Sunday, 23 September 2007 | Levent OZLER
Material & Identity Exhibition at the Design Festival Hamburg 2007
 Reinventing beer with iconic aluminum bottles, making lifestyle bags made out of old truck tarps or transform high-tech gels into comfort saddles - what do contemporary products tell us about the interplay of materials and identity? At this year's Design Festival Hamburg, "Material & Identity" looks at the strategic use of materials behind today's product innovations by leading companies.
This year, industrial designer Arnold van Bezooyen presents "Material & Identity" at 6 and 7 October, daily from 12.00-22.00 - an exhibition about the role of materials for the identity of companies, products and brands. The two day exhibition in the former factory building at the Phoenixhof in Hamburg-Ottensen is open for everyone who shares our passion and curiosity for materials.
How do you make old truck tarps into a successful lifestyle brand? Why create over a hundred different products out of a neoprene? What happens when traditional leather experts fall in love with industrial felt? The "Material & Identity" exhibition is featuring background stories by a dozen of super brands including products by Dyson, Gore-Tex, OXO, Freitag, Built NY, Heineken and Selle Royal. "An Interesting concept, as the exhibition is looking at materials from a more strategic perspective", according to co-founder and CEO Daniel Freitag. "We are happy to have our bags exclusively on display at the Phoenixhof - in good company with other outstanding brands."
Besides "Material & Identity" the Design Festival is featuring the great diversity and creative professionals in the design metropolis Hamburg with over 140 events all over town and more than 400 participants.
Dutch designer Arnold van Bezooyen (31) founded "Material Stories" in 2005 with the goal to bridge the gap between companies, creative professionals and the material industry with an independent, conceptual and highly inspirational approach. With a background in industrial design and passion for materials, he supports clients such as Royal Philips Electronics, The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Heineken International and P&G in creating strategic, technological and innovative concepts for tomorrow's products.
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