Everyday treasures made of glass

Linda Pense

Until 1 December, the Industrial Museum is showing the exhibition "Ich bin ganz von Glas. Marianne Brandt and the glass art of today." The project by the Villa Arte art association in cooperation with the Industrial Museum is dedicated to glass as a material in a special way. To mark the 100th anniversary of the Bauhaus, the exhibition combines works by the famous Chemnitz Bauhaus artist Marianne Brandt with the results of the 7th International Marianne Brandt Competition and glass treasures from the citizens of Chemnitz. A mammoth project for Linda Pense, artistic director of the new special exhibition.

How did you come up with the exhibition title and why?
Linda Pense: The title refers to the quote "I am all glass" from an unpublished poem by Marianne Brandt from 1922. In classical modernism and at the Bauhaus, transparent glass was seen as a symbol of a democratic and transparent society. Today, artists and designers are fascinated by the fact that glass makes the world visible to us like no other material - be it through windows or lenses. This is why they are constantly exploring this physically enigmatic and fragile material anew. What's more, everyone has a connection to glass.

How long does it take to prepare an exhibition like this?
We have been working on it for two years now. The first year was about finding a theme, developing a concept, submitting an application, issuing a call for tenders and making arrangements with everyone involved. In the second year, things became more concrete. There was an amazing amount of organisational work to do.

Born in Chemnitz, Marianne Brandt studied at the Bauhaus in Weimar in 1923. Her spherical teapots and flat ashtrays made her one of the best-known female artists at the male-dominated Bauhaus. Every three years, the Villa Arte art association dedicates a competition to her: the Marianne Brandt Competition. This year it is being held for the 7th time. From a total of 354 participants from 37 countries, this year's international jury has nominated 60 applicants whose works can be seen in the Industrial Museum. "The competition is looking for the best artists in Marianne Brandt's creative fields: Product Design, Photography and Experimental Design," explains Linda Pense. "This year, the theme is glass." Brandt herself worked a lot with this material. Some of these works, such as lamps, are on display alongside photographs, text documents and design drawings from her time at the Bauhaus.

What fascinates you personally about Marianne Brandt?
She experimented a lot and often staged herself, for example with her famous metal and glass jewellery. She even experimented with folk art from the Ore Mountains. She originally studied painting, saw herself as an artist and also wanted to create something useful. "Not a day without searching" she once said.
Her strength lies in her sculptural power of form. Objects such as the teapot or the lamps are among the most iconic Bauhaus objects, as they have finely balanced proportions and a clarity that corresponds to a feeling that can also be found in her poems. This is also what fascinates me most about her. I see Marianne Brandt as a literary figure who is not so easy to grasp.

The Marianne Brandt Competition has been organised by the Villa Arte art association since 2001. Every three years, creative artists are invited to submit works on a specific theme. "I completed my degree in industrial design in Halle at the beginning of 2008. After that, I wanted to make something that was not only beautiful, but also useful and needed," says Linda Pense. It was by chance that she came across Marianne Brandt and the Villa Arte art association, which organises the competition. "In the fourth competition in 2011, a hummingbird folded out of paper was honoured in the product design category. The jury wanted to raise the question: What do we actually still need today? Exactly the question that was on my mind at the time." A film project about industrial design, also in connection with Marianne Brandt, in which she was involved, brought Linda Pense closer to the competition and the initiator Ilona Rosenkranz. She and other fellow campaigners were asked by her whether they would like to take over the organisation and continue the competition.

Did you then immediately become chairwoman of the Villa Arte association?
We were four young people who were supposed to take over the organisation. The other three pointed at me when it came to the chairmanship (laughs). We then had to familiarise ourselves with everything: how the association is structured, how to write applications, the logistics of the competition and the exhibition. We scrutinised everything. From the homepage to the entries to the award ceremony and, of course, the content.

The exhibition "I am all glass" combines different aspects and enables different dialogues. For example, between photography and product and historical and contemporary works. The people of Chemnitz were also able to actively participate in the exhibition with their personal glass memorabilia and their history.

"35 objects were submitted," says Linda Pense. "Together with Klub Solitaer, we spent several months collecting and selecting these glass treasures. One family contributed a lamp that their grandparents received for their wedding in 1936. This lamp was in a flat on the Kaßberg, which was destroyed in a bombing raid in 1945. Only the lamp remained intact.

How do you rate the debate between the people of Chemnitz and the city's famous daughter?
There were passionate reactions: People who were very keen to tell her story. I think it's great to have this exhibition of everyday objects with us. After all, industrial culture and design are about shaping life, very practical everyday things in which people find themselves. But I'm afraid that many people still don't know Marianne Brandt. We want to change that with this exhibition.

What do you do full-time?
Through my work with the competition, I got involved in Bauhaus contexts and work with the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation. Its mission is to preserve and communicate the legacy of the Bauhaus. I give workshops and teach here. As a designer, like Marianne Brandt, I have also designed teapots, for example. At the moment, I am mainly an artist due to another degree in painting and graphics.

Chemnitz wants to be European Capital of Culture in 2025. Do you think we can achieve this?
I think the chances are very good. It is noticeable that Chemnitz is very committed to the bid to become European Capital of Culture 2025. In Marianne Brandt, Chemnitz has a significant figure who is attracting international participation in the competition and an international jury. This opens up an international format that is not so easy to achieve otherwise.