prelude 01: a dialogue at depot basel

damien germay

‘depot basel‘ is a new initiative that was begun by six members (including a designer, journalist, design theorist and economist) of the association for demanding everyday culture. considered to be a place for contemporary design, it is housed within a nearly 100 year old former grain elevator in basel, switzerland. the space has been reutilized for small and large-scale exhibitions, workshops, panel discussions and film screenings.

‘depot basel’ members combine theory and practice, translating an adequate presentation of design in this self-initiated temporary project. ‘we are not a fair, nor a festival. not a museum, a showroom or a gallery. we are a temporary place for contemporary design (…),’ they say. they consider design as a craft, where an understanding of materials, processes and users’ behaviour makes a connection. ‘we are convinced that there is a need to reflect on craft and design and quality and responsibility in design.’

a depot in a gallery is where currently disused pieces of work are stored, it is on this basis that they are called ‘depot basel’, however they show, not store. their aim is to relocate the ‘hidden’ to the main space.

to open the space, the first exhibition ‘prelude 01’, invited nine designers to produce pieces exclusively for the former silo. they spent six days on location engaging in dialogue with the building and its distinctive structure. ‘what does the future ‘depot basel’ need to operate as a place for contemporary design?’ was the starting point. the designers delivered answers in the form of unique infrastructure that will now form the core of the location for the next 2 years. participating individuals: camille blin, damien gernay, florian hauswirth, kaspar hamacher, julien renault, max lipsey, mieke meijer, tobias schäfer and tristan cochrane. they have sent us images of the objects that were created. here is a look at the pieces developed during the week.

damien germay

max lipsey

florian hauswirth

tobias schäfer

mike meijer

tristian cochrane

kaspar hamacher

camille blin and julien renault