Vitra — What the fuck is Heimat?

One definition of the German word is Home. In this unique creative collaboration, Vitra and SR brought together innovative leaders from Google, Adobe and AirBnB to define this idea of Heimat in different and personal ways.

Aaron Taylor Harvey is the Executive Creative Director of AirBnB. A stone from his favorite path in Joshua Tree, California, represents his personal Heimat. SR designed and built a custom stone, inserting a headphone jack on the front. When you plug a pair of headphones in, you can hear the background noise from where the stone lay for more than 2 million years – in Joshua Tree National Park.

This object represents the Heimat of Jonathan Chung, a creative director at Google. He grew up in Korea – a country with a strong tradition and values that are very different from those in the US. This carefully designed object represents the interplay between Korea and the US. The earth is from Aaron’s hometown in Korea – preserved in a glass cylinder. The earth is in stark contrast to the outer layer composed of a material called Glebanite. It’s a new material made from recycled glass fibers. The combined whole represents the contrasts in his life: two completely different cultures, lifestyles and needs.

Nicholas Ruiz is the Global Design Director of Adobe. An aluminum block filled with used engine oil from a Porsche 911 C45 represents his personal Heimat. »My 2002 Porsche 911 C45 is the place that I go when I need to disconnect from my world. It’s completely analog – it feels like a caged tiger.«

Lauryn Menard’s object is made of clay. Not fired. Raw. Earthy. Like the places she goes to when she needs to solve problems or find grounding. Inside this box is something hidden, something natural, something she really likes. The box comes with a hammer. She can either crack the box open or not. It’s up to her to decide.