>> in today's show, bright ideas. french designer creates a award winning lamps and sofas. game not over. computer and video games make it into the museum. german crooner. returning with a new album of 20 style songs. here's your host. >> and welcome to the show from here in the german capital. and that's where we begin with

the latest venture of one of germany's best-known fashion designers. he is a very busy man indeed. he unveiled his new collection at the berlin fashion week. but that clearly wasn't enough work for him because he has also found the time to design a new fashion-themed bar for a top berlin hotel. ♪ ♪ >> cat wak is the name of the first bar designed. the interior design, the outfits worn by bar staff, and even the drink were all created by the german fashion designer. for many, the opening party was another highlight rounding off a busy fashion week in berlin. >> i'm extremely happy with the results. i'm happy that it's all done and also that the fashion week is over. the bar is inside berlin's marriott hotel. everything revolves around the

world of fashion. and anyone who is anyone in the world of fashion was invited for the big opening. among the attractions, film director chairs bearing the names of famous designers and models. and in cat walk, it would be no surprise to actually see the people sitting in their chairs, like exsuper models. >> it's really very creative. even the chairs. they're like chairs on movie sets with the names on the back. i think it's great. >> he's definitely got it, proportions, color coordinations. that applies to all fields. if you're a good fashion designer, you can be a good interior designer. brilliant. >> it's unbelieveably stylish, and there's lots of history here, too. it's great to see the pictures. obviously memories are in my line of work.

it's wonderful. >> but catwalk is not just about glitz and glammer. the drink need to hit the spot, too. our manager worked to come up with new cocktail creations. slim fit, or the look book are the new must-haves here. all the cocktails are prepared with fresh ingredients. >> needs and loves cocktails like this. they don't give you a hangover. >> work was being done on the bar right up to the last minute. the marriott hotel has invested more than 3 million euros in the project. when he viewed the building a week before opening, he was satisfied with the results. the 43-year-old is particularly proud of the fashion photographs. the collection, consisting of

around 140 works, is worth more than 100,000 euros. >> the most important thing for me was fashion. fashion trends from the whole of the 20th century. and fashion icons that everybody knows. >> his love affair with fashion began when he was 12, when he saw a magazine photo story. >> i'm grateful that i was able to get into the fashion worl and to do the things that i dreamed of doing as a kid. this fashion bar here at the marriott is an attempt to open up this world that i live in of which i'm a part to others as well. >> the bar was ready just in time for the opening. he had the complete interior

produced just especially for the bar. he gives it one final inspection shortly before the opening. >> can't we get a crome colored fire extinguisher? too bad. >> i think bar culture has both a cultural and a social aspect. you meet people from different countries here from all walks of life. it should be a place where you can just drop in even if you're alone and then get talking with other people and get to know them. >> guests feel like a bit they're on a runway themselves. and even the bar staff here are

dressed in the label. >> to paris and among the most interesting designers working today. she's just been named designer of the month by the prestigious magazine. we met up with her at the furniture fair in the french capital to try and find out a little more about her design philosophy. >> designer i thinka is the star of the stand at the paris design pair. this time around, she is presenting her new bed. >> when you present a piece of furniture to the public, you know that it will go into production and that's very important because many ideast m >> the 43-year-old french designer has been working with the leon furniture company since 2006. she has a very special style which is completely her own and

hard to define. and that's just what we want. we need talented people who can develop objects which have never been seen before in the history of design and whose ideas and personalities are good for us. inga's furniture takes pride of place. her sofas have been awarded several design prices and sell well. the sofa sells at a starting price of 2500 euros. it has sold more than 4,000 times over during the past four years. her latest creation is hard to miss. >> i think this is really something new. and it's much more comfortable than it looks. the leather is magnificent. i'm very impressed. >> sofas are just one of her specialties.

