Design mon amour

Spring/Summer 08, the design season is really taking off and if you are in the area don't miss this conference.

via Designblast

		The artist and designer Elio Caccavale was born in Naples, Italy and studied product design at the Glasgow School of Art as well as at the Royal College of Art in London. In his work he deals with socio-critical issues, which he illustrates in the form of fictive scenarios. Biotechnology is a significant element of his work. In one of his projects called “Utility Pets”, Caccavale’s central theme is the breeding of human organs in pigs bodies, as well how these “production animals” are kept and handled. One part of the concept, for instance, is a protective mask to protect the pigs - with their valuable “replacement parts” - from cigarette smoke. His complex and bizarre scenarios are not just a product of the imagination but also result from teamwork with biologists, ethnologists, and social scientists. eliocaccavale.com
		Daniel Eatock studied at the London Royal College of Art and was employed at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota before he founded his own studio. His work is always conceptual, whether for self-imposed projects or for assignments on behalf of clients, such as the British version of “Big Brother“ and the television station “Channel 4”. What makes Eatocks work exceptional is his ability to observe the everyday phenomena of life from an artistic point of view and transform it into a work of art. Thus he collects ambiguous pictures of water puddles, garbage bags, FedEx-trucks or scratched car bodies, painting random pictures with Pantone felt-tip pens, which were once the typical art directors’ tool. Especially striking is his dance to the sound of car alarms in everyday street scenes of our cities. Also here he stays true to his motto: “Say YES to fun & function & NO to seductive imagery & colour!” danieleatock.com
		Mario Lombardo has become one of Germany’s most sought-after editorial designers. Just recently, at Hamburg’s Lead Awards, he was made “Visual Leader of the Year 2008”. Moreover, from 2001 to 2006 he was the art director of the music journal “Spex”, and today he is responsible for the graphic design of the new alternative-lifestyle magazine “Liebling”. His main interest revolves around projects in music, art and culture. Thus he designed the graphic appearance of the exhibition “Vertrautes Terrain” (Familiar Territory) – Contemporary Art in/about Germany”, a range of contemporary German art presented at the Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe (22.05. – 21.09.2008). mariolombardo.com
		Richard Sweeney has elevated the product designer’s typical model-building with cardboard to an art form and now develops complex structures from plain paperboard. Even though he creases, cuts, folds and glues the paper by hand, his modules look as perfect as if made by computers or robots. Richard Sweeney developed sculptures for the DKNY store in London and was Designer in Residence at the famous London Design Museum in 2007. The young designer completed his design studies at the Batley School of Art and Design and at Manchester Metropolitan University. richardsweeney.co.uk
		Daniël van der Velden lives in Amsterdam, where he works as a graphic designer and author. He publishes regularly on topics such as brand design, graphic design and design research, as well as on „black metal“ music. With Vinca Kruk and Gon Zinfroni, van der Velden is a partner of Metahaven, an agency active in the field of design research. Between 1998 and 2007, he developed with designer Maureen Mooren not only innovative brand design projects but also concepts for the graphics and content of the architecture journal Archis, as well as the appearance of the Holland Festival. The pair also worked for the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Droog Design, TNT, Magasin 3 Stockholm Konsthall and other cultural institutions. Daniël van der Velden is presently Researcher for Design at the Jan van Eyck Academy in Maastricht. He is also a member of the expert advisory committee of the IFG Ulm and a lecturer in the Faculty of Design at the Sandberg Institute in Amsterdam. In 2007 he was appointed to a position at Yale University in New Haven, USA. metahaven.net
		Jan grew up in Ulm, Germany, and later studied at the State Academy of Art and Design in Stuttgart. Towards the end of that, he and Icelander Hjalti Karlsson founded karlssonwilker inc., a design studio located in the heart of Manhattan. The two of them (plus one intern) are working on all sorts of projects and from time to time there are parties on their backyard rooftop. Their work has appeared in more than one design publication and they have received less than thousand awards. Tellmewhy, a book about their studio that chronicles their first 24 months in business, was published by Princeton Architectural Press in 2003. Since then, nothing really changed. They frequently lecture and give workshops on design around the world, and they continue to work with an eclectic list of clients, including A, the B, C, D, E, the F Club, G, H mag, I, J, and K. karlssonwilker.com