Susi and Ueli Berger

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Susi (born March 30, 1938 in Lucerne as Susanna Ottilia Franziska Wyss; † April 2, 2019 in Ersigen ) and Ueli (born May 7, 1937 in Bern as Ulrich Christian; † November 8, 2008 in Bern) Berger were a Swiss artist - and designer couple, who from the 1960s worked together for five decades in different areas such as art, graphics, design, interior design and art in building. They are particularly known for their joint work in the field of furniture design.

Life

The two met in 1958 at the arts and crafts school in Bern. They married in 1962 and lived in Bern and Ersigen. The couple has three children: Regine (* 1963), Babette (* 1964) and Sebastian (* 1967).

job

In parallel to their joint work, both Susi and Ueli Berger pursued their own projects. While Susi Berger was particularly active in graphic design, Ueli Berger dealt with various art projects, alone or as part of the avant-garde group "Bern 66". A precise point in time for the start of the collaboration cannot be defined. However, their relationship was characterized by a lively exchange of ideas from the start. From the beginning of the 1960s this led to close and fruitful collaboration in the design of furniture and from the 1970s to joint interventions on buildings and in public spaces. The collective work is multifaceted and multidisciplinary. It includes not only design, but also art, scenography, handicrafts, ceramics, photography, public art and graphics. The works and works are sometimes difficult to assign to a single discipline. The couple often moved at the productive intersection of art, design and architecture, which is perhaps best shown in the jointly developed art projects in public spaces, such as some children's playgrounds. Fig. 21. Despite all the diversity, they always found their way back to furniture design. During their collaboration, they designed over 60 pieces of furniture, around half of which were mass-produced and sold, while the rest only exist as prototypes or as a single design.

The positioning of the designer couple in the history of Swiss design is also characterized by great diversity. In the course of their career as a furniture designer, Susi and Ueli Berger were able to fit into different design trends. Above all, Ueli Berger was initially committed to the so-called “ good form ”, which was considered to be the dominant and established design trend until the late 1960s. Then came the turning away from “good form” and the inclusion of pop elements and ready-made principles, as well as ideas from postmodernism . New materials and technologies enabled the couple to think differently about design and approach the design process differently. Despite this variety of trends and elements - or perhaps because of it - her work is considered timeless and unique in Swiss design history.

Susi and Ueli Berger's work process can be seen as a collective design process. He was characterized by a lively dialogue and exchange between the two. He has also been described as playful, intuitive, provocative, and insane. Their motto was: "Only a new idea justifies a new piece of furniture". Typical for Susi and Ueli Berger was a way of working that began directly on the model and only led to a draft on paper in a second step. Different situations and needs in everyday family life served as inspiration for new pieces of furniture, whereby in some cases already existing materials were used in a new context, such as in the case of the 5-minute chair.

Susi and Ueli Berger's work was also strongly influenced and shaped by their collaboration with specific furniture manufacturers. From the end of the 1970s, for example, a long-term cooperation began with the Röthlisberger carpenter's workshop in Gümligen (BE), which led to the production of icons such as the Kung-Fu shelf (1981) or the stack of drawers (1981). Another important collaboration was with the company Victoria Werke, which, for example, produced the Soft Chair in series between 1969 and 1974.

When Susi and Ueli Berger began to design furniture together, it is not possible to say exactly, and the question of who “invented” which furniture becomes less important because all designs are the result of a collective design process. The design process was a creative and conflictual dialogue. Especially when it came to defining your own role in your marriage - according to your own statement, a "permanent crisis" - and in everyday professional life; Even the shared authorship was initially not a self-evident attitude. It goes without saying that the distribution of roles also had to do with gender stereotypes, but Susi and Ueli Berger complemented and enriched each other and were convinced that creative work alone was not possible.

A comprehensive catalog of works on product design by Susi and Ueli Berger was published in 2018. The catalog was accompanied by an exhibition in the Museum für Gestaltung. ( PA-DONG! The furniture by Susi and Ueli Berger, curated by Renate Menzi, June 2018 ). The publication was commissioned by the US Berger Association, Bern. Further projects for the processing of the comprehensive work are in planning.

Works (selection)

From the beginning of the 1960s, the designer and artist couple worked under the common name Susi and Ueli Berger.

