KATHARINA ROTHE

Design student at Goldsmiths, University of London. I am a collector.
PLANTER NECKLACE - COLLEEN JORDAN [2011]

PLANTER NECKLACE - COLLEEN JORDAN [2011]

HOUSE M - JUN IGARASHI ARCHITECTS [2011] ‘Composed of a series of white boxes, the design seeks to provide a quiet and detached living atmosphere away from the hectic pace of the urban site.’

HOUSE M - JUN IGARASHI ARCHITECTS [2011]

‘Composed of a series of white boxes, the design seeks to provide a quiet and detached living atmosphere away from the hectic pace of the urban site.’

‘Liking is for Cowards. Go For What Hurts.’ by Jonathan Franzen (2011)

The big risk here, of course, is rejection. We can all handle being disliked now and then, because there’s such an infinitely big pool of potential likers. But to expose your whole self, not just the likable surface, and to have it rejected, can be catastrophically painful. The prospect of pain generally, the pain of loss, of breakup, of death, is what makes it so tempting to avoid love and stay safely in the world of liking.

And yet pain hurts but it doesn’t kill. When you consider the alternative — an anesthetized dream of self-sufficiency, abetted by technology — pain emerges as the natural product and natural indicator of being alive in a resistant world. To go through a life painlessly is to have not lived. Even just to say to yourself, “Oh, I’ll get to that love and pain stuff later, maybe in my 30s” is to consign yourself to 10 years of merely taking up space on the planet and burning up its resources. Of being (and I mean this in the most damning sense of the word) a consumer.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/29/opinion/29franzen.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1

FINGERNOSE - DOMINIC WILCOX [2011]

FINGERNOSE - DOMINIC WILCOX [2011]

COLOUR IS A LANGUAGE | MEMORIES [PANTONE]

COLOUR IS A LANGUAGE | MEMORIES [PANTONE]

DEATH BAG, VEDANG KULKARNI & AAKANKSHA RAJHANS [2010] “plastic is very convenient and is a durable material. however, this durability is turning into a curse.a plastic bag takes more than 500 years to decompose. and during this period, we keep building up piles of hundreds of thousands of newer plastic bags. while all of us know that we need to stop using plastic bags, more often than not, convenience scores over common sense and awareness towards protecting the environment. the idea behind the ‘death bag’ or the ‘coffin bag’ is to ring that awareness bell in an individual’s mind at that precise moment when he or she is being offered a plastic bag in a store. the conventional plastic bag is shaped in the form of a coffin by using origami folds. the bag aims to send a strong message to the user to not use it. and honestly, how many of us would want to be seen carrying a plastic bag which looks like a mini coffin? the shape and form of the bag should repulse an individual at the point of use and make a strong impression on his or her mind about the ill effects of plastic.”

DEATH BAG, VEDANG KULKARNI & AAKANKSHA RAJHANS [2010]

“plastic is very convenient and is a durable material. however, this durability is turning into a curse.a plastic bag takes more than 500 years to decompose. and during this period, we keep building up piles of hundreds of thousands of newer plastic bags. while all of us know that we need to stop using plastic bags, more often than not, convenience scores over common sense and awareness towards protecting the environment. the idea behind the ‘death bag’ or the ‘coffin bag’ is to ring that awareness bell in an individual’s mind at that precise moment when he or she is being offered a plastic bag in a store. the conventional plastic bag is shaped in the form of a coffin by using origami folds. the bag aims to send a strong message to the user to not use it. and honestly, how many of us would want to be seen carrying a plastic bag which looks like a mini coffin? the shape and form of the bag should repulse an individual at the point of use and make a strong impression on his or her mind about the ill effects of plastic.”

DEATH BAG, VEDANG KULKARNI & AAKANKSHA RAJHANS [2010] “plastic is very convenient and is a durable material. however, this durability is turning into a curse.a plastic bag takes more than 500 years to decompose. and during this period, we keep building up piles of hundreds of thousands of newer plastic bags. while all of us know that we need to stop using plastic bags, more often than not, convenience scores over common sense and awareness towards protecting the environment. the idea behind the ‘death bag’ or the ‘coffin bag’ is to ring that awareness bell in an individual’s mind at that precise moment when he or she is being offered a plastic bag in a store. the conventional plastic bag is shaped in the form of a coffin by using origami folds. the bag aims to send a strong message to the user to not use it. and honestly, how many of us would want to be seen carrying a plastic bag which looks like a mini coffin? the shape and form of the bag should repulse an individual at the point of use and make a strong impression on his or her mind about the ill effects of plastic.”

