Hirsutio Vase, Giles Miller, Design Products graduate 2009; Coffee stool, Aysenaz Toker, Design Product student 2009, RCA
The Royal College of Art Design Products department presents Hotel RCA April 14-18 2010 during Salone del Mobile in Milan. Professor Tord Boontje, Head of Design Products at the Royal College of Art in London, will be presenting work by 90 students and recent graduates of the MA course at the exhibition Hotel RCA located in over 900 square metres of a disused factory in Lambrate – the old industrial district of east Milan.
Hotel RCA show takes the typology of a hotel. The work will be displayed in zones corresponding to the functions and spaces commonly found in the interior, such as the reception area, lounge and bedrooms. The exhibition will include the full range of design activity represented by this postgraduate course including product design and furniture, as well as more conceptual works.
Hirsutio by Giles Miller can be manipulated to form whatever profile the user desires. The brass ‘hairs’ are brushed around to form the shape, in a style reminiscent of traditional ceramic pot production. The vase has a black anodised aluminium core and glass vessel centre.
Coffee stool by Aysenaz Toker in copper and ash is based on the concept of bringing local archetypes into everyday context and use. The design of the coffee stool borrows its scale and posture from traditional designs found in Turkish coffee houses. The seat is in hand beaten copper.
Eye of Nightingale by Aysenaz Toker, Design Product student 2009, RCA
A collection of Turkish filigree glass objects by Aysenaz Toker brings the traditional and local craft into a more contemporary context. In these designs Toker works with the glass craftsmen from the furnaces of Istanbul’s glassmaking district. The pattern takes its name, Eye of Nightingale, from the visual play it creates when you turn it, or bring it closer to your eye.
Boundary Desk, Felix de Pass, Design Products graduate 2009, RCA; Ultradur Desk Light, Dirk Winkel, Design Product student, RCA
Ultradur by Dirk Winkel is a LED desk lamp that has visible gas springs which enable a smooth movement of the object. The solid plastic arms are not hollowed out as the material allows for a high wall thickness. This lighting design is celebrating plastic as a precious high-value and high-performance material.
Boundary Desk by Felix de Pass, is a multi functional desk system for the home/office workplace made from high pressure solid core laminate, anodised aluminium extrusion, solid beech wood and sheet aluminium. The essence of the desk’s construction is in the corners where an aluminium dovetail connects all the materials together, allowing for easy assembly and disassembly. The aluminium desk frame conceals integrated tracks to which various accessories are attached. Folded sheet aluminium drawers, cable management solutions and privacy screens can all be fitted to the elementary desk to adapt the needs of the user.
Hard Rock, Bethan Wood, Design Products graduate 2009, RCA; Folding Plug, Min Kyu Choi, design products graduate 2009, RCA
Min-Kyu Choi re-designs the standard British plug into a slim, light-weight, folding version. ‘Folding Plug’ was the recently declared winner of the Brit Insurance Design of the Year award. The design has been developed with BASF Ultradur.
Hard Rock furniture was designed to evoke a slice of landscape, inviting the user to explore the shape. The form plays with the ambiguity of natural environments and the exact use for each section is not explained to the user. Bethan Wood uses a marquetry technique with different qualities of laminates, treating each one like a rare wood veneer, rather then as a cheap substitute.
Downside Up table designed by Claire Feirrera was created using three distinct elements: a mould, a liquid and a frame. The piece is made by pouring Jesmonite bio-resin inside a wooden base which exudes from four separated slits to form a smooth flat surface when turned over. The exact same quantity of materials is poured in each slot. From a single base, the table can take on different colours and shapes.
Downside Up Table, Claire Feirrera, Design Products graduate 2009, RCA; L.O.F.T Furniture/Workstation, Maciek Wojcicki, Design Products graduate 2009, RCA
L.O.F.T. by Maciek Wojcicki is a piece of adjustable furniture in beech wood, plywood, steel and aluminium, designed to fit a limited space and create a cosy workspace in flats. The frame acts like a flexible skeleton for different living/working functions and additional accessories include wedged shelving, boards, screens and containers or attachable curtains and lighting. Everything may be assembled without tools and just by one person. Elements of the structure can be slid along rails to find the required position and can be revolved around the centre pillar. Accessories can be wedged, tied or hooked onto the construction elements; cables are thread up through grooves to avoid having cables trailing along the floor.
HOTEL RCA runs from April 14-18 2010 at Ventura Lambrate, via Arrighi 16, Milan
Image credits: Ultradur Desk Light, Dirk Winkel, photography by Nicola Tree/BASF; Eye Of Nightingale, Aysenaz Toker, photography by Aysegul Turan; Coffee stool, Aysenaz Toker, photography by Aysegul Turan.
