The design competition is organized by the Bundesamt für Kultur (Federal Office of Culture). I think this competition is a perfect opportunity for us as designers and I’m proud to say that Andreas Saxer is one of the winners! www.andreas-saxer.com
The exhibition is showing the prize-winning works and gives insight into the creations of young Swiss designers in the fields of graphics, textile and fashion design, photography, industrial and product design, jewelry, ceramics and scenography.
A good tip for the holidays to wander around and be inspired by young designers. The exhibition runs from 1.12.2010 – 20.2.2011 at the www.museum-gestaltung.ch
In 2007 when Kevin bought his MIH watch in Lucerne at the Embassy store, Beat Weinmann showed us an incredible prototype of Ludwig Oechslin’s watch concept featuring an intuitive calendar display. The brand is now called ochs und junior and that particular watch is the anno cinquanta.
The anno cinquanta’s annual calendar employs a system of orange dots to indicate the date, month and weekday. The dots appear in circles of apertures, and understanding the display soon becomes second nature. Conventional annual calendar mechanisms can incorporate anything in the order of 40 individual components. Ludwig Oechslin needs just three!
His concepts are one-of-a-kind, intelligent watches rooted in proven traditions. When the time comes for series production, Peter Cantieni machines the cases in a variety of metals, and Paul Gerber fits them with his exclusive self-winding calibre. The guys don’t polish the watch cases – they prefer to make them as accurately as possible, then to leave them with the (very slight) imperfections that reflect the craftsman’s artisanry. After that, your…my wrist…
www.ochsundjunior.ch
ochsundjunior.blogspot.com
www.embassy.ch
I really like visiting art exhibitions, but I often ask myself what is it that makes me examine and like one piece of art and just glance over another? For me, it gets even more complex when it comes to installations. How can artists catch someone’s interest and tell their concept through their work?
What I like about Christian’s Man-Machine Cycle is the interest he generates with his combination of familiar, everyday objects and ambiguous topics or titles: Pay’n’Pray, Frischfleisch (fresh meat), Orakel (fortune teller). The interactive aspect of the installations catches you as a user in a situation where you become aware of the relationship between man and machine, and makes you conscious of your own expectations, habits and prejudices.
Pay’n’Pray can be seen at Regionale 11 – Time and Motion Study from 27 November to 2 January 2011 at the Kunstverein Freiburg im Breisgau (www.kunstvereinfreiburg.de)
Today I made myself a Pre-Christmas present: the KBS Backpack designed by Baggy Port from Kobe. Found on japanproxy.ch a platform for fashion and design-oriented products from Japan, thanks for the tip Yukio! and bought at On y va. Hey guys, this is a really nice shop, unfortunately men’s wear only…
tooka has the same kind of concept we have with our zumznacht. Kana and Tomoko, two Japanese architects living in Zurich, organise 2-3 events a year at various places, where they introduce a delightful collection of Japanese objects. I like the concept of popping into a space, creating an exhibition or shop for a few days, and leaving again…
tooka04 is on right now until 23 December at Predigerplatz 4 in Zurich – don’t miss it if you’re still looking for great Christmas presents. Thank you Nicole for the tip!
Our zumznacht project aims to keep the food we offer local, and I was looking to expand our concept to the conveniences with Swiss-made toiletries. That’s how I discovered the lovely story of the Feuerstein family and their superb products.
My friend Valentin and I are involved in a joint project we call “zumznacht” (for supper). He’s an incredible cook, I like decorating spaces, and we both love good food and having guests. So we decided to start zumznacht. We invite 24 people for a 5-course dinner, each time somewhere different. The menu is seasonal and all the products are regional – I like the way Valentin creates the menue with a sensitivity for special combinations and ingredients, but yet with this special home-made touch. Just delicious. Many thanks to Fritz, Eliane and Simone for their helping hands, Fred for he location and Roman for the pics!
The November edition was the last invitation-based one – after that, reservations are on a first-come, first-served basis. If you want to know more, email us at information@zumznacht.ch
www.zumznacht.ch
Contact for Caterings | Kochen für Gäste
valentin.engler@bluewin.ch
My recommendation for this winter: lime blossom tea infused with ginger and honey.
This is the perfect retreat for simply kicking back and relaxing. Whether with a buddy or for a romantic weekend, the atmosphere in this 300-year-old farmhouse is incredible. Carolyn and Baptist renovated and refurbished everything in 2008. Their tastes match mine through a combination of leaving things as they were and adding fresh, simple accents. They are wonderful hosts and after a sauna and bath we enjoyed an excellent dinner.