Everyone has their own zeitgeist; Pascal Howe's is – just like Pacman – firmly rooted in the Atari 2600 console world of the 80s. He seems to have lost the fight against the invaders from the TV set, who have infiltrated his brain cells. Instead, he has created his own world, a world in which he is the boss. “I am a child of the 80s and 90s”, he states about himself. His ideas emerge from the past and the present; they are influenced by nostalgic memories about his childhood as well as film and music. THE WORKER, a fusion between object and lamp is also the connection between dysfunction and function and the first piece of the collection VDI 2860. VDI is the official abbreviation of the German Engineers' Association and 2860 refers to the guideline, which describes the prerequisites a machine needs to fulfil to be classed as a robot.

 

Howe's inspiration for this collection came as he was shopping around for a turntable. His attention turned to the RPM1.3 from Pro-Ject. "When you look at it, you can immediately see how it works; the technology is not hidden from the user." And this concept is used by Howe in his work; technology plays a vital role and influences the design process itself. He wants to change a space's atmosphere and give it a surrealistic feeling. With The Worker he not only discovered his fascination for technical details, but also for vinyl toys. “For years I wanted to do something in this style, and this project has given me the opportunity to do this”, he says. Vinyl toys, also known as art toys or design toys, are colourful plastic figures originating from the graffiti scene. The focus is always to use shape and colour to reflect the figure’s character. With The Worker however, that is stretched over four metres high, Howe wants to visualise his space-philosophy and not to create something only for decoration.