Reflective hands as corporate ambassadors

The Berlin-based media agency ART+COM and Otto Bock HealthCare were overjoyed to receive the iF Gold Award for Corporate Architecture in Munich. The award was presented for a kinetic sculpture made from 100 computer-controlled prosthetic hands.

During the Expo 2010 in Shanghai, small mirrors on the hands reflected points of light to depict the Chinese symbol for mobility – also the symbol of Otto Bock's entire exhibition area. "The almost playful way in which this installation documents the fact that a handicap is no longer a real drawback is very interesting," said the international jury when explaining their selection. "There is a creative equivalent available that can improve the user's quality of life and make everyday tasks easier."

During the Expo 2010 in Shanghai, more than 2 million visitors took the opportunity to learn more about the issue of people and mobility in a specially constructed pavilion. "The award is a wonderful way of saying "thank you" to everyone who contributed to the success of our exhibition in Shanghai – from our partners at ART+COM to the German and Chinese employees who worked for thousands of hours, speaking intensively with interested visitors. It's nice to see this method of communication live on beyond the end of the Expo 2010," said Dirk Artmann, spokesman for Otto Bock HealthCare, in summary of the significance of the iF Gold Award.

At the end of February 2011, the kinetic sculpture began a twelve-month loan to the Ars Electronica museum in Linz, Austria, after which it will be on permanent display at the Otto Bock HealthCare Products GmbH headquarters in Vienna.

The iF Communication Award acknowledges extraordinary design, and is presented in five categories: Digital Media, Product Interfaces, Print Media, Cross-media and Corporate Architecture. Other winners in the Corporate Architecture category besides ART+COM/Otto Bock included the Expo pavilions for Germany and Saudi Arabia and Tiffany+Co.