Posted by sabine7
Interview | 27 Mar 08 | Comments (2)
When we saw Katharina Wahl’s Black Candy floor covering at IMM in Cologne this past January, we were immediately drawn to the combination of soft, squishy materials and the deliciousness of the shapes that Wahl has used. The first reaction was “Ooh! Yummy!”, but this was followed by thoughts on whether Wahl was pointing to other ideas of consumption or control.
Wahl prefers to keep it more subtle:
"It is a major concern for me to make clear that I see my goal in communicating certain ideas through the actual objects I create. So judging whether I did a good design or not will always be linked to people’s reactions on it. Your questions show me that I succeed in bringing in a disturbing element into decorating a living room. But it is just a subtle feeling of unease that I want to cause. I think pointing with fingers will spoil everything - and would turn my work needless.". More after the jump.
Do you view this piece more as a thought-provoking installation or as a practical floor covering/seating option for people to enjoy and roll about on?
Although it is possible to really use this thing in a product sense (rolling around on it, walk on it, etc.) I see it more as an element for a setting or some kind of scenic arrangement. I mean, the fact that you sit on cakes and muffins does more to your head than to your bottom.
Sweets are often very colourful and that might have been too obvious a route for you to take. Did you choose this dark, uniform colour for its subtlety?
The reason why I made it black is because I wanted it to be as elegant as possible. Apart from the fact that the whole piece would be too close to real candy and then the rich details of the single elements and their arrangement that lead to some kind of pattern or landscape would be overlaid by a colourful, flashy finish.
I can't remember seeing any floor covering that will be more difficult to keep clean. There will be so much dirt & dust in all those spaces. Dirty is never elegant.
"Your questions show me that I succeed in bringing in a disturbing element into decorating a living room . . . a subtle feeling of unease. . . ."
Ah, precisely the effect I always strive for in my home. A roaring fire, a pot of tea, a few friends, and feelings of unease. I'll be sure to follow this designer for more gemutlikeit accessorizing. . . .
In fact (and I've always remained silent about this sort of thing until now), Wahl's comments about Sweets are a great example of the specious, pretentious ArtSpeak designers drum up when they seek to give solemn significance to the latest thing they've made.
Cranky, yes. Maybe Wahl wanted to be disturbing from a safe distance?