Finance and art - two different worlds? Far from it! Although these two areas are essentially very different, in the right combination they form a perfect symbiosis. Amongst the numerous banks which have an interest in art in German speaking countries, Deutsche Bank is the trendsetter. In order to cope with its high demands in the art sector, this company has already sponsored the most important art fair in Germany, ART COLOGNE in Cologne, several times.
From 1 to 5 November 2006, Deutsche Bank Art and Deutsche Bank Private Wealth Management were represented by a number of activities at ART COLOGNE: as an initiator of discussion forums on the art market, through the presentation of a collection of works from the Deutsche Bank Collection and with a VIP lounge, the central design element of the collaboration between the fair and Deutsche Bank. This lounge had to take into account various aspects alongside the aesthetic design: it was used as a lecture room, as a place of retreat for the guests and simultaneously as a communicative meeting point and exhibition area for the company’s exhibits. The lounge area also formed the forum for numerous customer and discussion events for Deutsche Bank.
The lounge - a synthesis of design and art
The VIP lounge was designed to accommodate the clearly recognisable trend towards harmonising design and art from both sides. The decision was made for Karim Rashid to be the designer of the lounge since he embodies the two perfectly: he is not only a designer but also an artist and thus able to integrate both worlds into the lounge at ART COLOGNE and to link them together. The lounge was a composition of rooms. An interaction of shapes, colours and artistically designed colourful wall graphics. An “art world” in which visitors feel far away from everyday life.
Mirror-glassed floors, walls in an organically flowing shape and computer graphic network ornaments in pink and blue rooms evoked an abundance of visual impressions in visitors. The 46-year old New York-based designer Rashid had set his target in Cologne on combining bright colour combinations and lounge comfort as the trendsetting design to create an ‘overall work of art’ which opens unusual perspectives and perceptions. The installation reflected the commitment of Deutsche Bank Art to enable access to contemporary ideas. In harmony with Karim Rashid's lounge concept, Deutsche Bank presented the series of “Wintergarden” prints by the English artist Marc Quinn from its collection in Cologne. The artist’s pictures of plants which deliberately appear artificial presented a visual counterpart to Rashid’s interior design.
The construction - a challenge
Uniplan was commissioned with constructing the lounge. The Rashid Studio specified that the room composition, which called for all components to seamlessly lead on logically to the next, was to be implemented as precisely as possible. The artistically designed wall and floor graphics in the three different lounge areas required particularly careful planning and execution - especially due to the relatively short construction time. An important basic requirement here was the exactly to scale sub-structure pre-fabricated in the workshop and just as precise installation on-site. Each of the areas had to be built on-site meticulously in all three dimensions so that the graphic screens could be inserted properly. Carefully planned lighting for the various lounge areas was intended to create a special warm soft glow lighting mood, while the wall graphics outside had to appear particularly brilliant.
A look to the future
With Karim Raschid’s design proposal for a VIP lounge in retro 70s style, Deutsche Bank picked up the retro trend in colours and shapes but interpreted these in both an up-to-date and contemporary manner. It formed an attraction for numerous visitors who used this common topic of conversation to spark off discussions with one another - thus art once more became a catalyst for communication. Deutsche Bank's aim is to surprise visitors to ART COLOGNE in the coming years again and again with its lounge. Past and future projects prove this: the year before last, the lounge was designed together with the design magazine “Architectural Digest” as a living space with the motto “Live with art”. In April this year the lounge will resemble an artist’s studio.
From 1 to 5 November 2006, Deutsche Bank Art and Deutsche Bank Private Wealth Management were represented by a number of activities at ART COLOGNE: as an initiator of discussion forums on the art market, through the presentation of a collection of works from the Deutsche Bank Collection and with a VIP lounge, the central design element of the collaboration between the fair and Deutsche Bank. This lounge had to take into account various aspects alongside the aesthetic design: it was used as a lecture room, as a place of retreat for the guests and simultaneously as a communicative meeting point and exhibition area for the company’s exhibits. The lounge area also formed the forum for numerous customer and discussion events for Deutsche Bank.
The lounge - a synthesis of design and art
The VIP lounge was designed to accommodate the clearly recognisable trend towards harmonising design and art from both sides. The decision was made for Karim Rashid to be the designer of the lounge since he embodies the two perfectly: he is not only a designer but also an artist and thus able to integrate both worlds into the lounge at ART COLOGNE and to link them together. The lounge was a composition of rooms. An interaction of shapes, colours and artistically designed colourful wall graphics. An “art world” in which visitors feel far away from everyday life.
Mirror-glassed floors, walls in an organically flowing shape and computer graphic network ornaments in pink and blue rooms evoked an abundance of visual impressions in visitors. The 46-year old New York-based designer Rashid had set his target in Cologne on combining bright colour combinations and lounge comfort as the trendsetting design to create an ‘overall work of art’ which opens unusual perspectives and perceptions. The installation reflected the commitment of Deutsche Bank Art to enable access to contemporary ideas. In harmony with Karim Rashid's lounge concept, Deutsche Bank presented the series of “Wintergarden” prints by the English artist Marc Quinn from its collection in Cologne. The artist’s pictures of plants which deliberately appear artificial presented a visual counterpart to Rashid’s interior design.
The construction - a challenge
Uniplan was commissioned with constructing the lounge. The Rashid Studio specified that the room composition, which called for all components to seamlessly lead on logically to the next, was to be implemented as precisely as possible. The artistically designed wall and floor graphics in the three different lounge areas required particularly careful planning and execution - especially due to the relatively short construction time. An important basic requirement here was the exactly to scale sub-structure pre-fabricated in the workshop and just as precise installation on-site. Each of the areas had to be built on-site meticulously in all three dimensions so that the graphic screens could be inserted properly. Carefully planned lighting for the various lounge areas was intended to create a special warm soft glow lighting mood, while the wall graphics outside had to appear particularly brilliant.
A look to the future
With Karim Raschid’s design proposal for a VIP lounge in retro 70s style, Deutsche Bank picked up the retro trend in colours and shapes but interpreted these in both an up-to-date and contemporary manner. It formed an attraction for numerous visitors who used this common topic of conversation to spark off discussions with one another - thus art once more became a catalyst for communication. Deutsche Bank's aim is to surprise visitors to ART COLOGNE in the coming years again and again with its lounge. Past and future projects prove this: the year before last, the lounge was designed together with the design magazine “Architectural Digest” as a living space with the motto “Live with art”. In April this year the lounge will resemble an artist’s studio.
