURE. A LOT OF EXHIBITIONS, AND THE WAY YOU HANG WORK IS INFLUENCED BY THE QUESTION OF HOW CAN IT BE REPRESENTED DIGITALLY. “DO I HAVE ENOUGH MATERIAL FOR MY INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT?” MY WORK WORKS WELL ON INSTAGRAM. BUT STILL, IT LOSES A LOT. I CANNOT FULLY TRANSMIT THROUGH DIGITAL GADGETS. SO IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU CAN ALSO SEE MY WORK IN THE REAL, BECAUSE THEN THERE'S

MATERIAL, THERE’S A DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE WORK AND THE SPACE. THAT'S SO IMPORTANT FOR ME, BUT I CANNOT COMMUNICATE IT VIA INSTAGRAM. SO I USE THE PLATFORM, BUT I ALSO KNOW ITS LIMITS.

Is there an up side to our image saturation?

PLATFORMS LIKE INSTAGRAM, HAVE SUCH A BIG IMPACT ON US, IN PART BY CREATING BUBBLES IN WHICH WE ALWAYS SEE THE SAME KIND OF IMAGES, BECAUSE THESE ALGORITHMS CREATE A STRANGE KIND OF WORLD THAT REFERS TO YOU ALL THE TIME. THAT'S A WEIRD THING. NOTHING UNUSUAL HAPPENS. THAT CREATES A LARGE MAINSTREAM AND DELETES A LOT OF NOISES AND EXTREMES AND POSSIBILITIES. THE IMPACT OF THAT IS MASSIVE. BUT ALSO, SUDDENLY, YOU CAN SEE WORK OF SO MANY OTHER PEOPLE, AND YOU CAN GET IN CONTACT WITH THEM. FOR MY STUDENTS THIS IS GREAT. THEY JUST WRITE TO SOMEONE THEY REALLY ADMIRE, AND THEY ANSWER!

PREVIOUS PUBLICATIONS

01 CHRISTOPH NIEMANN Illustration Design 2009 02 MICHEL MALLARD Creative Direction 2009 03 FUN FACTORY Product Design 2009 04 ANDREAS UEBELE Signage Design 2010

HARRI PECCINOTTI Photography 2010 06 KUSTAA SAKSI Illustration Design 2010

5.5 DESIGNERS Product Design 2011 08 NIKLAUS TROXLER Graphic Design 2011 09 JOACHIM SAUTER Media Design 2011 10 MICHAEL JOHNSON Graphic Design 2011 11 ELVIS POMPILIO Fashion Design 2011 12 STEFAN DIEZ Industrial Design 2012 13 CHRISTIAN SCHNEIDER Sound Design 2012 14 MARIO LOMBARDO Editorial Design 2012 15 SAM HECHT Industrial Design 2012 16 SONJA STUMMERER & MARTIN HABLESREITER Food Design 2012

LERNERT & SANDER Art & Design 2013

MURAT GÜNAK Automotive Design 2013

NICOLAS BOURQUIN Editorial Design 2013

SISSEL TOLAAS Scent Design 2013

CHRISTOPHE PILLET Product Design 2013

MIRKO BORSCHE Editorial Design 2014

PAUL PRIESTMAN Transportation Design 2014

BRUCE DUCKWORTH Packaging Design 2014

ERIK SPIEKERMANN Graphic Design 2014

KLAUS-PETER SIEMSSEN Light Design 2014

EDUARDO AIRES Corporate Design 2015

PHILIPPE APELOIG Graphic Design 2015

LA FILLE D’O Fashion Design 2016

RUEDI BAUR Graphic Design 2016

ROMAIN URHAUSEN Product Design 2016

MR BINGO Illustration Design 2016

KIKI VAN EIJK Product Design 2016 36 JEAN-PAUL LESPAGNARD Fashion Design 2017

PE’L SCHLECHTER Graphic Design 2017

TIM JOHN & MARTIN SCHMITZ Scenography Design 2017

BROSMIND Illustration Design 2017

ARMANDO MILANI Graphic Design 2017

LAURA STRAßER Product Design 2017

PHOENIX DESIGN Industrial Design 2018

UWE R. BRÜCKNER Scenography Design 2018

BROUSSE & RUDDIGKEIT Design Code 2018

ISABELLE CHAPUIS Photography Design 2018

PATRICIA URQUIOLA Product Design 2018

SARAH-GRACE MANKARIOUS Art Direction 2018

STUDIO FEIXEN Visual Concepts 2019

FRANK RAUSCH Interface Design 2019

DENNIS LÜCK Designing Creativity 2019

IAN ANDERSON Graphic Design 2019

FOLCH STUDIO Strategic Narrative Design 2019

MARC TAMSCHICK Spatial Media Design 2020

TYPEJOCKEYS Type Design 2020

MOTH Animation Design 2021

JONAS LINDSTRÖM Photography 2021

VERONICA FUERTE Graphic Design 2021

PLEIX Video & Installation Design 2016

CHRISTOPHE DE LA FONTAINE Product Design 2021

59 DAVID KAMP Sound Design 2021

THOMAS KURPPA Brand Design 2021

NEW TENDENCY Product Design 2022

MARTHA VON MAYDELL Illustration Design 2022

STUDIO KLARENBEEK & DROS Design Research 2022

JOUPIN GHAMSARI Photography Design 2022 65 LOTTERMANN AND FUENTES Photography Design 2022 65 SUPER TERRAIN Graphic Design 2022