USM Modular Furniture Haller turns 50
USM celebrated 50 years of USM Modular Furniture Haller and took the opportunity to explore new opportunities and think in new ways. That is why the renowned company was launching an exciting, multifaceted and global project called project50.
Throughout the anniversary year, project50 staged numerous exciting and engaging events, focussing on the topic of modularity. Why Modularity? Because the USM Modular Furniture Haller is based on modules, is flexible and expandable allowing for hundreds of design possibilities. With workshops, experiments and ultimately an exhibition at the 2015 Milan Design Week, USM answers questions, such as: How does the young generation of designers and architects view the iconic furniture? How do they handle modularity in today’s day and age, where flexibility is so important? And how will the system shape the future?
It all began with a creative workshop in Boisbuchet
Students from seven major design colleges and universities in the United States, Japan, France, Germany, United Kingdom, Italy and Switzerland dealt with questions of modularity. USM invited them to a workshop at the idyllic estate of Domaine de Boisbuchet in September 2014. The design and architecture students, supported by renowned tutors, spent an entire week researching and developing projects and concepts on the topic “rethink the modular.”
Major appearance at the Milan Design Week 2015
The works of the students on the topic “rethink the modular” were presented at a spectacularly staged exhibit, curated by Burkhard Meltzer and Tido von Oppeln during the 2015 Milan Design Week. Even the exhibition booth at the Salone del Mobile was dedicated to project50.
What happens when a piece of USM Modular Furniture Haller makes a journey?
In another highlight of project50, a cheeky experiment was conducted, in which a piece of USM Haller furniture with a note on it that says: «Steal Me!» was placed somewhere on each campus of the participating colleges and universities. Whoever responds to this demand was allowed to keep the furniture and incorporate it into his/her life. A film crew spontaneously documented the journey of the furniture and shows its final destination.
