Mitchel Heinrich

* 1967, lives and works in Berlin, Germany.

Mitchell Heinrich is an artist, hacker, and industrial designer based in San Francisco, California. His uncommon perspective infuses a deep understanding of new technologies, materials and processes into original ideas that tell stories. His aesthetic is centered around a desire for beautiful simplicity, and an eye for the absurd. Past collaborative works in the area of product design have been shown at the New York MOMA, Cooper-Hewitt Smithsonian National Design Museum as well as Roboexotica in Vienna, Austria. Immersed in a community of scientists and engineers at Squid Labs, a research and development collective, Mitchell gains inspiration for his work through contributions to projects ranging from micro-scale human power generation and ultra-low cost eyeglasses to robotic sculptures and carbon fiber turbines that break the speed of sound. Expert in computer modeling software and techniques, Mitchell investigates the interplay between mathematics and art, namely pushing the limits of algorithm driven object generation. The son of a primary school educator, Mitchell knows the value of a good story and has a sense of wonder about the natural world. The son of a craftsman, he also knows the value of physical skills and practicality. In many ways Mitchell’s work parallels his life experiences as a synthesis of skill, storytelling and creative
exploration.

http://www.mitchellheinrich.com

Smell Graffiti
2009



Graffiti ist müde geworden. Auch nach unzähligen Iterationen betreffend Stil und Medium, ist es noch nicht gelungen Graffiti von seinem visuellen Charakter zu befreien. Warum sollten wir nicht einen Schritt zurücktreten und über die eigentliche Bedeutung von Graffiti nachdenken. Mit Hilfe des Geruchssinns kann der öffentliche Raum über einen gewissen Zeitraum hinweg transformiert werden. Dadurch wird es möglich, Aussagen zu tätigen, ohne einen Tropfen
Farbe zu vergießen. Was würden die Leute denken wenn ein ganzer Häuserblock nach frisch geschnittenem Gras riechen würde?

Graffiti is tired. After countless iterations in style and medium, nobody has successfully broken free of its visual nature. Why not step back and think about what graffiti is all about. Using the sense of smell, a public space can be temporarily transformed and a statement made without using a drop of paint. What would people think if an entire urban city block smelled like freshly cut grass?