User:Mdd/KAST kast

The KAST kast is a bookcase constructed with the letters K, A, S, T on their side. The word "KAST" is Dutch for "bookcase." This product was designed by Marcel Douwe Dekker in 1991-1992. In the 1990s the concept to construct interior design objects with an assembly of letter shapes was developed in a series of interior design objects.

Concept development, Prototypes and show models
The concept emerged early summer 1991 and originated from his longstanding interest in graphic design.

Multiple prototypes had been made during 1991 resulting in a series of two show-models by the end of the year. Late Autumn 1991 in a presentation was given at the design store Fabricati in the Nieuwe Binnenweg in Rotterdam about opposite to the Center for Visual Art. The furniture designer Peter van Zoetendaal had taken an interests in two of the five prototypes presented. He suggested material, measurement and a price-range. The first show model was shown in the spring of 1992 for a month or so.

With further ideas the concept development of the KAST-kast kept going eventually for almost eight years. In sketches different fundamental types of configurations were discovered.

The idea for book case with other words had been investigated for some time, when the idea emerged for an ALFABET-KAST system: For every letter a book case module, which could be combined to any possible word. The research and development of this concept was made possible by a grant by the Stichting SOFA.

Products
From 1992 to 1999 a series of about twelve KAST-kast bookcases have been made with different materials, size and construction. The first two were black with the dimension of 165-70-30 cm. The third and forth in 1992-1993 were enlarged to 210-100-30 cm, the grey and red KAST-kast.


 * Images

Spin-off
In spring 1994 with the exhibition "Nine Rooms" in Hilton Rotterdam a lecture as developed about "graphical language in interior design," the historical development. This lecture was held again early 1995 in The Hague in the Haagse Kunstkring.

In the summer of 1994 the artist Saskia Meulendijks painted the image of the KAST-kast on canvas, which was intended for an exhibition somewhere (see image). Hereby the original conceptual ideas translated into design transcended back into art. This painting was exhibited at the Multimedia Building artists at Erolife, 1995 (see image).

In 1998-99 the concept development was developed into a retrospective installation. Around the same time a series of short Reviews were created showing Multiple lines of development

In 2008-10 a new effort was made on Flickr to investigate and categorize new developments in a series of Flickr galleries.

Presentation
In the early 1990s product presentations started in Rotterdam and Amsterdam and a series of design fairs in 1994-95.
 * 1992. Fabricati, Rotterdam -- Galerie KIS, Amsterdam
 * 1993. Museum Hillesluis, Rotterdam
 * 1994. Galerie 2x2, Delfshaven -- Casa Europea 1, Antwerpen -- Droom Design 1, Zuid Laren -- Dutch Furniture Awards 1994 -- Interieur RAI, Amsterdam 1994 -- Courtray Design Biennale Interieur ;
 * 1995. Droom Design 2, Zuid Laren -- Interieur RAI, Amsterdam 1995 -- Nederlandse Meubelbeurs in Utrecht, 1995 -- Interior Design fair in Americahal in Apeldoorn, 1995


 * Installation art exhibitions
 * 1993. Allemaal in Pak, Passerelstraat Atelier Collectief, Rotterdam
 * 1994. A Room with a view, in exhibition "Nine Rooms", Hilton Rotterdam
 * 1994. Donner boekhandel, Rotterdam
 * 1994/95; Leesbare meubels, Haagse Kunstkring, Den Haag
 * 1996. Kasten vol kasten Galerie Intermezzo, Dordrecht
 * 1999. Expositie terugblik, Central Library of Rotterdam
 * 2014. VORMenTAAL, Yksi Expo, Eindhoven: theme expo about dyslexia and design


 * Images

Representation
In the summer of 1991 there was a form of product placement of the fist prototypes in the photo comic Barwoella]. A first advertisement was placed on the back cover TENENO, a literary magazine by Marcel Douwe Dekker.

Supricing in the first presentations was, that people often didn't notice the crux of the matter: Furniture design made out of the shape of letters. Over the years some flyers, accompanying text and publication were needed to explain the matter.

Over the years the KAST-kast was published in a small number of magazines and newspapers. In 2012 there was a conflict on the English en Dutch Wikipedia, that this image should not be presented in Wikipedia articles, because the designer was also active as Wikipedian.