Inspired by

»We deal here with humble things, things not usually granted earnest consideration, or at least valued for their historical impact. But no more in history than in painting is it the impressiveness of the subject that matters. The sun is mirrored even in a coffee spoon.«

Siegfried Giedion, in Mechanization Takes Command, Oxford University Press,1948

In the course of the 19th century, our civilization was profoundly transformed by a series of groundbreaking discoveries and inventions. The telegraph, the railway system, the automobile, the bicycle, photography, electromechanical waves and, as a result, electric light. In addition, many everyday objects were invented during this active century, some of which are still familiar to us today while others have been forgotten.
Motivated by a personal fascination, 12 students from the Industrial Design study program have extensively examined objects from the 19th century and the history of their development.
The task at hand was a contextual and technological translation. Where has the background changed and where has it remained surprisingly similar, is a new currentness possible or is it just a matter of reviving an extraordinary history? These were some of the questions to which the students devoted three intensive months.
The result are 12 interpretations of objects and inventions from the 19th century. All are fascinating, unique, contrary to the prevalent zeitgeist and yet, in a strange way, very much part of the present.