  • 1967 Soft Chair , Victoria-Werke AG, Baar

The Soft Chair was shown for the first time in connection with a “sit-in” organized by the Swiss Werkbund, at which artists and designers were encouraged to rethink the concept of the chair. The shape of the soft chair was "carved" by Susi and Ueli directly from a polyurethane foam block and only after this was determined was the design on paper. Due to the material used and the work process, something new and special was created: a chair without an internal support structure, in which the foam serves both as a support and as a cushion. This “seat sculpture” was later included in the Victoria Werke program and sold at an affordable price (1969–1974) and is still one of the most famous furniture designs by Susi and Ueli Berger.

  • 1968 Multi-Soft , Victoria-Werke AG, Baar

As in the case of the Soft Chair, the prototype of the Multi-Soft was created by working directly on a polyurethane foam block. The Multi-Soft consists of three armchair elements, which are connected by three zippers and can be quickly and easily brought into different positions. It thus embodies the idea of ​​a multifunctional piece of furniture that can be adapted to individual needs and, in this sense, stands for the desired, informal lifestyle at the end of the 1960s.

  • 1970 cloud lamp , production: 1972–1979 unknown producer, Bern; 1999 GEKA Kappeler, Zofingen; since 2002 Grütter, Hombrechtikon. Distribution: 1972–1979 J. Lüber, Basel; 1999 Museum of Design Zurich (Edition 50 pieces); since 2002 housing needs in Basel.

The cloud lamp is one of the few Swiss pop icons. It consists of two composite polystyrene bowls that together form a comic-like cloud and are therefore reminiscent of the aesthetics of Pop Art. The cloud lamp has been sold by Wohnbedarf Basel since 2002.

  • 1972 5-minute chair , unique pieces

The 5-minute chair is a concise example of the do-it-yourself procedure. As was often the case, the idea for this piece of furniture came from an everyday situation of the Berger family. The lack of seating in the garden inspired Susi and Ueli to design a chair from a roll of wire mesh lying around.

  • 1977 reaction table , small series, Röthlisberger, Gümligen BE

The long and fruitful cooperation with the Röthlisberger joinery began with the design and production of the reaction table. The anti-attitude in the design of this piece is characteristic of the whole collaboration with Röthlisberger.

  • 1981 Kung-Fu , Röthlisberger, Gümligen BE

The Kung-Fu shelf, which is reminiscent of Chinese characters in its shape and traditional Chinese furniture in its red color, is another typical example of the collaboration with Röthlisberger. It is an innovative, unusual bookshelf that represents a clear (and yet playful) departure from the classic design language in furniture design. It consisted of MDF panels and was produced between 1982 and 1989.

  • 1981 Stack of drawers , Röthlisberger, Gümligen BE

Inspired by a visit to the second-hand store, the stack of drawers consists of 7 drawers that are turned irregularly off the axis and glued together to form a functioning chest of drawers. The furniture has been part of the Röthlisberger collection since 1982 and is still produced and sold today.

Awards

Exhibitions

  • 1999–2001 Museum für Gestaltung Zürich, monographic exhibition in the Schaulager Werkschau Berger: Furniture and Objects
  • 2014 Museum für Gestaltung Zürich, 100 years of Swiss design , group exhibition
  • 2018 Museum of Design Zurich, exhibition PA-DONG! The furniture by Susi and Ueli Berger

