There are places where nothing happens by chance. Spaces that tell a story and raise questions. Places that are not immediately obvious to visitors, but rather challenge them to take a closer look and engage with the unexpected. SECRET INVESTIGATIONS is such a place. The exhibition deliberately plays with the allure of the hidden, enticing visitors with subtle fascination and the uncovering of the mysterious.
Behind the production is the Visionary Design Team from KURZ – an international collective of creative minds that is always on the lookout for new forms of expression, unconventional material combinations and pioneering technologies. The work of Meikel Otto Ucke's team does not follow a rigid line, but instead thrives on exchange, bold experiments and courageous ideas. Their curiosity motivates them to ask the right questions to advance the design and take it to a new level. SECRET INVESTIGATIONS is their stage, a snapshot of their current research and a glimpse into a future that has yet to be written.
Good design combines aesthetics and function. Innovative design sharpens details – it challenges boundaries, breaks with conventions and ventures into unknown territory. SECRET INVESTIGATIONS follows precisely this approach.
The exhibition sees itself as a kind of laboratory in which new ideas are put to the test. In addition to aesthetics, all of the projects on display here have a deeper function: They provide answers to key questions of product design: How can recycled materials be processed in such a way that they are not only sustainable, but also elegant and high quality? How can digital and analog design elements be combined to create a new design language? What role can artificial intelligence play in creative processes and what are its limits? SECRET INVESTIGATIONS inspires us to allow for completely new perspectives.
"Anything that sounds forbidden or mysterious is enticing, arouses our curiosity and tempts us to find out more."
Meikel Otto Ucke, Head of Visionary Design
The name SECRET INVESTIGATIONS is no coincidence. Each exhibit resembles a case file and shows the possibilities that could arise in the design of the future. Anyone who gets involved with the exhibition and the six focus projects will quickly realize that SECRET INVESTIGATIONS is an immersive experience that appeals to all the senses and expands the view of what is possible.
We take a look at some of the highlights of the exhibition:
This project represents a new design approach: Chairs with seats and backrests made 100% from recycled plastic prove that sustainability and high quality need not be mutually exclusive. SIT AND RELAX shows that recycled materials open up new aesthetic and functional possibilities and can be seamlessly integrated into premium designs.
HYDROVERSE is a tribute to this hidden universe, a creative expedition into unknown worlds. KURZ designers worldwide were inspired by the aesthetics of the deep sea – by shimmering light reflections, organic patterns and surreal-looking textures. These impressions were translated into innovative surface structures – designed to make the magic of the underwater world tangible.
How does creativity change when machines help shape it? The DUALIT AI project ventures a glimpse into a future in which design emerges from human intuition and is co-created by algorithms. DUALIT AI is a source of inspiration that shows how man and machine can find a new form of design and make technology an inspirational partner.
SECRET INVESTIGATIONS is an immersive experience on 500 square meters that plays with space, light and architecture. Visitors are guided through different zones in which they can engage with the individual projects - be it through interactive elements, informative background stories or visual presentations.
In the end, one realization remains: Design is more than shape, more than material, more than technology. It is the art of turning visions into reality. Those who leave the exhibition not only take inspiration with them, but also a new understanding of what design can mean in a changing world. Meikel Otto Ucke, Head of Visionary Design, emphasizes: “Anything that sounds forbidden or mysterious is enticing, arouses our curiosity and tempts us to find out more.” Perhaps it is precisely this investigative approach that will have a decisive influence on the design of the future.
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