When the Slovenian designer Sasa J. Machtig introduced his model of kiosk K67 about 50 years ago, he probably could not imagine how great and massive its use will be.
The famous red kiosk could be seen as a single element or as modular assembling structure all over the former Yugoslavia, as reported by Gradnja.rs.
Its use was quite diverse: from food stores, through newsstands and pastry shops to stations for the cable car on the mountains, as well as boxes for the border police.
By 1999, when the production of kiosk K67 was stopped, a total of 7,500 units was produced. Majority of them remained in Yugoslavia, but a large number of these kiosks was also exported abroad, including Poland, Iraq, Kenya, New Zealand, Japan, the former Soviet Union countries, as well as the United States.
Curator of the Museum Maja Vardjan explained what is so special about K67:
“It is special by its position between architecture and industrial design, its foundation in the context of the modern city and society, participation in rituals of everyday life and its persistence to find its place.”
Machtig, who is known as a designer of restless spirit as well as a skilled businessman, was emphasizing the idea that K67 should follow a change of user’s habits and progress in industrial processes in its development, in order to remain commercially viable. However, his design of kiosks managed to keep the urban paradox but to also encourage and provide versatility.
Today, as a 76-year-old man, Sasha J. Machtig is still working on new designs of kiosks. He is developing a new generation of kiosks since 2003, and their testing will take place soon.
(Source: Radiosarajevo.ba)
