From 09–14 April 2019, the exhibition of the award-winning products of the ein&zwanzig 2019 competition took place as part of the Tortona Design Week in Milan.
The 824 entries received for the competition represent an increase of 12% compared to the previous year. The international dimension has also grown, with the number of participating countries increasing from 60 to 73. The 21 winners had the opportunity to present their work to a broad public and establish contacts. The delighted Simon Frambach won over the jury with his DFC Dynamic Folding Chair. All of the 21 winning projects have been on show in the Tortona Design District in Milan in an exhibition created by design duo Studiopepe.
Happy prize winners in Milan
© Cortili Studio 
Simon Frambach (left) and Andrej Kupetz
Simon Frambach wins Best of Best award
The DFC Dynamic Folding Chair was designed by Simon Frambach, a graduate of the Kunsthochschule Kassel, as part of his Master’s project. DFC is the world‘s first folding chair that allows for active, dynamic sitting. It features a simple yet unique mechanism and offers an enormous variety of positions – in one continuous motion. DFC encourages the body’s natural need to move freely by adapting to any posture solely by weight displacement. It folds flat for quick transport and efficient storage, bringing a sense of flexibility and spontaneity into contemporary work environment.
Exhibition design by Studiopepe
This year’s exhibition for ein&zwanzig, the award for emerging talents, will be designed by Arianna Lelli Mami and Chiara Di Pinto, founders of Studiopepe. For their design for the exhibition architecture, Studiopepe has drawn inspiration from the idea of the stadium. The conceptual frame for the spatial configuration consists of a curved lamellar structure. This playfully undermines the idea of fixed open and closed spaces, creating a strong contrasting effect with light and shadows.
“Studiopepe has created a brilliant interpretation of the basic concept behind this competition: they have created an open forum for an international scene in which the focal point is centred equally on the participants and on their designs,” explained Andrej Kupetz, CEO of the German Design Council, the organiser of the competition.
© Cortili Studio 
Studiopepe about their design
“Playfulness is always an important aspect of our work,” explained Arianna Lelli Mami and Chiara Di Pinto from Studiopepe. “And especially in this task of creating a setting for the works of the designers who are going to shape tomorrow’s world, we wanted joy and lightness to be important motivating forces. The exhibition should radiate optimism, it should show that design really does have a social function.” This aspiration is supported by the designers’ choice of colours, combining the radiant yellow of the ein&zwanzig award with powerful, more matt pink, purple and red tones.
Meet and Greet in Milan
The young talent competition ein&zwanzig is held internationally every year. For more information about the winners, please visit www.ein-und-zwanzig.com.
Pictures © Cortili Studio. Source: German Design Council. Film: Birk Poßecker.
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