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Zumtobel. The Light.

 

Putting architecture and urban space up for discussion – away from expert panels and specialist conferences. This was the concept devised by Kristin Feireiss and Helga Retzer at the start of the 1980s. They founded Aedes Architecture Forum in a 40 m² gallery space in Berlin. They organised exhibitions here and in other locations, featuring international artists and architects such as Gottfried Böhm and Zaha Hadid, and showcased pioneering concepts – even those that were somewhat less mainstream – as well as cultivating new trends and opening these up for discussion among the wider public – free from barriers and with no commercial purpose. "Rather than complaining about what's not there, it's more a case of asking the questions we need to ask to improve our living environment and presenting good examples of this," explains Hans-Jürgen Commerell, with whom Kristin Feireiss has co-directed Aedes since the 1990s. An independent public cultural space for architecture – this was a novel approach back then. The Aedes team has retained this pioneering spirit right up to this day. The architecture forum still provides a platform for critical dialogue regarding cities, politics, space and society. However, the space available to do this has noticeably improved over the last few decades: the forum has gone from 40 m² in the Charlottenburg district of Berlin to around 600 m² in Prenzlauer Berg. Aedes has long boasted a global network, and its exhibitions, symposia and workshops have received international acclaim.

Architecture and light
In addition to its 40th anniversary, Aedes is also celebrating a quarter of a century of collaboration with the Austrian lighting specialist Zumtobel this year: a mutual exchange of ideas that began 25 years ago, with light in architecture at its very core. "Zumtobel worked closely with artists from the very beginning, demonstrating a high level of cultural awareness and a keen interest in conveying the role played by light in the design of living spaces," explains Commerell. A number of joint research trips and exhibitions then followed, featuring leading figures from the world of international architecture and design discourse, like the "Living the Nordic Light" exhibition, where the Norwegian architecture firm Snøhetta reflected its own roots and explored the relationship between space, landscape, architecture and people. Or the "Lighting the Global Workspace" study, a research project launched by Zumtobel and the Aedes Network Campus Berlin (ANCB) in 2015: five teams from universities in Australia, South America, Europe, Africa and Asia investigated the ideal lighting for modern office environments.

Seeking out dialogue beyond one's own specialist field, demonstrating how light has a major influence on architecture, carrying out mediation work and opening up new lines of thought – these are the motivating factors shared by Aedes and Zumtobel, which form the basis of their long-standing partnership. "We want to build a network and create a space for the exchange of views on architecture and lighting solutions that goes beyond sales presentations," explains Daniel Lechner, Director Brand Management Zumtobel & Services. Together, they have also taken on the role of ambassadors on the international architecture scene to raise awareness of approaches taken by German architects and firms. Many of their research projects on themes such as "Architecture and Religion" or "Made in Germany, Architecture + Ecology" have been showcased around the world in travelling exhibitions run over a number of years in collaboration with the Goethe Institute.

The "Zumtobel Group Award – Innovations for Sustainability and Humanity in the Built Environment" was launched in 2007, which is curated by Aedes and presented every two to three years. This international architecture prize is awarded to pioneering concepts and developments that help to improve quality of life and sustainability in the built environment and contribute towards its design. "In the long run, simply awarding a prize to an innovative project just isn't sustainable enough for us or Zumtobel. Instead, we want to use this award to stimulate substantive discussion and provide an interface for a holistic approach. This begins from the very moment we select an interdisciplinary panel of judges," explains Commerell. "There needs to be discussion both internally and externally." For Zumtobel, entries from universities and architecture firms also give rise to thought-provoking exploration of sociological issues and offer up ways of addressing the development of social needs based on the theme of light in architecture. "The Zumtobel Group Award provides an exclusive insight into sociological processes and presents visionary concepts from established protagonists and newcomers alike," explains Daniel Lechner. The next award is set to be presented in September 2021. In the meantime, more exciting exhibitions are due to take place all over the world.

Arctic Nordic Alpine – In Dialogue With Landscape
From July 4th until August 20th, 2020 the exhibition “Arctic Nordic Alpine – In Dialogue With Landscape” is presented at the Aedes Architecture Forum, Christinenstr. 18-19, 10119 Berlin. The exhibition is dedicated to contemporary architecture in vulnerable landscapes, focussing on the influence interventions could have on regions with extreme climatic conditions. Arctic Nordic Alpine presents pioneering projects by the internationally renowned architecture and design firm Snøhetta, including the energy-efficient Hotel Svart in Svartisen, the Arctic World Archive Visitor Center in Svalbard Island and the Museum Quarter in Bolzano. These buildings illustrate that architecture can make a significant contribution to the mitigation of climate change by promoting a more sustainable use of nature with innovative strategies and solutions – in dialogue with landscape. Conceived and designed by Snøhetta, also including proposals from students, the exhibition is shown at Aedes in cooperation with Zumtobel Lighting and AW Architektur & Wohnen magazine. On this occasion, Snøhetta is honoured with the prestigious AW Architect of the Year 2020 award.
Opening hours: Tue-Fri 11am-6.30pm, Sun-Mon 1-5pm and Sat, 4 July 2020, 1-5pm

Credits: Stylepark

Photos: © Aedes, Jan M. Lillebø, Hans Scherhaufer, Erik-Jan Ouwerkerk

Zumtobel. The Light.

As a responsible company, the Zumtobel Group follows the guidelines of the Austrian federal government and the general recommendations of the health authorities, and places the health and safety of its customers, partners and employees at the forefront of all its activities.

Availability
Many employees are currently working from home. This means that our customers can reach their usual contacts by phone or virtually.

