How can the biography of a plastic object show the history of daily life and material culture in socialist Hungary? From posters encouraging milk consumption and changes in milk packaging to the design process of the injection-molded milk holder and its afterlife, the exhibition explores the cultural significance of the plastic milk spout.

HONEY, HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF „ZACSKÓS-TEJ-TARTÓ”?
11. 12. 2024 – 22. 01. 2025, K11 Labor, Budapest

CURATORS: Kitti MAYER, Piroska, NOVÁK, Noémi VISKI

ASSISTANT CURATOR: Laura FEDICS

RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS: Eszter SZŐNYEG-SZEGVÁRI, Lilla GOLLOB and her family

GRAPHIC DESIGN: Anna Katalin SZILÁGYI
VIDEO PRODUCTION: Emese GÓG, Ádám BORBÉLY, Péter MÁRI
INSTALLATION SYSTEM: Veronika Róza HÁLÓ
WALL ART ILLUSTRATION: Juli JÁSDI

SPECIAL THANKS TO: Bori ÁCS, László CSÁKI, Gyula ERNYEY, Anita FARKAS, Zsófia FRAZON,
Emese GÓG, András HÚNFALVI, Klára KUTI, Péter LANGH, Antal Farkas RETKES-KISS, Máté SIPOS, Ádám VÁRKONYI – Budapest Poster Gallery, NFI
CONTRIBUTORS WHO DONATED OBJECTS AND STORIES: Éva AMENT, Gábor BARNA, Tiborné BURGHARD, István NAGY, FAUSZT Pálné, Zsuzsanna FAZEKAS, Helga FEKETE, FEKETE Jánosné, Nikolett FÜLÖP, Mónika GALGONNÉ MÉSZÁROS, Emese GÓG, Anita GYENES, HANÁSZ Ferencné, Anikó HERBERT, Viola Erika IZSÁKNÉ MÉSZÁROS, Erzsébet JEDLINSZKI, JUHÁSZ Istvánné, JÓNA Józsefné, KACSINKÓ Attiláné, Juli KÁROLYI, KEGLOVICS Jánosné, Antal KRÁLIK, Zsófia LENGYEL, LÉVAI Jánosné, Kitti MAYER,

Piroska NOVÁKNÉ KÁDASI, ORBÁN Istvánné, Edina OROSZ, OROSZ Istvánné, Mihály ÖRKÉNYI, Antal Farkas RETKES-KISS, András SÁGI, STEFÁN Zoltánné,

Edit SZALAI, SZINCSÁK Józsefné, SZTERNÁK Istvánné, Vera TERÉNYI-SZABÓ, THERN Sámuelné, Attila TÓTH, family of Márton TÓTH, Edit URBÁN, VARGA

Imréné, VASI Istvánné, VESZELI Istvánné, TRNKA Zoltánné
EXHIBITION DOCUMENTATION PHOTOS: Dániel GAÁL

"Honey, have you ever heard of 'zacskós-tej-tartó (milk-bag-holder)'?" – can be heard in a sketch by the Hungarian comedian Sándor Fábry. According to the story, the question, as an uncommon Eastern European pick-up line, is addressed to an American woman during their first meeting. While milk packaged in bags wasn’t entirely unknown in other parts of the world, the format distributed in State-Socialist Hungary, along with its circumstances – milk crates covered in spilled milk, a smelly wiping cloth left on the edge of the store’s refrigerated counter, and plastic milk pourers designed specifically for storing milk bags at home – would have been utterly unfamiliar to the American woman in Fábry’s story.

"Honey, have you ever heard of 'zacskós-tej-tartó (milk-bag-holder)'?" – can be heard in a sketch by the Hungarian comedian Sándor Fábry. According to the story, the question, as an uncommon Eastern European pick-up line, is addressed to an American woman during their first meeting. While milk packaged in bags wasn’t entirely unknown in other parts of the world, the format distributed in State-Socialist Hungary, along with its circumstances – milk crates covered in spilled milk, a smelly wiping cloth left on the edge of the store’s refrigerated counter, and plastic milk pourers designed specifically for storing milk bags at home – would have been utterly unfamiliar to the American woman in Fábry’s story.

