It’s the fourth year that Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design (AAAD), Prague comes to Milan. This time the students and graduates were chosen by the art and design curator Tereza Bruthansová and AAAD’s Porcelain and Ceramics Studio head, Maxim Velčovský.

Maxim Velčovský also designed the exhibition installation that shows work from the well known areas of Czech design such as glass, porcelain, graphic design and animation as well as other specialisms such as traditional metal casting or 3D printing technology.

From the Glass Studio the curators picked the work of Jakub Petr whose glass sculpture makes use of the ingenious use of physical laws – the parabolic inner shape of the object was generated by means of a combination of centrifugal and gravitational forces. Look out also for a cast cookware set entitled Jumbo from Daniel Gonzalez with elegant simple forms.

Beautiful but deadly, Karel Matějka’s collection of mountaineering ice axes are lightweight and cleverly ergonomically-designed, while ceramics student Elena Gergova has used the standard white hotel cup as inspiration for new look at the teaset.

Graphic design student Matej Cincera has created the visual identity for the exhibition and also shows, as part of the Okolo collective; his image pieces are created from symbols drawn from iconic tables by Carlo Mollino and Gio Ponti.

Don’t miss Mountain by deForm Studio, made up of designers Vaclav Mlynar and Jakub Pollag. Mountain is a object-bowl made from Carrara marble using 3D printing methods. The duo’s light object Transmission can also be seen at Spazio Rossana Orlandi during Milan Design Week.

Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design, Prague exhibition runs April 09-14 at Ventura Lambrate, Via Privata Oslavia 19, 20134 Milan

Coming up March 18-21, Design Days Dubai promises a strong exhibitor list, with a 30% increase over 2012. ARTS THREAD takes a first look at what to look for.

Set in a custom-built location at the base of Burj Khalifa, the show welcomes back key international galleries such as Carpenters Workshop Gallery from London/Paris, R20th Century from New York and Gallery Seomi, Seoul. New exhibitors include Melbourne’s Broached Commissions and Galeria Mexicana de Diseño, Mexico City.

Contemporary Art Platform, Kuwait will be showcasing the work of Beirut-based design and craft studio Bokja who, in conjunction with designer Wyssem Nochi, has created an exhibition entitled The Seven Stages of the Heart.
The Seven Stages of the Heart, Bokja / Gradient Mashrabiya Sideboard, Studio mischer’traxler
Bokja’s founders Hoda Baroudi and Maria Hibri have drawn on their sufi beliefs for the seven chair project. ‘The lines of the hexagon in Wyssem Nochi’s chair form a natural pyramid. His design was pure and minimal and offered the perfect foundation to build our collection. Each upholstered chair represents a stage in the journey of life – to shed oneself of all material possessions and earthly desires.’
Ziggurat Containers, Oeuffice, Carwan Gallery / Slice Chess Set, Simon Hasan, Gallery Libby Sellers
We are looking forward to seeing the Carwan Gallery again. Based in Beirut and founded by architects Pascale Wakim and Nicolas Bellavance-Lecompte, the gallery features the work of international designers and we especially like the focus on pieces making use of top-level craftsmen from the Middle East region, such as the Gradient Mashrabiya Sideboard by Studio mischer’traxler.

The UK’s Crafts Council is taking a selection of contemporary craft makers and gallery owners to Dubai. The four galleries are Gallery Libby Sellers, Gallery SO, Marsden Woo Gallery and Vessel Gallery. Look out for the Craft Council in the exhibition’s talks and films programme. Makers going to Daubi include Max Lamb, Simon Hasan, Fabien Cappello, Peter Marigold and Liam Reeves.

There will also be a Bespoke Design section with four exhibitors – PF Emirates, Tai Ping, Moissonnier and T Design.

Design Days Dubai runs Match 18-21 2013.

Written by materials scientist Philip Howes and Zoe Laughlin, Creative Director of The Institute of Making, the sub-sections within each chapter heading, includes simple explanations of the basic chemical structure and explore the wide range of possibilities for each material, touching on industries spanning aerospace engineering through to medical research.
Material Matters, black dog publishing
The chapter on Metals runs from Brass, Aluminium Foils and Copper Tape, to mention a few, picking on recent relevant examples, such as Jolan van der Wiels’ Gravity Stool, as see in Milan and imm in 2012.

Ceramics looks at a wide range – from terracotta to ceramic foam, with a great case studies on Michael Eden’s 3D printed Wedgewood Tureen and Bare Conductive’s range of electronically-conductive materials. The section on Glasses is extremely comprehensive and includes some topical case studies such as Swarovski Crystal Palace and Telescope Mirrors.
Material Matters, black dog publishing
A large section on polymers explores some recent developments, such as heat fusible yarn, as seen in the Nuue collection by designers Shota Aoyagi and Jungeun Lee (as featured in ARTS THREAD magazine issue 5). Also featured is the work of ARTS THREAD members Silo Studio with their not-so-expanding polystyrene.
Material Matters, black dog publishing
Composites is an interesting area, with a whole series of different concrete composites, such as super-strength concrete, with the FALT series by Tim Mackrodt shown as the example. Finally, Futures does as it indicates, with a selection of recent finds, such as Catalytic Clothing by Helen Storey and Tony Ryan and In-Vitro Meat by James King. A useful glossary and resource guide complete the book.

