On August 16th the new Cologne docklands “Rheinauhafen” will officially be inaugurated by the Lord Mayor of Cologne and other more or less important people. More important – and probably much more interesting – however could be the exhibition “new talents 2008 – die junge biennale köln” that opens its doors on the same day and happens more than one week from 16 August till 24 August 2008 on the whole dockland area.
The Kunstverein Fuhrwerkswaage had the clever idea to select about 10 graduates of each of the 4 art and design schools in Cologne (plus one in Düsseldorf) and open the opportunity to the young artists and designers to show their talent in the pleasant architecture of the refurbished docklands – a stylish new business and living area, where companies like Vitra, Microsoft or Electronic Arts and many architects and galleries found new quarters.
ROGER is presenting one of the exhibitions: 100 CUPS. The exhibition focuses attention on the paper cup which has, in the last few years, experienced the same kind of growth as the mp3 player or mobile phone. Anyone wishing to sport a modern image to go with the image of a modern city needs, besides an iPod, and a mobile phone, ‘a coffee to go’, the acquisition of which does not require a huge investment or a long-term contract obligation.The paper cup with the favourite hot drink can easily be bought at kiosks, bakeries, cafès, fast food restaurants, railway stations or cafeterias. The next ‘coffee to go’ is no more than a few meters aways.
The otherwise straightforward, simple cup involves the dynamics of large-scale distribution which impacts society, and raises various concerns. Where does the cup come from? What material is it made of? How did it enter the market? What is it that makes is so popular? Why did its shape or looks not change over the years? What society developments does the coffee cup reflect as a symbol? Do we need the steady supply of coffeine to cope with our daily stress and strains and our daily performance at work? What has Togo got to do with it?
At the core of the exhibition are a hundred variations of the coffee cups that have passed through different processes of transformation to give them a new symbolism. The coffee cup could be diverted from its intended use, polemised, extrapolated, exaggerated, tuned, philosophised, critizised, experimented, optimised, painted black, copied – but above all there will be experiment.
Accompanying to the show, ROGER LiVE will show one cup a day from the hundred that are on show at Rheinauhafen. Exhibition at the Rheinauhafen starts on August 16th at 4 p.m. and goes till August 24th. 100 Cups is hosted in the offices of Detlef Stephan Architekten in the so called Siebengebirge building. Here you can download a detailed plan (look for No. 24 – “Marco Siebertz / Stephan Architekten”.
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paper cups
Do you have any images of the show?
Yes.. there are. I’ll contact you via e-mail in that regard.
I am interested in the etiquette of consuming beverages in public places. The disposable cup permits people to carry liquids almost anywhere, and they do. But simply because they can carry a liquid in a car, walking down a street, or browsing in a retail shop, should they? Is there no place where it’s inappropriate to consume a beverage from a disposable cup?
That is actually a point I did not think about yet. But very interesting though. The cup in the hand really changes the picture of public space as it is not a single but a common phenomenon. I do think that there are places or better situations where drinking your private beverage might be inappropriate. For example it can be very annoying when you are sitting quietly and relaxed in a train and your counterpart is making a sucking noise with his coffee. And of course the coffee produces smell that you might not want to smell at that time. That’s a rather common situation.
Of course there are places where drinking is far more inappropriate – in a church, at a funeral… but I think that’s not the question. The more I think of etiquette, the more I think it is a very interesting topic. Somehow paper-cup-drinking does not have any etiquette. It’s somehow kind of a rude behaviour: letting yourself go and get your drink anywhere you like to. Like an animal that just drinks when it is time for. There’s not much culture in it. A mix of crudity and hedonism (as it also has a lot to do with enjoying something at any time) probably.
Were any of your cups printed on the inside. I am looking for a manufacturer that can print hot cups on the inside of the cup.
No, actually not. But what a great idea of you! I did not even think about it as yet there is not even a possiblity to easily print small numbers of hot cups. I like your product range very much as it is all eco-sustainable. I’m looking for cup manufacturers that are interested in my exhibition – if you have contacts or ideas, please let me know.