Werkelkueche ʻo Ka Pāʻani by Christine Oehme is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2021 A' Design Award Gula in Hoʻolālā Huahana Pēpē, Keiki a me Kamaliʻi Competition Category.
GulaHuahana Pēpē· 2021
Werkelkueche ʻo Ka Pāʻani
Client: Christine Oehme
A' Design Award Gula Winner in Huahana Pēpē Category
Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #123332The Design
About Werkelkueche ʻo Ka Pāʻani
ʻO ka Werkelkueche kahi hana hana wehe kāne e hiki ai i nā keiki ke hoʻokomo iā lākou iho i nā honua pāʻani manuahi. Hoʻohui ia i nā hiʻohiʻona maʻamau a me nā hiʻohiʻona nani o nā lumi kuke a me nā papa hana o nā keiki. No laila hāʻawi ka Werkelkueche i nā mea like ʻole e pāʻani ai. Hiki ke hoʻohana ʻia ka papa hana plywood curved ma ke ʻano he poho, ka hale hana a i ʻole ka ski slope. Hiki i nā ʻaoʻao ʻaoʻao ke hāʻawi i kahi waiho a hūnā ʻia a i ʻole e hoʻomoʻa i nā ʻōwili crispy. Me ke kōkua o nā mea hana kala a me nā mea hoʻololi, hiki i nā keiki ke hoʻomaopopo i ko lākou mau manaʻo a hoʻohālike i ka honua o nā pākeke ma ke ʻano pāʻani.
The Recognition
About the A' Design Award Gula
Ua lanakila ka hoʻolālā Werkelkueche ʻo Ka Pāʻani i ka A' Design Award Gula, he ʻike hoʻohanohano nui loa i hāʻawi ʻia i nā hoʻolālā pae mua, kupaianaha a kūʻokoʻa. He mau hana hou loa, ʻike maka a nani hoʻolaʻa nā lanakila Gula e hōʻike ana i ka ʻuhane akamai, ka naʻauao a me ka mākau o kā lākou poʻe hoʻolālā. Manaʻo ʻia ʻo ka hoʻolālā Werkelkueche ʻo Ka Pāʻani he mea hoʻokumu i hoʻomaikaʻi nui ʻia, e hoʻokumu ana i nā ʻano hou, he nui, e hāʻawi ana i ka waiwai ʻaʻole i ʻike ʻia ma mua. ʻO kēia hoʻolālā i lanakila i ka A' Design Award Gula he papahana kupaianaha, mahalo ʻia e hāʻawi i ka pōmaikaʻi nui a hoʻoneʻe i nā palena o ka hana noʻeau, ka ʻepekema, ka hoʻolālā a me ka ʻenehana. Hoʻāla ka hoʻolālā Werkelkueche ʻo Ka Pāʻani i nā manaʻo makemake ikaika, hoʻāla i ka ʻiʻini, hoʻoulu i ka hana noʻeau a hoʻopūliki iā mākou.
Behind the Design
Press Kit
Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.
- Unique Properties
- The ”Werkelkueche” is a gender-open activity workstation for children. It combines the formal and aesthetic features of children's kitchens and workbenches and thus opens up playful possibilities that are beyond gender stereotypes. The curved worktop can be a sink and a ski slope. The side compartments offer storage space or can bake crispy rolls. The interchangeable tools allow children to realize their ideas and imitate the adult world.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- 710mmx440mm780mm
- Tags
- children, kids, toy, gendersensitiv, kitchen, workbench, play, moulded wood, sheet steel
- Production Technology
- The worktop of the ”Werkelkueche” is made of thermally deformable birch plywood from UPM. This material allowed me to give the rigid wood a soft, deep groove. This material is in optical and haptic contrast to the powder-coated sheet steel on the front and rear walls.
- Design Challenge
- The challenge in the conceptual work was the fusion of existing toys and their design opposites. I wanted to make a design that was recognizable and at the same time completely new. From a technical point of view, the thermal deformation of the birch plywood was a particular challenge. After several weeks of experimentation, I had found the right bend angle and also a way to connect this countertop to the rest of the pieces.
- Research
- Expert interviews and surveys with parents, the influence of gender in children's worlds, five qualitative interviews with educators and leaders, survey with over 900 individual answers, gender plays a subordinate role in children themselves up to the age of three, but from the point of pregnancy a clear distinction is made between male and female through the social environment, clothing and objects, parents want more so-called gender-neutral things
- Inspiration
- The world of children is actually colorful, loud and diverse. But this children's world is often divided into gender stereotypical roles: the clothes are either pink or blue, in the toy department mystical fighting ninjas ”for boys” and cute dolls ”for girls” are sold. This suggests to even the youngest children what social images and expectations are placed on girls or boys.
- Project Duration
- The project started in June 2020 with extensive research with parents and social workers. I developed the Werkelkueche as part of my bachelor thesis at the Berlin University of the Arts. The project was completed in December 2020.
- Operation Flow
- The ”Werkelkueche” is an open-ended, intuitive play space for children. There the world of adults can be imitated in a playful way, conflicts can be negotiated and security gained: Who am I and how does it feel to slip into another role? These experiences are an essential part of the child’s self-identity.
- Patents
- Registered Design. No. 402020204285-0001. Christine Oehme. 2021
- Image Credits
- Image #1: Manuel Meinhardt, Werkelkueche, 2020
Image #2: Manuel Meinhardt, Werkelkueche, 2020
Image #3: Manuel Meinhardt, Werkelkueche, 2020
Image #4: Manuel Meinhardt, Werkelkueche, 2020
Image #5: Manuel Meinhardt, Werkelkueche, 2020
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