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K67

Ljubljana, Slovenia
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K67 is a kiosk design which was introduced in 1966 by the Slovenian architect and designer Sasa Machtig. Its system is based on polyfibre reinforced modules, which could be used as single units or combined to large agglomerations. It inhabits the cities as newspaper kiosks, parking-attendant booths, copyshops, market stands, shelter booths, chip stalls, student cafes or lottery stands, easily visible and accessible, in different colours and combinations. The unified functional design of the units enables them to fit almost any location and its context as well as numerous, diverse functions.

Patented in 1967, K67 was prepared for its serial production in 1968 with the first exhibition of prototypes in Ljutomer (Slovenia). It has been manufactured by Imgrad in Ljutomer, a small Slovenian town. In April 1970 K67 was published in an English design magazine with the article "Low life from the streets" and the Museum of Modern Art in New York included it into its collection of 20th century design. The K67 was sold in large quantities not only to the countries of Ex-Yugoslavia, but also to the COMECON countries and other continents (eg. Japan and New Zealand). Due to the fact that the K67 principle is copied several times by other companies, K67 came to embody the Eastern European kiosk culture.

In the early nineties, the production stopped due to radical changes in the Slovenian economical system. While some products and designs survived thanks to massive support of the eastern European population (e.g the "Ampelmannchen" in Eastern Germany), others could only be preserved in the western market system through a radical renewal. The few products that succeed to survive without being radically altered were smart, timeless solutions. Within this contest K67 becomes one of the few remaining visible signs of a vanished social union and an important linking element in Eastern European public space.

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bostjan, August 13th, 2021
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