Starting in 1933 a large number of radios
were build in order the make it possible for everyone to
receive Nazi-propaganda. Technical design was by Otto
Griessing (1897-1958); the bakelite case was designed by
Walter Maria Kersting (1889–1970). This one-circuit radio was made
by a number of manufacturers in Germany. The model
number 301 refers to the fact that Hitler seized power on the 30th of January, 1933. Consumer price
was RM 76 in 1933. It still was an expensive radio: the
monthly salary of an average worker was between RM 120
and RM 150.
In order to increase reception
and to improve the use of this radio a number ofaccessories were made.
In 2010 this radio was on loan
to the Gemeentemuseum The Hague for the exhibition "Norm=Form";
on standardisation and design.
From shoes and kitchen cupboards to
coffee mugs and computer programs: they are all
standardised. Never before have so many consumer
products that surround us been the same. And that has
many advantages. With its interchangeable parts and its
conveyor belt production the T-Ford paved the way to an
affordable car for everyone. Standardised clothing sizes
offered affordable and well-fitting clothes to many.
The industrial demands for the
development of standard types inspired designers like
Dieter Rams and Piet Zwart, manufacturers like Braun and
Thonet and educational institutions like Bauhaus to
design good but cheap products. Standardised products
also determine the social, cultural and even aesthetic
norm. However, with its many (sub)cultures, society
keeps changing. Therefore the product standards that
have been set by governments and by standardisation
organisations like DIN, in practice often swiftly become
out of date.
Highlights in the
exhibition are designs from amongst
others Dieter Rams, 2012Architecten,
Charles and Ray Eames, Ettore
Sottsass, Kisho Kurokawa, Paul
Schuitema, Pierre Paulin, Wim
Crouwel and Mario Bellini. Several
are from the Centre Pompidou
collection and has never been shown
in the Netherlands before.
The exhibition shows a world of
standardisation, of progress and the critical comments
that designers make about it in the process.
The exhibition could be seen at the Gemeentemuseum,
The Hague from May 8th until August 15th, 2010. In the
context of RUHR.2010, cultural capital of Europe, the
exhibition travelled to Essen in Germany, where it
was open from Saturday 28 August until Tuesday 19
October at Zeche Zollverein, Hall 5, Shaft XII, A5
Essen, Germany.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
