Italian design graduates Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin of Formafantasma present a series of baked objects at an exhibition in Eindhoven this week.
Few and Far
242 Brompton Road, London SW3 2BB
This wednesday Few are Far will host their very own design auction. Run by an ex Sotheby’s auctioneer, the sale will offer works by a range of designers including Andrée Putman, Nigel Coates, Vico Magistretti, Xavier Lust, Julian Stair among others.
Viewing will take place 14th - 15th September ’09.
For further information and catalogue enquiries tel: 020 7225 7070
Absentee bidding is available.
Georgios Maridakis’ final work at the summer show was his Sèvres Vase Clock. “The project started as an initiative between the French Sèvres porcelain factory and the RCA”, explains Maridakis. “My goal was to celebrate the inherent qualities within Sèvres vases, instead of generating yet another porcelain piece. The aim of this project was to create an object that could give life to the unique characteristics possessed by pre-existing artifacts.”
“My interest in ceramics began during my studies in Arnhem, where I designed several pieces with this material. In my view porcelain is a material that requires skill, patience, and some degree of humour. The Sèvres Vase Clock is a new type of timepiece that tells the hour by tapping on the surface of a vase to produce sound. An adjustable hammer mechanism allows a variety of vases to be used, thereby permitting a range of chimes to be generated. This piece was inspired by porcelain’s three main qualities: transparency, whiteness, and its pure ring. The clock reminds the user of the passage of time not only through its chime, but also through the gradual fractures and eventual shatter that it inflicts (on the porcelain).”
Jozephine Duker’s work also looks at the concept of sound, through her Ceramic Sound Landscape. This ‘musical instrument’, a project for Yamaha, is made from ceramic bowls of differing thicknesses and sizes on flexible silicone rubber feet, which can be struck by everyday objects, such as a pen.
Duker explains, “The Ceramic Sound Landscape invites people to play music: a moment of pleasure is created when walking from one place to another in an office building or school, for example. The varied thicknesses and sizes of the bowls create the different tones, which are structured in a grid from low to high. This allows people to explore the surface and to learn to play it.”
Willem van Landeghem studied ceramics at the RCA and it was a work placement at Royal Crown Derby that led van Landeghem to use bone china for most of his graduation projects.
His ceramic washbasins deal with the concept of how we should think of water as a luxurious commodity, yet we don’t give it a second thought as it drains away out of our washbasins. The use of special plugs splashes droplets of water back into the basin, instead of letting it all go straight down the plughole unnoticed. Van Landeghem says, “The aesthetics of splashing water and the drops like pearls makes the user feel the preciousness of water.”
Van Landeghem has also worked on the instability of bone china, creating bowls and lights that have structural textures within them. The lights have delicate ribbed effects and these are strongly highlighted by the translucent qualities of the material when backlit.
Main image and image 1: Georgios Maridakis
Image 2: Jozephine Duker
Image 3: Willem van Landeghem
via design.nl
The intent wasn't to create solutions that might pop right into the current market--but rather, to challenge students who otherwise might never have encountered such a difficult and unique design problem. The hope, according to Chochinov, was that the young greehorns would have ideas that would never occur to an engineering pro.
The projects are organized along four basic approaches: Decorative, Playful, Utilitarian, and Awareness. Here's a sampling of each category:
In the Decorative category, Tonya Douraghy & Carli Pierce designed the "Feather Cuff and Wing Arm"--which aims to tackle the stigma associated with a prosthetic, by turning it into a fanciful accessory.
In the Playful category, Ekta Daryanani designed a sleeve for a prosthetic arm which kids can draw on--thus making it into a canvas for self-expression, not unlike a cast which all your friends sign.
The Utilitarian category emphasized function over form. Giho Lee began his investigation by experimenting with a "trainer"--a device that gives a two-armed person a sense of what it's like to have a prosthetic hand. Then he began devising a clever, willfully "dumb" and low-tech method for wire attachments to adapt the trainer to different tasks. It's not a design solution per se, but nonetheless, documents the process of how you'd start developing improvements on the "hook" (thanks to Allan for the clarification).
The most abstract category was Awareness, which investigated the cultural mores that amputees live with. Meital Gueta created three pieces that aim to reflect the body image of amputees.
You can see all of the projects--and more images--at the Prosthetics Project Web site. Kudos to Allan for leading such a well thought-out class, and to the students, for coming up with such a wealth of interesting ideas!
[Via Core 77, fastcompany]
In partnership with Carpenters Workshop Gallery, Louise Blouin Foundation in London presents a group exhibition of design art with works by Atelier van Lieshout, Drift, Ingrid Donat, Joris Laarman, Lionel Scoccimaro, Marc Quinn, Mathieu Lehanneur, Pablo Reinoso, Rainer Splitt, rAndom International, Robert Stadler, Sebastian Brajkovic, Thierry Dreyfus, Vincent Dubourg and Wendell Castle.