"Honey, have you ever heard of 'zacskós-tej-tartó (milk-bag-holder)'?" – can be heard in a sketch by the Hungarian comedian Sándor Fábry. According to the story, the question, as an uncommon Eastern European pick-up line, is addressed to an American woman during their first meeting. While milk packaged in bags wasn’t entirely unknown in other parts of the world, the format distributed in State-Socialist Hungary, along with its circumstances – milk crates covered in spilled milk, a smelly wiping cloth left on the edge of the store’s refrigerated counter, and plastic milk pourers designed specifically for storing milk bags at home – would have been utterly unfamiliar to the American woman in Fábry’s story.

The exhibition observes the objects that were used to store bagged milk in Hungary. The research is based on an article from the series ’Object Fetish’ written by design theorists Kitti Mayer and Piroska Novák. In the fourth article, they examined a special plastic milk pourer model designed by Gyula Ernyey and József Gollob, thus we put this type in the centre of attention on the exhibition. This object, which evokes nostalgia for many, was an essential item in Hungarian households during the 1970s and 1980s, as storing opened bags of milk in the refrigerator was impossible without it. The exhibition delves into the historical background and cultural relevance of the special milk spout by exploring the object biography: from posters promoting milk consumption and the evolution of milk packaging to the design history of the injection-molded milk holder that provided a solution, as well as its afterlife. How did it differ from other types available on the market? What new functions has it acquired since the spread of carton milk? How has our relationship with plastic objects changed over the past fifty years?

The exhibition observes the objects that were used to store bagged milk in Hungary. The research is based on an article from the series ’Object Fetish’ written by design theorists Kitti Mayer and Piroska Novák. In the fourth article, they examined a special plastic milk pourer model designed by Gyula Ernyey and József Gollob, thus we put this type in the centre of attention on the exhibition. This object, which evokes nostalgia for many, was an essential item in Hungarian households during the 1970s and 1980s, as storing opened bags of milk in the refrigerator was impossible without it. The exhibition delves into the historical background and cultural relevance of the special milk spout by exploring the object biography: from posters promoting milk consumption and the evolution of milk packaging to the design history of the injection-molded milk holder that provided a solution, as well as its afterlife. How did it differ from other types available on the market? What new functions has it acquired since the spread of carton milk? How has our relationship with plastic objects changed over the past fifty years?

ERVIN ÁGAS, 1958: INSTEAD OF ALCOHOL DRINK MILK / BUDAPEST POSTER GALLERY

ERVIN ÁGAS, 1958: INSTEAD OF ALCOHOL DRINK MILK / BUDAPEST POSTER GALLERY

ERVIN ÁGAS, 1958: INSTEAD OF ALCOHOL DRINK MILK / BUDAPEST POSTER GALLERY

PROTOTYPES / PHOTO FROM THE ARCHIVE OF JÓZSEF GOLLOB'S FAMILY

PROTOTYPES / PHOTO FROM THE ARCHIVE OF JÓZSEF GOLLOB'S FAMILY

PROTOTYPES / PHOTO FROM THE ARCHIVE OF JÓZSEF GOLLOB'S FAMILY

The exhibition features a colorful assortment of plastic milk spouts collected through a community call organized by K11 Labor. These items were saved from oblivion in households thanks to active recycling efforts and the belief that "it might come in handy someday." Accompanied by personal stories from their users—along with a video interview with Gyula Ernyey and contemporary reflections from experts of various fields—these objects help shed light on the different roles this emblematic item played in Hungarian design culture from multiple perspectives.

The exhibition features a colorful assortment of plastic milk spouts collected through a community call organized by K11 Labor. These items were saved from oblivion in households thanks to active recycling efforts and the belief that "it might come in handy someday." Accompanied by personal stories from their users—along with a video interview with Gyula Ernyey and contemporary reflections from experts of various fields—these objects help shed light on the different roles this emblematic item played in Hungarian design culture from multiple perspectives.

The exhibition features a colorful assortment of plastic milk spouts collected through a community call organized by K11 Labor. These items were saved from oblivion in households thanks to active recycling efforts and the belief that "it might come in handy someday." Accompanied by personal stories from their users—along with a video interview with Gyula Ernyey and contemporary reflections from experts of various fields—these objects help shed light on the different roles this emblematic item played in Hungarian design culture from multiple perspectives.