Hermann August Weizenegger is not one of those designers perpetually showcasing at the major fairs in Milan, Cologne, or Stockholm. Yet this Allgäu-born designer—born in 1963—has built a substantial body of work that challenges every convention of German design rooted in the Bauhaus and Dieter Rams. In the early 1990s, he and partner Oliver Vogt created an icon: the "Sinterchair," now part of the Vitra miniature collection. But Weizenegger's interests have always extended beyond product design alone. Since 2004, he's been a professor of industrial design at the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam, and during that time helped establish and shape "Designmai," a crucial exhibition platform for Berlin. Through his studio "Atelier HAW," founded in 2009, he has curated numerous exhibitions for galleries and museums—including the 2010 "Felsenland" installations for the Berghain techno club. In recent years, Weizenegger has made a powerful return to the product design market. He developed an extensive bathroom furniture and wall tile collection for Porcelaingres, and in 2020, Atelier HAW designed series products like "hub" and "Silo" for Brandenburg lighting manufacturer Mawa. Ahead of the curve, Weizenegger embraced the resurgence of traditional craft techniques before designers like Sebastian Herkner gained prominence for similar work. Fittingly, he appears alongside Herkner in the Pulpo design label's roster, contributing ceramics and seating solutions.

From June 12 through October 11, Berlin's Museum of Decorative Arts celebrates Hermann August Weizenegger's legacy with a major retrospective.

www.hermannaugustweizenegger.de

Photography Credits:

Bernd Hiepe
Dorothea Tuch
www.dorotheatuch.de

(Originally published in CUBE Berlin 01|20)