STORY & TEAM
For certain projects, it is crucial to be at the right place at the right time. For the iTree, that place is called “Heimat”.
The concept for the iTree was developed for an art show in Graz, Austria in 2009. KMKG STUDIO/ combined a found tree trunk with an iPod of the 1st generation and attached low-fi speakers to it.
After the art show, the studio contacted carpentry Lenz to handcraft the first iTree as a product. Trenner & Friedl, the leading European speaker builders and sound designers, were also excited to be on board this experimental project.
The energy and experience of different skilled people working together resulted in the development of a high-quality speaker system made out of a simple tree trunk. After one year of research and prototyping, the iTree was not only an art object but a real and functional product ready for the market.
The iTree is about the different life cycle of the things that surround us: an iPod or iPhone which is considered old and outdated after 2 years, and an 80 years old tree trunk with its magnificent presence, and a character made stronger with the passing of time.
KMKG STUDIO/ was founded in 2007 by Georg Kettele, Martin Kern, Fernanda Reis and Xaver Kettele in Graz, Austria. It sees itself as an interdisciplinary studio for Transmediale architecture. Since 2011, the studio runs as UNITED EVERYTHING.
The main focus of their work is given, real or virtual space, scale and the transient moment of the here and now. Ongoing research into technology and development is a core part of the process, constantly allowing for experimentation within new fields, changing perspectives on, and approaches to, what already exists. Each project starts as a tabula rasa; the given is seen as a challenge, while limits represent an opportunity. The variety of tasks undertaken keeps the studio fit in terms of the creative process, while exchange with others serves as a source of inspiration.
OUR PARTNERS
Mundorf
Passion for Music For more than 25 years we yield high quality crossover building parts. Our commitment to craftmanship and our unbowed effort in
Tischlerei Lenz
Unsere Firmenphilosophie – Handwerk aus Leidenschaft Die Liebe zu Holz und Handwerk bestimmt bereits seit 1934 das erfolgreiche Bestehen
Trenner & Friedl
We are living in a world of plenty, aren’t we? If you want to buy milk, for example, you can choose between at least ten brands and five