LUFT [AIR] MUSEUM | AMBERG

We go on a lot of impromptu day trips. If we're bored on a Saturday, we eat lunch and open my Google maps. Here, you may see chaos, but I see possibility. On my map, I've marked everywhere I've had the slightest urge to visit -- usually based on an Instagram post, blog, or personal recommendation. Here's a little overview of Germany:

On this Saturday, we drove to Amberg. It's a small walled city in Bavaria, that has a lot of shopping, breweries and diverse places to eat. We walked past most of this and spent the bulk of our time in antique stores or pointing at buildings we found aesthetically pleasing. My main reason for visiting was to see the Luft (Air) Museum. According to Google Maps, it looked like it had some really interesting pieces. While those pictures unfortunately were of past exhibits, I still found inspiration in what they had displayed.

"Mobile Units" - Noa Pane, Venice Italy

From the Luft Museum website: "In her research and work, Pane mainly deals with sculptural parameters such as weight, stability, monumentality and permanence. She searches for the softness and fragility of new materials and examines their reaction in interaction with gravitation. In playing with materials and acting forces around them, the artist seeks the balance of the elements contrasted: stretching force vs. compressing structure." This particular exhibit, "Mobile Units", is meant to "address the volatility of life in contemporary urban living spaces".

I liked these pieces because it made me think about the way you can harness air, and use it to make new shapes. I saw how she used materials and lines to make some of the balloons look heavy, and others light. I hadn't thought about how it could be interpreted to represent life in contemporary urban living spaces. I would assume that 'we' are meant to be the colorful balls; forced to bend and shape according to the rigid building materials around us. A lot can be read into it, but you can interpret it as you will.

Permanent Collection

The museum has three stories and each room focuses on something different: vacuumed air, inflation, air to make sound, air as a tool, air taking on different forms, etc. A lot of it was interactive, mostly to the point of pushing a button. What intrigued me the most was an organ which made noise by filling up plastic bags, and a pinball machine with air hoses instead of flipper bats (that's what they're called, I Googled it).

The Organ:

The Pinball Machine:

Furniture Set:

Couch, chair, end table, stool

Other Exhibits:

"AVES" - Barbara Höcherl, Regensburg Germany

Trigger warning: If you don't like taxidermy, look away.

I didn't realize these were real birds until I saw a little foot sticking out from one of the poofs. I was caught off guard a little bit, as I think the artist intends, but I found the mixture of color and pattern memorizing. It's hard to tell where one bird ends and another begins. I embraced the opportunity to get close enough to these birds to appreciate their beauty, but I'm still struggling with the use of taxidermy to make sculpture. I think I struggle with taxidermy in general.

From the website, "In a culture where preparations are usually perceived only as trophies, emotions such as amazement and disgust, surprise and dismay, shame and disgust often play a role. The greatest possible contrast of external beauty and depth of content fascinates the artist and is intended to sensitize the viewer and to question the relationship between humans and animals."

It was a thought-provoking exhibit. Besides the heavier things to think about, I love looking at the contrasting patterns and textures. They're subtle and delicate, but bold and bright.

I found a lot of inspiration at the Luft Museum. I was surprised by a lot of things, and glad I took the time to see what it was all about. I want to post more about specific moments of inspiration I find while traveling, whether it be a clock store or a museum exhibit. Not everything will be typography, but all of it could definitely inspire the creation of typography or another form of design.