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Werkelkueche Leikfang by Christine Oehme

Werkelkueche Leikfang by Christine Oehme is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2021 A' Design Award í gulli in Hönnun ungbarna-, barna- og barnavara Competition Category.


GullBarnavörur· 2021

Werkelkueche Leikfang

by Christine Oehme

Client: Christine Oehme

A' Design Award í gulli Winner in Barnavörur Category

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Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #123332

Colors

The Design

About Werkelkueche Leikfang

Werkelkueche er kynopin virkni vinnustöð sem gerir börnum kleift að sökkva sér niður í frjálsa leikheima. Það sameinar formlega og fagurfræðilega eiginleika barnaeldhúsa og vinnubekka. Þess vegna býður Werkelkueche upp á fjölbreytta möguleika til að spila. Boginn krossviður borðplatan er hægt að nota sem vaskur, verkstæði eða skíðabrekku. Hliðarhólfin geta veitt geymslu- og felurými eða bakað stökkar rúllur. Með hjálp litríku og skiptanlegu verkfæranna geta börn áttað sig á hugmyndum sínum og líkt eftir heimi fullorðinna á leikandi hátt.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award í gulli

Werkelkueche Leikfang vann A' Design Award í gulli, óendanlega virta viðurkenningu sem veitt er fyrsta flokks, dásamlegum og framúrskarandi hönnunarverkum. Sigurvegarar í gulli eru afar nýstárleg, framsýn og töfrandi glæsileg sköpunarverk sem endurspegla snilld, visku og hæfni hönnuða sinna. Þess er vænst að Werkelkueche Leikfang sé mjög lofuð, brautryðjandi og stórfengleg uppfinning sem skilar fordæmislausu virði. Þetta hönnunarverk sem vann A' Design Award í gulli er stórbrotið, virt verkefni sem gagnast mörkum listar, vísinda, hönnunar og tækni mjög vel og færir þau fram á við. Werkelkueche Leikfang skapar sterkar þráartilfinningar, vekur ástríðu, hvetur til sköpunar og heillar okkur.

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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