Emergency Plates
Developed during exchange at Akademie der Bildenden Künste in Stuttgart.
Produced by the Rosenthal company in a limited series.
Produced by the Rosenthal company in a limited series.
Emergency Plates are a set of the wall plates, that bring attention to the unintentional function of ceramic, which is being broken in a moment of anger or frustration. While we usually feel bad about destroying a precious thing, the Emergency Plates give us an opportunity to be destructive without feeling guilty.
The project was created as a proposal of a new gift object that could be produced by the Rosenthal company. The idea follows directly from reflecting on the idea of happiness and the extent to which happiness can be included in the object and reproduced. Here, happiness is understood as accepting all moments of life, including those full of difficult emotions.
With their verbal message and disturbing detail, the plates provoke to be used in a moment of emotional tension, in order to find some purifying ease. But before it happens, they serve as a static wall decoration. From the wall, they are the silent witnesses of our daily struggles, reminding us, that not everything about our lives has to be perfect.
The project is a game of dissonance. The wall decoration made of plates brings to mind peace, constancy and idyll of home. This contrasts with its ultimate, dramatic destiny.
On closer inspection, you will notice unusual details. The plates provoke not only with their direct, verbal message but also with disturbing details. Cosy flowers turn out to be wilted and ornaments
are composed of larvae and flies.
The Emergency Plates have been exhibited during Munich Creative Business Week in March 2020. They were a part of “Scherben bringen Glück” exhibition at the AmbienteDirect Store.
In May 2020 two of the plates were released by Rosenthal in a limited series of 333 pieces each.
