Work, as the German proverb says, is half of life. Perhaps because we invest most of our waking time
in it, but certainly because work shapes our self-image in many ways: For some, it is an essential
aspect of existence fulfillment, for others, livelihood security, and for still others, a psychological
burden, especially when work is missing. Against the relatively new backdrop of infinite possibilities
with regard to career choice and the paradigm of a self-determined life, decisions in this regard
increasingly lead to excessive demands on the individual.
Work quite obviously plays the central role in the development of individual life chances, self-esteem
and the position within society. As the technically and culturally shaped form of a society's interaction
with its environment, work leads to enormous consumption of resources and, in its current form, to
the destruction of the common basis of life.
Designers, especially industrial designers, have a direct impact on the tools of work and on the way
people work together in the workplace. Whether in offices, studios, workshops, in the fields or at
home, designers awaken the consumer desires of a society and, together with industry and crafts,
satisfy them by transforming resources into products and services. It is therefore obvious that
designers play a central role in the urgently needed transformation of the thematic complexes of
work and economy.
DThe students of the Department of Industrial Design1 at the University of Applied Arts Vienna, under
the direction of Prof. Stefan Diez, have been dealing with current and future forms of work over the
course of two semesters: While in the first semester the current influences on the world of work with
regard to technological, economic and social changes, the second semester focused on the
production methods of these projects from the point of view of a future-oriented circular economy.
How work affects live, thematized by students of the Angewandte, Vienna in an exhibition curated by Matylda Krzykowski and the MAKK Cologne At the center of attention of WORK IN PROGRESS is the relationship of a young generation to the subject of work from the perspective of 20 students of the University of Applied Arts Vienna. The exhibition addresses the current conditions of the working environment and the related technological, economic and social challenges of this generation. WORK IN PROGRESS will be on view in January 2021 at the Temporary Gallery in Cologne, supported by the Museum für Angewandte Kunst Köln MAKK. The exhibition is curated by Matylda Krzykowski, planned by Lina Fischer (DIEZOFFICE) and graphically realized by Bureau Borsche.
Current Information Due to the current measures in connection with the COVID-19 virus and the lockdown decided by the federal and state governments, the Temporary Gallery will remain closed for the time being. The exhibition is therefore postponed to probably April 2021.
More information, including the replacement date of the exhibition, will be available here soon.