literature

  • Christian Brändle, Renate Menzi, Arthur Rüegg (Hg./Eds.): 100 Years of Swiss Design / 100 Years of Swiss Design , Lars Müller Publishers, Zurich 2014, ISBN 978-3-03778-440-2 .
  • Mirjam Fischer and Anna Niederhäuser (eds.): Susi + Ueli Berger. Furniture in dialogue . Scheidegger & Spiess , Zurich 2018, ISBN 978-3-85881-615-3 .
  • Arthur Rüegg (ed.): Schweizer Möbel und Interieurs im 20. Jahrhundert / Swiss Furniture and Interiors in the 20th Century , Birkhauser, Basel 2002, ISBN 978-3-76436-482-3 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Mirjam Fischer and Anna Niederhäuser: Biographies Susi + Ueli Berger . In: Mirjam Fischer and Anna Niederhäuser (eds.): Susi + Ueli Berger. Furniture in dialogue . Scheidegger & Spiess, Zurich 2018, p. 318-323 .
  2. ^ Mirjam Fischer and Anna Niederhäuser: Biographies Susi + Ueli Berger . In: Mirjam Fischer and Anna Niederhäuser (eds.): Susi + Ueli Berger. Furniture in dialogue . Scheidegger & Spiess, Zurich 2018, p. 318-323 .
  3. ^ Mirjam Fischer and Anna Niederhäuser: Furniture in dialogue. An introduction . In: Mirjam Fischer and Anna Niederhäuser (eds.): Susi + Ueli Berger. Furniture in dialogue . Scheidegger & Spiess, Zurich 2018, p. 10-19 .
  4. ^ Mirjam Fischer and Anna Niederhäuser: Furniture in dialogue. An introduction . In: Mirjam Fischer and Anna Niederhäuser (eds.): Susi + Ueli Berger. Furniture in dialogue . Scheidegger & Spiess, Zurich 2018, p. 10-19 .
  5. ↑ Volker Albus: Simply unique . In: Mirjam Fischer and Anna Niederhäuser (eds.): Susi + Ueli Berger. Furniture in dialogue . Scheidegger & Spiess, Zurich 2018, p. 84-91 .
  6. ↑ location . In: TV broadcast, Swiss television . June 28, 1985.
  7. ^ Mirjam Fischer and Anna Niederhäuser: Furniture in dialogue. An introduction . In: Mirjam Fischer and Anna Niederhäuser (eds.): Susi + Ueli Berger. Furniture in dialogue . Scheidegger & Spiess, Zurich 2018, p. 10-19 .
  8. ^ Mirjam Fischer and Anna Niederhäuser: Furniture in dialogue. An introduction . In: Mirjam Fischer and Anna Niederhäuser (eds.): Susi + Ueli Berger. Furniture in dialogue . Scheidegger & Spiess, Zurich 2018, p. 10 .
  9. ↑ Mirjam Fischer and Anna Niederhäuser (eds / eds.): Susi + Ueli Berger. Furniture in dialogue . Scheidegger & Spiess , Zurich 2018, ISBN 978-3-85881-615-3 .
  10. ↑ Mirjam Fischer and Anna Niederhäuser: Catalog of works . In: Mirjam Fischer and Anna Niederhäuser (eds.): Susi + Ueli Berger. Furniture in dialogue . Scheidegger & Spiess, Zurich 2018, p. 162-171 .
  11. ↑ 1960 - Ratio . In: Christian Brändle, Renate Menzi, Arthur Rüegg (eds.): 100 Years of Swiss Design / 100 Years of Swiss Design . Lars Müller Publishers, Zurich 2014, p. 218 .
  12. ↑ Mirjam Fischer and Anna Niederhäuser: Catalog of works . In: Mirjam Fischer and Anna Niederhäuser (eds.): Susi + Ueli Berger. Furniture in dialogue . Scheidegger & Spiess, Zurich 2018, p. 172-179 .
  13. ↑ 1960 - Ratio . In: Christian Brändle, Renate Menzi, Arthur Rüegg (eds.): 100 Years of Swiss Design / 100 Years of Swiss Design . Lars Müller Publishers, Zurich 2014, p. 218 .
  14. ↑ Mirjam Fischer and Anna Niederhäuser: Catalog of works . In: Mirjam Fischer and Anna Niederhäuser (eds.): Susi + Ueli Berger. Furniture in dialogue . Scheidegger & Spiess, Zurich 2018, p. 201-205 .
  15. ↑ 1970 - Pop . In: Christian Brändle, Renate Menzi, Arthur Rüegg (eds.): 100 Years of Swiss Design / 100 Years of Swiss Design . Lars Müller Publishers, Zurich 2018, p. 261 .
  16. ↑ Mirjam Fischer and Anna Niederhäuser: Catalog of works . In: Mirjam Fischer and Anna Niederhäuser (eds.): Susi + Ueli Berger. Furniture in dialogue . Scheidegger & Spiess, Zurich 2018, p. 220-223 .
  17. ↑ 1970 - Pop . In: Christian Brändle, Renate Menzi, Arthur Rüegg (eds.): 100 Years of Swiss Design / 100 Years of Swiss Design . Lars Müller Publishers, Zurich 2014, p. 259 .
  18. ↑ Mirjam Fischer and Anna Niederhäuser: Catalog of works . In: Mirjam Fischer and Anna Niederhäuser (eds.): Susi + Ueli Berger. Furniture in dialogue . Scheidegger & Spiess, Zurich 2018, p. 256-259 .
  19. ↑ Mirjam Fischer and Anna Niederhäuser: Catalog of works . In: Mirjam Fischer and Anna Niederhäuser (eds.): Susi + Ueli Berger. Furniture in dialogue . Scheidegger & Spiess, Zurich 2018, p. 266-269 .
  20. ↑ Mirjam Fischer and Anna Niederhäuser: Catalog of works . In: Mirjam Fischer and Anna Niederhäuser (eds.): Susi + Ueli Berger. Furniture in dialogue . Scheidegger & Spiess, Zurich 2018, p. 274-279 .