Exhibition of French-German designers at Kunstforum der Berliner Volksbank

I rarely can say that I am getting bored in Berlin, not only because I have a variety of interests, but also because there is always a lot to discover. The local creativity in promoting ideas seems to be never ending and if you are curious enough, it is not too difficult to find something to see at least once the day.

Two weeks ago, on a Friday rainy day, my shelter against the weather was the Kunstforum der Berliner Volksbank, were I had the occasion to admire in the past interesting exhibitions, such the one featuring the history and culture of South Sudan. This time, the space was ready for the vernisage of a joint exhibition featuring French and German designers. The historical French-German friendship got a new colourful twist and was lucky to have a look.

It is hard to measure the degree of creativity on both parts of the border. Maybe the French ingenuity is translated in a completely new environment by the use of unique materials by the Germans.

Take, for instance, this jacket made of transport tickets used in Berlin.

Or this extravagant feather lamp, that with a lot of imagination one can fit for an apartment set to host parties all round the day.

The exhibition covers every area of design, from fashion to furniture, jewels and electronics, cars and sculptures. 

I especially appreciated the great lines of the furniture, combining both creativity and practicality, with a drop of craziness from time to time.

In most cases, the furniture objects can be easily fit to various interiors, and many of them are very beautiful, as for instance this table inspired by both Bauhaus and Art nouveau.

The fashion part is mostly accessible, even though this white dress by Pierre Letz probably requires a specific wedding setting. 

The jewellery items are hanged on modest cardboards, and such a choice can outline the shine and sophisticated lines of the products. Like in the case of the colourful jewels by Hyoun Jung Sung representing Germany. 

The space is big enough to include a lot of furniture, almost all of them tempting enough to inspire a dramatic redesign of the house. This desk, for instance, may look out of time, but it's provided with special facilities from computers.

And this red hat, that can remind of the old stories with the girl and the wolf, is adapted to the technicalities of iPods. 

Even though it was the first day of the exhibition, there were plenty of people wandering around, and it is very much to see. Situated close to the Zoo and 5 minutes close to the KaDeWe, the Kunstforum der Berliner Volksbank is a great choice to discover something new about design. The entry is free. The exhibition is open till 27 April.