Going to the Red Dot

On Wednesday, I took a solo trip to the Red Dot Museum, which is housed in the former boiler house of the Zeche Zollverein colliery. This site is part of Germany’s Route of Industrial Heritage, a selection of former industrial sites that have been preserved and transformed into industrial venues and attractive centers for cultural and tourist events. Landschaftspark is one of these sites. Zollverein is another. Zollverein is not designed as an outdoor recreation park like Landschaftspark. It is designed to showcase design elements. I am very thankful that I visited this site because it opened my mind to the possibilities for repurposing old industrial sites---not just for recreation, but for many other public purposes, such as education, studio space, and museums. I now realize that the possibilities are much more expansive than I previously imagined.

The Red Dot Museum at Zollverein showcases design award winners for all of the normal objects we use each day, such as clothing irons, vacuums, faucets, and lamps. We may not think much about the design aesthetics of these everyday objects, but to look at them up close, in comparison, with aesthetics in mind, was a great experience for me. I love all things design, especially with respect to interior spaces and art… but, I have rarely spent time really analyzing the aesthetics of my flat iron or flash drive. I find myself looking at these objects a little more closely now. I hope you enjoy the pictures I took during this visit: