Contract Textile International

2nd Young Contract Creations Award Wall

Volume 2 / May-August 2010

Wall Award Jury awards 1st prize for a wall concept to a student from the Academy of Fine Art and Design in Bratislava

With the Young Contract Creations Award Wall, which this year was presented for the second time, Heimtextil, in partnership with Hotelbau magazine and the company Villeroy & Boch, has turned the spotlight on the theme of wall design, Havana-style. The design prize, which is aimed at young designers, calls for them to come up with innovative approaches and solutions with concrete realization potential. The best six concepts, selected by the jury from the 70 designs submitted, were brought to life at Heimtextil.

The jury awarded first prize to Radka Dudasova from the Academy of Fine Art and Design, Bratislava, for Always the Same. The jury were especially impressed by the way the theme was translated. Cuba is instantly recognizable. The idea of using a flag to illustrate, through an exciting combination of materials, the conflict between the lust for life and dictatorship is also expressed in the contrasts between the gloss and matte materials. The colors – blue for the sea and ochre for the beach, islands and atmosphere, conveyed all of this in the design. The design also depicts movement as if the flag were fluttering in the wind. According to the jury, this could refer to internal unrest which equates to an atmosphere of new beginning.

Merit prizes were also presented for the Wall Award and because the jury could not decide on a winner, the prize was given to no less than three young designers. The first Merit Prize was awarded to Lubica Humenikova from the Academy of Fine Art and Design, Bratislava, for ANAVAH. This decision was a close one and the jury discussed long and hard whether to award the design the first prize or the first Merit Prize. The concepts are similar, in this design the flag is also used as a motif albeit combined with facades and arcades. It shows a bit of modernity, meandering streets, movement. With a little imagination, one can identify the keys of a piano and therefore music. The material mix also impressed the jury. The glossiness of the tiles and matte solidity of the facades portray Havana beautifully.

The second Merit Prize went to Linda Kaplanová from the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design, Prague, for Havanna 2010 – Bright Tomorrows. The color white symbolizes Havana’s glamorous epoch. The material is wallpaper, which is applied to the metal back wall in an undulating, serpentine way. Light and shade produce a dynamic which creates movement, as well as light and shade which respond to the ups and downs of the Caribbean state. The structure of the wall underlines Cuba’s ups and downs and the status quo. The light sources built into the wallpaper make the wall sparkle like diamonds.

And the third Merit Prize was awarded to Judith Lachmann from the University of Coburg for Havarilla uno. This design portrays the advance of modern media and makes the contrast between old and new clear once more. Here media makes movement visible. Ms. Lachmann’s idea was to apply different images to a projection surface, depicting a solid colour graphic as the subline. The projections carry Cuba-related themes. All the things one associates with the country are shown here – vintage cars, music and people. The material used for the subline is a very plain fabric. The wall has pale blue clay plaster applied to it. This is an interesting material mix, which looks beautiful and gives the whole thing a surface.