What a production! What a show! What a wonderful spirit in the city! The most important design exhibition in Milan sets new standards once again. After 3 days and a cancelled return flight due to the volcano we’re left not only with swollen feet but also an abundance of intense impressions and exciting stimuli in our heads.

Cologne, March 23, 2010 - A special event took place in Cologne’s CONTAIN Art Gallery on March 23rd: The “300++ Urban Life Culture” vernissage was a display of urban culture comprising fresh, young porcelain design, groovy music and a live graffiti performance. Cologne’s street artist Christian Böhmer aka Mr. Trash transformed the entire display window into his “canvas”. This resulted in an absolutely unique temporary art piece and document of urban culture which gave the intension of the exhibition additional depth.

As if diving into green air: upon entering the VELTINS Design Lounge visitors were absorbed by the green light that virtually coated everything and everyone inside Contain Gallery. For one week’s time during Kölner Passagen it hosted the installation by product and interior designers Mathias Witte and Fabian von Spreckelsen – winners of the VELTINS Design Lounge contest.

About 100,000 visitors and a plus in exhibitors!

The imm cologne ended on Sunday, 24th January 2010 with a positive closing balance. Despite being shortened by a day, the fair managed to equal the previous year’s result with around 100,000 visitors. The number of exhibitors even slightly exceeded last year’s level. From Koelnmesse’s perspective, the high expectations of the imm cologne as one of the most important fairs for the international furniture and interior design sector have thus been met.

Touch it, feel it, paste and taste it:
Be part of the art in the VELTINS Design Lounge


While during Kölner Passagen week designers and design aficionados will be all over Cologne, watching, VELTINS in cooperation with Contain Gallery invites them to literally take part in the art: from January 18th til Sunday 24th Contain Gallery will transform into the VELTINS Design Lounge where visitors can actively participate in working the exhibition space. They can paste crown caps dyed silver and green to a magnetic wall and concertedly generate a distinctive pattern – play it, change it, tune it in the course of the week. The extra: VELTINS for free throughout opening hours.

CONTAIN Gallery selected design editions is Cologne’s first gallery focused on young international design. From now on there is a place in the heart of Cologne’s creative Belgian Quarter for exhibitions from the progressive world of young design.

The opening exhibition “Utopie jetzt! / utopia now!“ deals with the utopian idea of an allegedly refined society – contradicted by a cross-section of modern urban lifestyle.

The "Ocean-Cookbook" by Berlin based Nadine Freischlad and Nina Eggemann won the 5GUM Vision Lab Award, priced with 10.000 Euro. Kai Panholzer, CEO of Wrigley Germany presented the proudly winners on June 25, 2009 in Berlin.