DEATH BAG, VEDANG KULKARNI & AAKANKSHA RAJHANS [2010]

“plastic is very convenient and is a durable material. however, this durability is turning into a curse.a plastic bag takes more than 500 years to decompose. and during this period, we keep building up piles of hundreds of thousands of newer plastic bags. while all of us know that we need to stop using plastic bags, more often than not, convenience scores over common sense and awareness towards protecting the environment. the idea behind the ‘death bag’ or the ‘coffin bag’ is to ring that awareness bell in an individual’s mind at that precise moment when he or she is being offered a plastic bag in a store. the conventional plastic bag is shaped in the form of a coffin by using origami folds. the bag aims to send a strong message to the user to not use it. and honestly, how many of us would want to be seen carrying a plastic bag which looks like a mini coffin? the shape and form of the bag should repulse an individual at the point of use and make a strong impression on his or her mind about the ill effects of plastic.”

SOLOVYOV DESIGN, INSIGHT LIGHT BULB [2011]

SOLOVYOV DESIGN, INSIGHT LIGHT BULB [2011]

VIVIEN MULLER, ELECTREE [2009] ‘electree’ is also envisioned as a city project. [www.designboom.com]

VIVIEN MULLER, ELECTREE [2009]

‘electree’ is also envisioned as a city project. [www.designboom.com]

VIVIEN MULLER, ELECTREE [2009] “‘electree’ is a modern sculpture imitating a bonsai, of which the leaves are small photovoltaic panels. it allows users to recharge their mobile devices without using any other energy than light. the structure is equipped with 42 cells which is equivalent to an entire surface of 2178 cm², and for a bulk height of roughly 40cm. energy produced by the panels during daylight is stored in a base hidden battery. once charged, this accumulator feeds a USB port. usage is strictly limited to indoors. it is released in a limited edition of 20 specimens.”

VIVIEN MULLER, ELECTREE [2009]

“‘electree’ is a modern sculpture imitating a bonsai, of which the leaves are small photovoltaic panels. it allows users to recharge their mobile devices without using any other energy than light. the structure is equipped with 42 cells which is equivalent to an entire surface of 2178 cm², and for a bulk height of roughly 40cm. energy produced by the panels during daylight is stored in a base hidden battery. once charged, this accumulator feeds a USB port. usage is strictly limited to indoors. it is released in a limited edition of 20 specimens.”

APPREE, GINKGO LEAF-IT BOOKMARKS / POST-ITS [2010]

APPREE, GINKGO LEAF-IT BOOKMARKS / POST-ITS [2010]

APPREE, GINKGO LEAF-IT BOOKMARKS / POST-ITS [2010]

APPREE, GINKGO LEAF-IT BOOKMARKS / POST-ITS [2010]

APPREE, GINKGO LEAF-IT BOOKMARKS / POST-ITS [2010]

APPREE, GINKGO LEAF-IT BOOKMARKS / POST-ITS [2010]

TOKUJIN YOSHIOKA, PHENOMENON CERAMIC TILES [2009] “… in this collaboration with mutina, I have pondered in designing ceramic tiles, which express the textures of the material derived from nature. my intention is not to manipulate the appearance of nature, but to create a design, which stirs one’s heart and imagination and remains deep inside one’s memory. ‘phenomenon’ integrates small substances and produces both depth and expanse. various expressions, such as honeycomb, snow crystal, icicle, plant cells evoke one’s memory of the scenery in nature. the flooring series, ‘snow’, adopt the texture of japanese paper.”

TOKUJIN YOSHIOKA, PHENOMENON CERAMIC TILES [2009]

“… in this collaboration with mutina, I have pondered in designing ceramic tiles, which express the textures of the material derived from nature. my intention is not to manipulate the appearance of nature, but to create a design, which stirs one’s heart and imagination and remains deep inside one’s memory. ‘phenomenon’ integrates small substances and produces both depth and expanse. various expressions, such as honeycomb, snow crystal, icicle, plant cells evoke one’s memory of the scenery in nature. the flooring series, ‘snow’, adopt the texture of japanese paper.”

TOKUJIN YOSHIOKA, PHENOMENON CERAMIC TILES [2009] “… I have selected colors and materials that can express the magnificence of the natural texture to the fullest. the main color of the product is white, which I intend to emphasize the contrast of light and shadow when applying the light over the surface… even though the material was arranged as ceramic in advance, I did numerous experiments and research in order to draw out the most beautiful aspect of the material itself.’ ‘In my opinion, italian design has weight on originality and uniqueness while japanese design has poetic feeling,which I think is heavily influenced by the essence of nature. for this project, through the texture of italian ceramic, I intended to express the essence of coincidence existing only for a moment just as the beauty of nature.”

TOKUJIN YOSHIOKA, PHENOMENON CERAMIC TILES [2009]

“… I have selected colors and materials that can express the magnificence of the natural texture to the fullest. the main color of the product is white, which I intend to emphasize the contrast of light and shadow when applying the light over the surface… even though the material was arranged as ceramic in advance, I did numerous experiments and research in order to draw out the most beautiful aspect of the material itself.’ 

‘In my opinion, italian design has weight on originality and uniqueness while japanese design has poetic feeling,which I think is heavily influenced by the essence of nature. for this project, through the texture of italian ceramic, I intended to express the essence of coincidence existing only for a moment just as the beauty of nature.”