TALENTE – Meister der Zukunft 2017

In 2017, “TALENTE – Meister der Zukunft” presented the work of 105 young designers from 32 countries in 14 different crafts. Among others, works by participants from Taiwan, Ireland, Slovakia and Argentina are on display.

TALENTE showed innovative, imaginative, extraordinary and very different works, especially in the fields of glass, ceramics and jewellery, as well as an unusually large number of interesting textiles and presented designs in the field of “mixed media” for the first time.

Current trends

The selection indicated that there was great interest in new combinations of materials and in testing and experimenting with materials. Some of the exhibits were to be understood less as completed designs and more as research processes in the field of material exploration.

The exhibits presented the results of combinations, innovative processing experiments and processing methods and were to be seen as stages in the search for alternative sustainable and environmentally friendly base materials.

This striving for a considered and responsible use of resources and processing methods characterises many of the exhibited works. Sustainability, environmental friendliness and contemporary design are not mutually exclusive.

At the same time, many projects demonstrated the proximity of craft and design, pointing to the increasing interest of young designers in traditional craft techniques and in integrating these processes into their designs.

In addition, works also addressed current topics such as immigration and the idea of home. The preoccupation with the self, the individual and their relationship to the past and their role in the present, and the associated responsibility – particularly with regard to the continued existence of nature – were also addressed.

The material formed the starting point for many designers. They tried out the variety of expression and processing possibilities, showed great freedom and joy in dealing with the materials and in exploring their own ideas and the processes inherent and appropriate to the material.

This focus created an appealing link to EXEMPLA, which this year was dedicated to the theme of “Material Worlds”. The young designers used the inherent properties of materials to achieve specific effects, which meant that they also worked with different materials.

Catalogue

You can download the catalogue for the special show “TALENTE – Meister der Zukunft” here or order it online on the website of the Handwerkskammer für München und Oberbayern.

Winners of the “TALENTE – Meister der Zukunft” prize 2017

Adéla Wiesenbergová, Czech Republic

Wood

The poetic work shifts the boundaries between jewellery and fashion and at the same time documents the experimentation with different materials in fashion. The work is interesting due to its lightness and fragility, the cocoon-like qualities and the Japanese references, especially with regard to eroticism and traditional clothing. The closeness or distance of this cocoon to the wearer’s body is carefully designed.

Machteld Lambeets, Belgium

Plastic

Machteld Lambeets experiments with materials, traditions, forms and volumes. Her works have a great sculptural radiance and a fascinating surface structure that always offers new surprises, even when viewed over a long period of time. The surfaces of her vessels almost look like landscapes.

Luise Hellmann, Germany

Ceramics

Luise Hellmann’s tiles are interesting because of the contrast: at first they almost look like old Mediterranean tiles from the 17th century, but on closer inspection they turn out to be new interpretations of their historical predecessors. They play with the past and traditions. The tiles not only react to the material with certain inaccuracies, but also have a pronounced individuality. In this and in their highly sculptural design, they form a striking antithesis to industrial tile production and the current tendency to imitate other materials in the tile sector.

Kana Ueda, Japan

Ceramics

Kana Ueda’s round vessels impressed the jury with their tactile and visual aesthetic quality. The fine lines suggest different materials such as stones and furs. These illusionistic qualities are repeated in the handling of the material. The vessels radiate a lightness that is nevertheless deceptive.

Yasutomo Ota, Japan / Germany

Metal

Yasutomo Ota deals with questions about the nature and appearance of the book: How should a book be designed and what other paths could be taken? He shifts traditional notions of bookbinding. The aim is always to transfer the content into a visible form. The respective theme of a text thus undergoes a haptic, three-dimensional translation.

Woo Jung Kim, South Korea

Jewellery

Woo Jung Kim works with various illusionistic levels, particularly in her bracelet. She plays with the concept of luxury by questioning the preciousness of gemstones and the question of what actually constitutes and defines this preciousness. She uses optical illusions based on traditional goldsmithing techniques and also plays with established forms. For example, the bangle takes on the shape of a ring.

Carla Movia, Italy

Jewellery

Carla Movia creates three series or families from one waste product. Her works deal with aspects of preciousness, the anthropomorphic and technology. At the same time, they polarise and invite discussion.

Ortal Bonen, Israel

Textile

Ortal Bonen’s textile designs impress with the fineness of their weaving and their delicacy. By largely dispensing with colour, Ortal Bonen focuses attention entirely on the material itself, on structure and texture. This is further emphasized by subtle changes in the fabric itself. Some elements of the design in particular seem to hark back to indigenous traditions.

Winner of the Bavarian State Prize 2017

Markus Pollinger, Germany

Vessel objects made of copper

After training at the municipal master school for goldsmiths and silversmiths in Munich and at the vocational school for glass and jewellery in Neugablonz, Markus Pollinger studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Nuremberg from 2010 to 2016. This is also where he completed his final thesis on his deformed copper objects, for which he was awarded the Bavarian State Prize. They reflect the silversmith’s constant search for formal statements and solutions in our time.