One of the most important LAUFEN locations is celebrating a momentus
milestone this year: 100 years of industrial production of ceramics in
Gmunden. This milestone coincides with Gmunden’s participation as the
European Capital of Culture Salzkammergut 2024.
On the occasion of this special year, Austrian artist and curator Petra
Zechmeister has been commissioned by LAUFEN to redesign the exhibition
of the Klo & So Sanitary Museum at the Kammerhof Museum, reflecting the
current significance of the topic. This collection of historical
sanitary objects, the largest in the world, has been meticulously
curated by LAUFEN over more than 70 years, illustrating the history of
bathroom culture and the changes in hygiene standards over the last few
centuries.
The result is an informative and entertaining journey through the
history of the toilet and sanitary ceramics. On 5 October, the museum is
taking part to the Museum Nights and visitors will be able to experience
a unique visit to the newly designed exhibition.
In the new staging and design of Klo & So, existing materials have been
sustainably reused, and two contemporary artists invited to explore the
intersection of art and design within the exhibition. Their hybrid
artworks, created by Xenia Lesniewski and Gerhard Gutenberger, respond
to this theme both conceptually and formally, operating at the
crossroads of applied visual arts and design. These works remain as
permanent installations in the museum, with a colour scheme executed by
artist Nino Stelzl.
Throughout the years, LAUFEN has cultivated a dialogue with architects,
designers and cultural institutions alike forging collaborations that
transcend time and borders. In 1963, a legendary six-week symposium was
initiated in Gmunden with the Austrian pioneer of modern ceramics, Kurt
Ohnsorg (1927-1970), where creatives from around the world, from Nigeria
to the USA, came together to create extraordinary pieces. A selection of
these works are now on display in the museum for the first time.
