Designers in Residence in Pforzheim 2022

Artist list

Welmoed Bosch, Nga China Ko, Liina Lember

For three months, fashion designer Welmoed Bosch from the Netherlands, jewelry designer Nga Ching Ko from Hong Kong and interdisciplinary designer Liina Lember from Estonia/UK were staying in Pforzheim and worked on their projects in the workshops of EMMA and Pforzheim University. An exhibition at EMMA - Kreativzentrum Pforzheim shows the results of their work.
 
Welmoed Boschs project “Suiting the Body” proposes an alternative approach to traditional tailoring. „The vast majority of our contemporary western clothing is based on predefined patterns which are basically abstractions of our bodies. When we dress our bodies we don´t actually refer to physical bodies, we refer to these inorganic abstracted shapes“, explains Welmoed Bosch. For her, especially the men’s suit has symbolic meanings which seem contradictory. It was designed in accordance with Enlightenment ideals of rationality which denounce physicality. Meanwhile, it was modelled after an ideal male body in Greek sculpture. The rejection of the physical and striving for a ‘life of the mind’ is countered by a very erotic emphasis on the body underneath.
The suit emphasizes anatomy by showing a singular interpretation of a man’s body. The majority of our clothing is based on metric patterns: two-dimensional abstractions of the breathing body. Although tailored suits are made specifically for individuals, their bodies are still translated into garments within a pre-defined system. This causes us to perceive bodies in a fixed way. The series of Welmoed Bosch uses a different method: by casting a body, the form can be unfolded and laid flat like an orange peel. Garments created from this emphasize shapes which traditional suits smooth out: protruding shoulder blades, bulging crotches and clearcut calves.

„As a designer it is a challenge to find ways of working in which you can really take the time to experiment and reflect on what you are doing. Designers in Residence gives me the opportunity to really dive into a project without having to think about how it will make money for me“, says Welmoed Bosch.

Not only at EMMA - Kreativzentrum Pforzheim, but also at selected locations in the city, the installations by Estonian designer Liina Lember make clear what light pollution means for us and our environment. Her project “Illuminated Stories” is an installation that brings attention to the alarmingly declining insect populations, the effects of light pollution on our mental and physical health, and questions our relationship with light. The installation consists of three stories about the different experiences of light, an outdoor exploration trail and an accompanying booklet ‚Guide for Navigating Urban Lightscape‘. The exhibition provides an opportunity to experience the effects of light and gain an understanding of omnipresent light pollution. „During the residency we had the opportunity to meet different experts like the jury members or professors from the design faculty, and as EMMA is a creative hotspot it is very easy to get in contact with other creatives“, says Liina Lember.

In her collection, Hong Kong based jewelry designer Nga Ching Ko deals with compliments and her own experiences of living in another culture: As an inclusion in social animals, we need to choose what to say in order to be accepted in a group. The words “good”, “cool”, and “interesting” are sometimes, most of the time, empty speech. People often speak nicely to be polite and prevent social embarrassment. Therefore, it can be disappointing and uncomfortable when you notice the good words you get are not true. We, humans, need to speak kindly and hide our real thoughts in some situations, especially in political and official situations, since critical and negative words are not popular to hear, some honesty can lead to trouble. Nga Chin Kos works show the pressure of her acting kind in a social environment, and the uncomfortableness of hearing fake compliments.
„Pforzheim is a jewelry city, it is very easy to reach machines and tools, to learn techniques and t get in contact with other jewelry designers and experts in the field. I am very happy that I was able to use the time of the fellowship to further develop my work and learn new techniques“, says Nga Ching Ko.

Visiting hours: Thursday to Saturday 3-7 pm, Sunday 11am-7pm.