Interview with Konstantin Grcic

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German industrial designer Konstantin Grcic has created a series of futuristic scenarios as part of the largest solo exhibition of his work at the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein, Germany.
Grcic worked closely with curators at the Vitra Design Museum to create a series of installations that depict environments for future living based on his personal vision of design's role in modern society.
"We consider Konstantin Grcic to be one of the most influential designers of our time – his approach and his aesthetic is probably the most advanced and radical," Vitra Design Museum director Mateo Kries told Dezeen.
"He is at the peak of his career, but still he has never staged an exhibition that conveys the visual world, the themes and the narratives that inspire him. These were some of the reasons why we decided to work with him on a large solo exhibition," Kries added.
The installations include a fictional home interior, design studio and urban environment featuring several of Grcis's iconic designs, such as the Mayday lamp for Flos and Chair One for Magis.
The first of the installations called Life Space resembles a typical home featuring everyday objects including some of Grcic's own designs, which are arranged on a raised platform.
The Work Space section presents some of Grcic's products and prototypes on a long table in front of a wall clad in artificial rock that gives it the feel of a futuristic subterranean workshop.
A projection on the opposite wall displays scenes from a typical work day at Grcic's Munich studio, including CAD models being manipulated, a 3D printer in action, and everyday objects or prototypes being inspected.
The third area called Public Space features a huge panoramic collage depicting aspects of contemporary urban and and rural society alongside imagined futuristic architecture.
A chain-link fence separating the image from the rest of the space is intended to create the feeling of a safe environment in which visitors are encouraged to interact with examples of Grcic's furniture.
The final section called Object Space features a museum-style vitrine displaying a range of Grcic's products alongside inspirational objects he has collected over the years.
In a video interview with the exhibition's curators, Grcic spoke about the changes he has witnessed in the design industry throughout his career, including changing approaches to mass production.
"Industry, meaning standardisation churning out many of the same products for everyone, is an old concept," the designer suggested. "The beauty is that industry now produces diversity, variety and is able to customise a project but still on an industrial scale."
He added that his own products are not always immediately accessible but that he believes design's role is to produce challenging and divisive objects.
"I sometimes hear that it takes time for my products to be understood or liked," he claimed. "I think it's quite good or necessary for products to challenge an opinion because we don't want to live in a bubble where everything is beautiful or comfortable. The power of an object that makes you think is something that I want to explore."
Konstantin Grcic – Panorama is on show at the Vitra Design Museum until 14 September 2014. It was co-produced by the Z33 House for contemporary art in Hasselt, Belgium, where it will be presented early next year.
Read the full story on Dezeen: dezeen.com/?p=434477