The 3D paper scenes by this German designer were published by Gestalten while she was still at university, and her MA application is something else. Welcome to Carolin Wanitzek’s outstanding portfolio.
What drew you to start experimenting with 3D paper forms?
My paper career started in my fourth semester in 2010. I had to do a photo project on the topic of ‘the border’. I decided to visualise the edge between dream and reality. I thought about the moment when you are both dreaming and awake. You are in both places and have to work out what is real. It’s kind of a magic moment. To show these two worlds I decided to build little paper worlds combined with our reality. It turned out to be one of the my most important stages in my professional life because the German publishing house Gestalten published the project in their Papercraft 2 book. Since this moment many other paper projects have followed.
Do you think there’s a relationship between your photographic and design styles?
Yes, definitely. My paperworks are very graphic and I transfer the graphic aspect to my photographs. I alway combines those two disciplines, because it's my preferred way to work.
Tell us about a project you’re working on at the moment.
At the moment I am working on a project called ROKKEBERG. It's a collaboration with my friend and partner Dennis Adelmann. ROKKEBERG is a café and a concept store from Kassel, Germany. It is a blend of clothes, furniture, vintage stuff, food and drinks. Dennis and I did the whole corporate identity, the website and the food and fashion photography.
What extra challenges does food photography pose compared to normal projects?
Food photography is really challenging. The light has to be perfect to get a realistic and beautiful atmosphere. Sometimes you have to work really fast, because the leaves wither and the vegetables and fruits stop looking fresh after a little while. And if you use butter or other ingredients that can melt, you have to freeze them before you start so you can win a bit more time.
Tell us about the design for your MA application.
I have made a cover design for my application by creating paper objects that embody myself. I listed my interests and considered by personality traits and matched them to an object.
Who would be your dream client?
I would like to work for fashion brands like Nike or COS. And a cover design for The New York Times Magazine would be amazing.
carolinwanitzek.de