Capability to deliver maintained
With its production facilities and distribution centres, the Zumtobel Group’s capability to deliver is maintained. The sites operate under strict hygiene precautionary measures to protect suppliers, forwarders and employees.

International production network supports operations
The Zumtobel Group's luminaire plant in Les Andelys, France, experienced a confirmed case of corona (COVID-19) despite compliance with all hygiene measures and was therefore temporarily closed. This precautionary measure was taken to avoid any further risk and to protect the health of all employees and parties involved. Within the international Zumtobel Group production network, the manufacturing at the plant in Les Andelys, which specialises in outdoor luminaires, will be covered by the production facility in Spennymoor, UK, until Les Andelys can resume work depending on further developments and recommendations by the local government. Customers can still reach the management at-site by phone in the meantime.

Job retention: planned short-time work in Austria
In Austria, the Zumtobel Group plans to implement the solidary offer by the federal government to introduce short-time work for three months beginning on 1 April 2020. The respective application was submitted today to the AMS (Public Employment Service Austria) in agreement with the Works Council. With the short-time working planned for Austria, the company is striving to maintain jobs beyond this crisis. It will also ensure that core functions within the Zumtobel Group can continue to be maintained during the phase of short-time work, so that customers can continue to receive the best possible service during this period.

The Zumtobel Group wishes its customers, partners and employees good health and would like to thank them for their trust.

Consequently, a series of measures have been implemented following the regulations issued by the Austrian Federal Government and the general recommendations of the health authorities. Many employees are already working from home, ensuring that customers can get in touch with their usual contacts in sales as well as in other departments by phone or virtual channels.

The Zumtobel Group's production facilities and distribution centres are currently operating normally with strict precautions in place to protect suppliers, forwarders as well as employees. Shift changes have been modified to provide additional safety for employees.

In these difficult times for everyone, the Zumtobel Group would like to express its special thanks to its customers, partners and employees for their trusting cooperation.

EuroShop is taking place in Düsseldorf again this year. And Zumtobel will be there with its affiliate brands. From 16 to 20 February, lighting solutions will be presented which can turn retail concepts into a place where people can experience, feel and aspire to brands. One particular highlight to look forward to will be the unveiling of a new product: VIVO II.

Come and visit us in Hall 9, Stand 56. 

Sign up for a guided stand tour. 

Zumtobel. The Light.

COMPOSITION GOURMANDE, the highlight of this exhibition, is a work composed of 14 panels in PMMA, on which are fixed about twenty multicoloured "delicacies" in a rainbow shade. Tribute to women from all over the world in all their diversity. This work occupies a complete wall area, and is illuminated by 14 projectors creating a magical play of shadows.

Accompanying this installation, several ceramic works and a grandiose plaster sculpture are displayed in the exhibition hall.

DAMIER, organic shape of ceramic tiles in four colours red, yellow, black, gold. Placed on the ground, it follows the relief.

GUIRELANDE, multicoloured ceramic balls suspended in descending order, a way to brighten up the environment all year round.

THOUSANDS of BITS, a series of multicolored ceramic balls. Each ball is a real assembly of small pieces of clay covered with ceramic. Long realization time, high risk of implosion at the time of cooking. Each of them remains fragile despite their mass and compact shape. They fascinate, they attract, but won't they explode and spread their content around them?

OSCAR, a sculpture formed by a stack of 3 blocks of plaster, can be compared to the skeleton we used to have in our classrooms. This one was most often held in standing in a corner, observing us, subject to our stupidest jokes, but allowing everyone to discover a strange and inaccessible world. Like that skeleton from our childhood....

LE PETIT POUCET (series of 10 white plaster balls)
Like the Little Thumb that seeks its way... Small white pebbles, bigger and bigger, have been laid out to find it... Remove one, and you will be lost.

4 SCULPTURES
These small plaster sculptures are part of a personal "dictionary". Each sculpture represents a word, an idea, like an alphabet that is built up little by little to obtain a sequence of words that can be associated with each other to compose a message.

QUEEN OF SHEBA An evocation of this mythical kingdom in the south-west of the Arabian Peninsula and of the particular architecture of the houses that protect its inhabitants from the sun's rays while preserving a certain freshness. One day, a queen lived there, and captured the heart of a wise king. l'homme…

MARTIALE RIGIDITY:  That day, I lacked inspiration and raw material... After a little trip in the trash, I came out with an empty bottle of whisky, hence this massive and straight parallelepipedal shape of an unfailing authority.

TROIS PETITS SUISSES: This was the time when my children ate astronomical quantities of multicoloured creamy cheese called petits suisses at every meal, most often three by three, opening them simultaneously and then dipping the spoon alternately into each of them...

THE CLOWN: Today the white clown is sad. He has his hat on backwards, but his eye remains sharp, open to the world, ready to catch the slightest thrill...

Art exhibition and Zumtobel
Zumtobel has a long time history of close relationship with the world of arts. Collaborating with artists all around the globe has been for 70 years an infinite source of creativity for Zumtobel that fueled its innovations and avant-garde philosophy during the years.
Zumtobel lets the Light Centers at the disposal of artists and designers from everywhere to foster inspiration and trigger forward thinking.


Details of the exhibition
Centre Lumière Zumtobel
10 rue d'Uzès
75002 Paris

22th of January to the 31st of March 2020

Open to public:
From 8h30 – 12h30 and 14h00 – 17h00
Monday till Friday
Contact information :
[email protected]
+33 7 62 45 22 94
+33 1 49 53 62 62

The artist
Stéphane Lasfargue
+33 6 73 09 44 45
[email protected]
Site internet de l’artiste

They are vividly showcased and presented with the most important data in a concise manner on our website.

All highlights at a glance.

Zumtobel. The Light.