in her paris office, she develops lots of different objects including brissle shelves with curtains. cheese grators with holes shaped like italy, and collapsible lamps. >> i'm easily bored so i always need to be making something new. i have lamps but at the moment i don't have any new ideas for lamps. >> for many she is considered the most important french lamp designer. she has made lamps for many well-known manufacturers. her own choice of lighting, however, is sparten. >> didn't they say that shoe makers wear the worst shoes? the same applies to me. on my bedside table i have a reading lamp made of plastic which i borrowed from my daughter because i didn't have anything to read by at night. manufacturers are pretty

stingy. they rarely hand out the finished products. you really have to fight for them. that's why everything here is a proto type. >> like the vamp, which is french for steam, >> this piece was a commission from a new company. they asked me to design a lamp which was simple to manufacture and which gives off enough light. i've always been fascinated by pleeting which makes it possible to give structure to very fine materials. and with the clocks, i was keen not to have classic hands which move. but to integrate them into the clock and only symbolize the rhythm of time. >> some of her work does inevitably end up in her living room. but she doesn't make much of it. >> i have a certain distance to

my furniture. i find it really hard to like. once i have finished the piece, i rather lose interest in it. >> overall, she has more of a professional than emotional relationship to design. >> i never talk about design because it doesn't interest me. my friends all designers but i never ask them for their opinions because i'm not interested in them. as far as i'm concerned, design means work. and although i enjoy it, it goes hand in hand with pressure because you always need to have new ideas. >> and this stage, the designer would really create something completely different and she knows what. >> i would like to design pens, ballpoints, or wooden pens. and windows. i think there's a lot you can do with windows. >> back at the furniture fair, her bed is attracting

attention. visitors like it. and who knows, maybe one day it will end up in her own bedroom. >> computer games have actually been around for over 50 years. so some of the early ones are already collectors items. here in berlin, a new museum has just opened devoted to the history of video and computer games. so already popular with devotees because you can try your hand at some of the originals from the computer stone-age. >> a genuine pack man from 1980. karate champ dates back to 1984. super mario brothers was a hit in 1988. in 1991, greek fighter was one of the first fighting games. computer games may not be proper works of art but they've now been given their own

museum. >> computer games have a piece of culture. one of the most interesting cultural phenomena of our times. have there have been computer games for as long as there have been computers. they're closely tied to the invention of the computer. for many of us they're the first contact we had with the technology that's become central. as kids we all played computer games so they helped define the era and our perception of digital media. they encourage interaction and participation. >> a curator of the museum in berlin, this one boasts the largest collection and contains a number of surprises such as this reproduction of the first electronic computer introduced in germany complete with the game made by british company. it was unveiled at the berlin industrial show in 1951. then the economics minister was clearly intrigued. >> computers and games are

intertwined from the very beginning and of course everyone is drawn to the idea of a super brain as an opponent. the rival you lose to unless you know the tricks. >> over time, both the games and the players have become smarter. the museum shows how the technology has grown ever more sophisticated. >> computer technology has come a long way. take the adventure genre. you read it the way you read a book and typed in your input. then the first graphics were introduced and eventually it evolved into the 3-d world we know today. >> the museum encourages interaction and expects to attract some 90,000 visitors in its first year. >> i like the way they charted

the historical development of a medium we all like to use in our free time. >> as a computer game player this makes it feel more socially accepted. it shows games aren't as bad as they're portrayed. they're part of history. >> the exhibition also showcases hardware. icons of product design include the world's very first console first launched in 1968, taking computer games out of the arcades and into the comfort of your own home was made possible by the brown box. it was designed the man who filed for a number of patents in the u.s. >> it was the birth of a whole new industry of games for both children and adults. in fact, the industry wasn't originally aimed at kids. if you look at the old commercials, they tend to show adults playing video games

while enjoying a glass of wine. >> in west germany, computer games soon went mainstream. whole tv shows have revolved around the new medium, like this one in 1977. but in communist east germany, video games were state-controlled. the only gaming machine available in the country was poly play. and it was only permitted in youth and community centers that toed the party line. >> western computer technology couldn't be supplied to the communist bloc because of trade embargs. so in the east, they had to design a lot themselves and were very keen to get kids

interested in computers at a young age. computer games were used to identify talent. >> and there's something else about computer games that not a lot of people know. >> in a way, the skills you got were an early form of digital music. it's closely tied to tech no music and the electronic music scene. a lot of movers and shakers in the tech no scene grew up with computer games and were very attracted to these sounds. >> computer games have become such a part of modern life and popular culture that they definitely deserve their own museum. >> next up, the austrian ski resort, home to annual downhill races which take place on one of the toughest ski slopes in

