Newcomer Finalist 2020, Bernhard Osann
Born 1979 in Augsburg, Germany Study 2008 to 2016 at the University of Fine Arts Hamburg, Department of Industrial Design, graduating with degree Current occupation freelance industrial designer since 2016.
Bernhard Osann was born on 10 January 1979 in Augsburg. Before he studied industrial design in Hamburg, he trained as a carpenter at the School for Wood and Design in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, completing his studies as a journeyman in 2000. After several years working as a freelance carpenter, Osann completed his studies in sculpture at the Wilhelm Wagenfeld School in Bremen in 2005.
In 2008 he moved to Hamburg to study at the University of Fine Arts Hamburg, where he graduated with a diploma in 2016. Bernhard Osan has been working as a freelance industrial designer since 2016. His most important works to date have been in the field of interior design, including his WATN BLECH wall shelf for Moormann, from 2013, and various lamps produced for Nemo Lighting, such as BIRD (2018), FRAME (2019) and UNTITLED (2010/2019).
A few questions to Bernhard Osann:
You are a Newcomer Finalist at the German Design Awards 2020. What does this award mean for you and your work?
I am delighted with the positive response, especially as my entire portfolio was evaluated, making the judgement all the more meaningful. For me, of course, this is a validation of my way of working.
What do you see as making for good industrial design in the 21st century?
Good 21st-century industrial design responds to an increasingly complex and accelerating technical environment. Finding simple answers to complex questions poses a great challenge, as does the responsible use of resources.
In 2018, your BIRD lamp was awarded the best possible score in the DESIGN PLUS powered by Light+Building competition. What makes the lamp so special from your point of view?
The fact that it pushes the limits of what is possible. Instead of rigidly fixing the lamp to a table, I set it in a position of constant balance. Its entire construction is geared around this. This balancing effect is surprising and lends the lamp a certain lightness and dynamism. At the same time, it also makes it possible to position it freely on a table edge, for example.
Your portfolio is made up largely of lamps, some of which are very different in their conceptualisation. Where do you find the inspiration for your work?
My works don’t initially differ in the way I go about making them: I try to simplify the objects, to reduce their complexity. I follow this approach until it eventually leads me to find new solutions. These, in turn, can end up being very different. Observations of any kind can inspire me, especially those found in nature. The principle of fulfilling a certain function in the best possible way and with minimal use of energy and materials leads to fascinating and infinitely diverse solutions.