Designpanoptikum

In the Nikolaiviertel of Berlin-Mitte, near the Nikolaikirche, the Designpanoptikum – Surreal Museum of Industrial Objects – presents an unusual collection of historical everyday objects in a museum setting.

The museum is currently located at Poststraße 7. Its roots lie in the private collection of photographer Vlad Korneev; he previously ran a shop‑museum of the same name on the market square in Schwerin. On 4 November 2010 the Designpanoptikum opened at Torstraße 201; in 2017 the growing collection moved to its present location.

The exhibits come from fields such as medicine, film technology, sports, aviation, construction, industry and the household, as well as from everyday life across different eras. Notable among them are film projectors by Zeiss Ikon, a reproduction camera by Falz & Werner of Leipzig, two identical projectors from the SED party school by Meopta, plate cameras, an iron lung, X‑ray tubes by Siemens, an ejection seat by Martin‑Baker, sunlamps, the engine cowling of an An‑26, operating tables by Maquet and dental chairs. The integrated Lichtbildpanoptikum displays photographs by Vlad Korneev.

The presentation deliberately works with the effects of arrangement, light and space. Like a cabinet of curiosities, the combinations of objects are intended to create new associations and to bring forms to the fore. Explanatory labels are omitted; the exhibition relies on making the often surreal‑appearing functions and the interplay of the objects directly tangible.