Mr Boehm,
you are a designer and have this year created a new glass collection
for Zwiesel Kristallglas AG's ZWIESEL 1872 handcrafted brand.
What motivated you to become involed in such a special project?
PROF. MICHAEL BOEHM:We need new
impetus and intiatives which stand out from the mass market,
run-of-the-mill, short-lived fad products. Zwiesel Kristallglas
AG intends to create a new paradigm with the ZWIESEL 1872 brand.
It was our objective to step beyond the inflated cornucopia
of boring, cheap, commonplace products - by creating a well
rounded, enduring concept. We dared to indulge in something
really special, by accentuating the lustre and style of glass.
The result is a high-quality collection which owes its beauty
to the aesthetic properties of handcrafted glass.
A reinterpretation of the Bauhaus idea?
PROF. MICHAEL BOEHM: "Bauhaus" had
emotional and rational leanings. We are interested in both.
The path away from mediocre, mass market design, will create
an new language of product design and that is why it will
succeed in the market. Bauhaus design always strove to serve
a utility-based culture, by creating timeless forms that acknowledged
the needs of the user.
Thanks to Wagenfeld's student Heinz Löffelhardt, the company
helped to forge the design standards of the past.
PROF. MICHAEL BOEHM: That's right, and yet in spite of the classics many
excellent items have been forgotten in the course of time. The handcrafted
collection marks a return to a more personal approach, in that
products are being given an integral value again. Handcrafted items
call for cultivated table settings, sensual enjoyment and a timeless lifestyle.
How can one best describe the design of this new collection?
PROF. MICHAEL BOEHM: The new collection embraces a wide variety of
spheres. Wining and dining; furnishing and decoration - are each
served and united. Classic style can be combined with filigree, to produce
generously proportioned objets d'art. The entire collection bears
this hallmark.
A striking feature is also the use of material and colour.
PROF. MICHAEL BOEHM: The handcrafted techniques naturally offer a wide
spectrum of design options. Above all, the combination of different
layers of colour and materials to create stunning results. Some of the
vases consist of up to three different substances such as opal, glass and
crystal. Colours such as ruby and bronze penetrate the forms. There is
no doubt this is an art - just like haute cuisine.
Designer Michael Boehm was born in Merseburg in 1944 and ranks
among Europe's most prolific glass designers. He lives and works in Berlin
and Upper Franconia. After graduating from the Hadamar Glass College
he studied in Kassel under Prof. Arnold Bode, founder of the "Dokumenta"
exhibition. In addition to working as a freelance designer for the bestknown
brands within the sector, he also gives lectures at various universities.
Michael Boehm was appointed professor for design at the Burg
Giebichenstein University of Art and Design in Halle in 1998. |
