Pichler. Prototypes 1966–69

The publication accompanying the exhibition of the same name at the Generali Foundation in Vienna is dedicated to a legendary group of works by Walter Pichler (1936 Deutschnofen, IT–2012 Vienna, AT), his Prototypes from the 1960s. These works, which are located at the interface of architecture, design and sculpture and were created against the backdrop of the social and technical innovations of the 1960s, put Pichler on the international map as artist/designer.

Pichler was using at that time new materials, such as acrylic glass, aluminum, and polyester as well as pneumatic elements made of PVC and even audiovisual components. With the chosen designation, he emphasized the laboratory character of the works, which were handmade by him, but as ‘prototypes’ imply a mechanical series production. In individual sculptures, such as the TV Helmet, also known as The Portable Living Room, the Small Room (Prototype 4) or the Telephone Set, he demonstrated his view of the then new media such as television or telecommunications in the form of ‘isolation cells’ or as monumentalized design objects. The early use of inflatable constructions once again reveals Pichler’s unmistakable language, who understood skin and clothing as generic forms of architecture. Equally significant in the individual Prototypes is that they evoke a potential use of the sculptures, as reflected in numerous photographs from the time of their creation, which show Pichler and his contemporaries interacting with them.

The catalogue takes up the format of Pichler’s historical Prototype-publication from 1967 and publishes historical and newly taken photographs of the iconic sculptures as well as a large number of drawings by the artist.