Andrew Knott, University of Dundee
ARTS THREAD takes a look at the conceptual side of product design at New Designers Part 2.
Andrew Knott from the University of Dundee has a passion for craftsmanship. His project Faber came from his research between the client and the designer. Andrew gave the designers disposable recorders to document the creative process and also test tubes samples that contain the essence of the new piece of work. The final outcome is a beautiful wooden box with slides containing physical samples documenting the current progress made, along with the audio description recorded by the craftsperson.
Andrew was a worthy winner of the Designersblock Associate Prize for ‘Outstanding creative thought’ and wins exhibition space in Designersblock London 12 and Milan 13 shows and use of the Designersblock studio/workspace.
Paulo Goldstein, Central Saint Martins UAL
Paulo Goldstein, a Product and Industrial Design MA graduate from Central Saint Martins UAL has designed and made a collection called Repair is Beautiful. Paulo’s idea grew from seeing people’s frustration with objects that don’t work anymore or are broken and this project became a platform to address the issue by repairs that use traditional craft skills. Paulo’s work also touches the sustainability issue, working with raw recycled materials. It is pure craftsmanship and the slightly absurd nature gives each object a unique character.
Bridget Wheeler, University of Brighton
Bridget Wheeler, a graduate in Furniture Design from the University of Brighton has created a wonderful collection of intriguing bowls and pots. Inspired by old tradesman skills, her first project portrays the hand brick making process. He passion for learning old trades led her to research these processes and how to adapt them for her own project. Through this research she acquired a book called ‘The Forgotten Arts’ and learnt from videos the process and through this fascination she modified the moulds and shaped the proportions to allow a domestic function.
The process is quick to make, can be made at home, and reveals a quirky wonky character which represents Bridget’s hands-on passion. Her main aim was to make people aware of the lost and forgotten heritage.
Craig Barrow, University of Brighton
Craig Barrow, a fellow graduate from the University of Brighton in Furniture Design, has created awe inspiring objects which convey his fascination for amazing phenomena and natural elements which people perhaps take for granted. The larger project is called System for Shaping Wood through Lightning Strikes.
Through thorough research and speaking with physicists and tree surgeons, Craig uses science to send the electrical current from lightning through into the wood causing the sap inside to expand and the wood to explode. This occurs naturally when lightning strikes trees and in Craig’s version, steel grooves would be forced into the wood, causing it to explode, so as to capture the split-second moment of lightning’s power and energy which people can relate to. He hopes to set up this machine at a suitable location and allow it to stay there until it captures this moment.
