Nathanael Boell completed his mandatory internship with Alfredo Häberli in Zurich. In an interview, he told us what he learned there and what he liked best about the internship:
What led you to your internship and what did a day there look like?
During an excursion in the fourth semester we had the opportunity to visit Alfredo Häberli’s studio. Its atmosphere impressed me very much, as did Alfredo himself as a personality and his designs. Because of Covid-19 Alfredo spent much more time in the studio than usual. He often took time to tell me about personal encounters and experiences with other designers. Interns are involved in the whole design process, not only in the final steps.
Which projects did you work on?
I worked on projects for Fredericia, Thonet and Georg Jensen. Georg Jensen is a Danish silversmithing company. Thonet and Fredericia are both furniture manufacturers. In general, I spent most of my internship time on furniture, which is also a special strength of Alfredo Häberli.
How did you benefit from your internship and why would you recommend it?
I am currently studying for my master’s degree in Umeå, Sweden. The university has a similar approach to industrial design as the FH JOANNEUM. The contrast in the internship was very useful. Having internalized design history and observing the approaches of different designers is a great treasure from which I benefit a lot in my own design work.
My internship gave me a deep insight into the world of the so-called “author design”: a direction in industrial design that complements the teaching of classical industrial design. Most important: Every Monday there is “Znüni” (morning snack). And when Alfredo is on the road in the Bündner Land, he brings back nut cake!