VernissageTV attended the opening reception and spoke with the curator of Design High, Natalie Kovacs. In this video, Natalie Kovacs talks about the title and the concept of the exhibition, the convergence of design, art and architecture, and specific works like Atelier van Lieshout’s Wombhouse and Mahieu Lehaneur’s Local River.
Design High / Louise Blouin Foundation, London. Interview with curator Natalie Kovacs and atmospheric shots from the opening reception. June 24, 2009. Design High runs until August 30, 2009.
The Fig Leaf wardrobe, 2008. Designed by Tord Boontje © Meta.
IIDEX Conference Direct Energy Centre, Toronto
For this year’s IIDEX conference, NewYork based designer Stephen Burks will give the keynote address discussing the notion of design as an agent of social change.
As one of the most sought-after industrial designers of his generation, Burks continues to use every project opportunity to bridge the gap between luxury brands and his passionate commitment to design with a conscience. His cross-disciplinary approach and his collaborations with artisans in the developing world are the hallmarks of his hybrid practice.
As he puts it, "the excesses of the last two decades, resulting from the proliferation of goods, continue to have disastrous consequences for the planet." This global crisis offers an opportunity for design practitioners of every stripe to interact meaningfully with visionaries in business, science, the arts, social work and public policy, and to play a powerful new role in the transformation of our shared reality and emerging future. In his keynote, Burks will explore hybrid design as an agent of social change.
IIDEX CONFERENCE - 23rd - 26th September ’09 Registration is Free before 15th September. www.microspec.com
Disposable Technology: A response to our consumer relationship with technology and obsolescence.
New Collection by designer Thomas Voorn
Beasts par Nacho Carbonnell fait parti de l'exposition Craft Punk, une collaboration entre DesignMiami et Fendi. Les designers ont produits des pieces uniques en recyclant le materiel de l'usine.
Une pleiade de designers (Maarten Baas, Kiki Van Eijk, Joost Van Bleiswijk, Minale-Maeda, Philippe Nigro, Van Eijk & Van der Lubbe, the Campana Brothers, Front, Marc Sadler and Bertjan Pot) pour un nouveau venu dan le monde du design avec une avant premiere a Milan: Skitsch (emotion et design contemporain)
Via Lodovico il Moro 25/27, Milan
The RCA’s PLATFORM 10 presents Crisis Shop - Sold out, an exhibition of work focused on handling situations of crisis in our contemporary society.
Featuring a series of products, each offering an opportunity in disguise, the exhibition offers a stimulus to rethink what a crisis actually is.
From candles with suction pads to deal with any emergency, to take-apart cutlery and LEGO® tables, the exhibition invests in the means to respond to crises at large.
To coincide with the exhibition Seves glassblock Showroom will host a series of films and lectures, with critical contributions by Prof. Niko Papastergiadis, Deyan Sudjic, and Richard Wentworth.
Top: Table by REEVESdesign
Below: Bird Houses by Chris EckersleyRevel Scalo d’Isola
Via Thaon De Revel,3, Milano (Zona Isola)
Designersblock will be back in Milan this year showcasing a star lineup of established and up-and-coming designers including the like of Chris Eckersley, Puff & Flock, Reevesdesign and our personal favorite Ercol.
To complement the exhibition there will be a full program of screenings, discussions, presentations, performance and lots more taking place throughout the days and evenings of the salone in the Theater section of the venue.
So although it might be slightly off the beaten path, i would definitely include it on my list of must sees in Milan.
www.designersblock.org.uk
Maple wood and polyurethane foam La belle et le clochard table by François Azambourg,
Bold chairs by Big-Game
Instant tableInstant seat chauffeuse in plywood beech, Arbre table centre by Matali Crasset,
and
Arbre table centre by Matali Crasset,
Vapeur lamp and suspension by Inga Sempé
large Vapeur lamps and suspension, Armoire souple storage module by Inga Sempé,
Arbre table centre by Matali Crasset
Natural leather Instant seat chauffeuses by Matali Crasset,
Box stools by Big-Game,
Large Vapeur lamp by Inga Sempé
Armoire souple storage modules and large Vapeur lamp by Inga Sempé,
Bold chairs and Box stools by Big-Game
Mètre shelf by François Azambourg
Slastic coat rack by Ana Mir + Emili Padros
Why a new home furnishings company?
The idea of a new French company of contemporary home furnishings might seem either odd or gutsy, considering how full the world is with furniture and objects. And if the company in question chooses to work with designers and producers who are close contacts (in every sense of the term—geography, affinity and tastes) whereas globalization seems to be the way of our times, isn’t this a little anachronistic? And if the company’s aim is to build a network based on both complicity and know-how, and if the company believes that between very upscale and standardization there should be a wide range of choices: is this utter madness? Announcing Moustache. Founded and run by Stéphane Arriubergé and Massimiliano Iorio, moreover partners in Domestic, Moustache’s aim is to bring together a group of like-minded designers to nurture the development of innovative and honest furnishings that will stand the test of time.
via Yatzer