the world. alongside the professional races, there's also a celebrity competition which raises money for charity. this is combined, of course, with the obligtri party. >> the legendary beer and sausage party goes right through the night. it all started 120 years ago when a local butcher decided to organize a party and serve sauages to skiers who had no luck on the slopes. the party is now a party for germany's high society. >> people like to come here because austrians and bavarnes have a similar mentality. they're quite warm and socialable. >> german celebrities have long since delivered -- discovered. some of them even have a second

home here. >> oh, my. it's one of the most beautiful areas of the world and i've seen a lot. i like it here. i often came here in my free time. >> german celebrities are now an integral part of the scene along with a friendly german-austrian rivalry. >> i used to say it's a suburb of munich but people here don't like that. you could equally describe munich as a suburb. >> if germans come here, it's good. good for business. >> once a year, business is particularly good. in january, the world's best skiers descend to test their skill on the legendary run, thought to be the most difficult ski run. the event draws some 90,000 visitors. >> i watched it years ago in los angeles with friends and it's an amazing race.

with tradition known around the world. ledgedndry greats. it's taken on iconic status. >> it's to skiing what monaco is to formula one. it's the most exciting and dangerous course in the world and it's a real party at the same time. but it's not just the pros who get to ski. celebrities from all over the world take to the legendary race itself to raise money for charity. >> i could feel the fare running do you know the inside of my legs. it's great -- fear to be running down my legs. it's great to be here for the main event and then to meet some of the different people. >> david's compat rot prefers to watch from the sidelines.

>> i haven't skied for about ten years so i would be too scared to even try to ski here. >> but when it comes to the party in the evening, she's right there. events range to a gala to a mega party. every year there are new celebrities. here to find out what's behind the legend. >> i don't know yet. i guess i'll find out this weekend. >> inside the hotel, british musician is providing the entertainment. he invides to -- decides to invite another guest on the stage. [applause] are two international stars then give a spontaneous duet.

there's so much to enjoy here, i think people originally came here to ski and everything else has just developed around it. there are loads of bars and great clubs. i think it lives up to its name. >> not the first german celebrity to fall to the charm of this party haven in the alps and shall doubtless not be the last. >> finally, music in the style of the 1920s. over the last 25 years, max and his orchestra have become famous with their tasteful and witty interpretations of 1920s and 30s german sings. and not just here in germany. they've even filled the carnegie hall in new york. now, he's written a whole album of originals called, you can't

kiss alone. ♪ ♪ >> his first album of self-composed songs. most of the tracks on the album are about love. ♪ ♪ >> it's neither pure pop music nor what i do with my repertoire. in a way it's a continuation of the original 1920s and 30's songs which are my great love. >> he worked on the album together with annet, one of the most influential musicians in

germany. she and her band pioneered the so-called music in the 1980s. >> the words you can't kiss alone struck me out of the blue one day. it was a lovely thought and so true. and i wondered who could sing it. i thought of max. it just seemed like his style. >> they worked on the new album throughout last summer. she produced the album, they wrote the songs together. >> we wrp hanging out in the studio in slippers and shorts. and between coffee breaks and going swimming, we recorded the songs. and that same simplicity is reflected in the album as well. >> max was born in 1962 in a

small town in western germany. at the age of 20, he moved to berlin to study music. in 1986, he got together with friends the form the orchestra which performed songs in the style of the 1920s and 30's. >> popular music and serious music can be done badly or it can be done well. if you take popular music seriously, like one done, it works fine. ♪ ♪ >> starting in february, they'll be performing live all over the world as part of a tour to introduce their new album. the tour will include concerts in europe, asia, the u.s. and israel. >> the exciting part is we

will play our original repertoire on this tour made more interesting by adding the songs creating for the new album. it's sort of a continuation of our mission so far. >> the new video depicts a puppet frog in search of a kiss, fairy tale like and definitely different. a little like his new album. ♪ ♪ >> the man's got style. so has the frog. that's all we've got time for. thanks for watching. until next time,. ===u=uuuuuññuqx