Starting yesterday, Vienna Design Week continues until next Sunday October 07 2012. We take a look at this year’s Passionswege programme, that teams young designers with traditional craft manufacturers from the Vienna area.

The Dutch duo Daphna Laurens are paired with Wittmann, a traditional business making upholstered furniture. Look out for metal-framed chairs with contrast colour leather seat and head-rests and side-table-stool combinations, as well as simple wooden marquetry wall pictures.

French designer Charlotte Talbot studied at ECAL Lausanne and here is working alongside Wiener Silber Manufactur, who have been making silverware since 1882 and are known for producing pieces in exceptionally high-grade silver that retain their shine. Charlotte has designened a collection of elegant tableware entitled Landscape.

The LightGlass company is a new start-up company who specialise in new patented techniques in architectural glass. The company is paired with London-based Oscar Diaz, originally from Spain, who tell us ‘we have created an installation using LightGlass panels, where the panels and the images overlap, creating a visual effect. The fragmented images are composed of multiple translucent triangular shapes, giving the impression of volume within the glass itself. As a result the glass panel and the space blend to create an single image when looked at from a certain point of view.’

German product designer Mathias Hahn now lives in London, after studying at London’s Royal College of Art and here he is working alongside Staud’s, a Viennese producer of fine vegetable and fruit preserves. Mathias is creating an installation around the world of Staud’s by poetically addressing colour, material and the meaning of preserving for wintertime.

Polish-born designer Matylda Krzykowski is working with the brush manufacturer Norbert Meier, one of the last skilled craftsmen in this specialism and also with the only Viennese maker using horn, Thomas Petz, who is only 26.

Czech designer Klára Šumová is working with Bakalowits who make handcrafted chandeliers and have been in business since 1845. Klára comes from a North Bohemian town close to where Bakalowits used to produce and will combine the company’s traditions with her love of ‘minimal wood’. Also look out for Viennese glassmakers J. &. L. Lobmeyr working with Austrian product and industrial designer Valentin Vodev and Kohlmaier upholstery company with Brussels-based designer Julien Carretero.

Finally, the interesting pairing of Sterkl, a traditional butchers on Vienna’s Brunnenmarkt, with March Gut from Linz. Christoph March and Marek Gut have been studying the sausage products and find an ingenious answer to the question of what contemporary product design can achieve in a traditional Viennese butchers.

This year 100% Design had a new section of the show called Emerging Brands. We walked down the central pathway to discover a wealth of new creative businesses.

We profiled Arthur Analts at Clerkenwell Design Week this summer and for 100% Design Arthur has designed the colourful room-divider Amid as ‘an intriguing object that can stay seen and unseen at the same time.’ Each section of the room-divider is a different colour and its bottom edges curve upwards to form a storage space for magazines or books.

Arthur’s work Led Zeppelin is based on the song Stairway to Heaven is a stepladder with a difference. The ladders can be used in three different positions against walls, increasing usability to an average stepladder. At the ends of the steps of the ladder there are special cuts to allow for different tools, buckets or other implements to be stored to save people climbing up and down the ladder to get the tools that they need for the job.

Analts sees these pieces as art for the house. When not in use they can be propped against the wall to create a feature that other household items can be stored on. He enjoys exploring colour and meaning in all his products, even to the extent of the design of his stand being based on how colour and texture relate to the design process.

Hugh Leader-Williams, winner of the 100% Design Award at New Designers, exhibited his Spun Furniture range of stools and tables alongside a collection of hand-finished copper bowls. Fresh to the design world from Loughborough University, Hugh is looking to bring his brand into the mainstream. His work is simple yet striking.

Kurk is a flat pack desk light using cork by designer Craig Foster, a 2012 graduate of Nottingham Trent University, who won the 2012 BDC New Designer of the Year Award. Craig works with materials that can all be re-cycled or re-used once the consumer no longer wants the product. All the pieces can be fitted together to create the lamp with no screws or glues. See Craig’s work on ARTS THREAD here.

Kingston University graduate Lisa Marie Bengtsson addresses the problem of storing clothes that have been worn but aren’t yet ready to be put in the laundry. Her work Bye Bye Laundry consists of a circular hanger flocked in bright colours with integral glass container containing activated charcoal. The charcoal absorbs odours so that clothes will still smell fresh for a 2nd wearing.

Hugh Leader Williams, Leeds Metropolitan University

Read about the winners of the New Designers 100% Award, BCFA Logo Award, Made.com Award, John Lewis Award, Virgin Atlantic Award for Product Design, Sky Award, Virgin Atlantic Award for Graphic Design, Wilkinson Award and Warburton’s Award.

Hugh Leader Williams, a graduate from Leeds Metropolitan University, was the winner of not one but three awards: New Designers 100% Award, BCFA Logo Award and Made.com Award. His flat-pack tables and stools are easy to produce with low cost for both batch or mass production and consist of ash wood legs, powder coated steel top and magnets. Hugh researched materials and details thoughtfully with the resultant outcome of functional modern furniture with a clean unfussy appearance.

Oliver Hrubiak, Nottingham Trent University

Nikki Ferguson, Duncan of Jordanstone, Dundee

Nicholas J Martin, Plymouth College of Art

Tyler Scott, University of Hertfordshire

Anthony J Hodson, Huddersfield University

Vikki Davis, University of Brighton

Interior Design, De Montfort University

Noeleen Logue, National College of Art and Design (NCAD)

Read about the winners of the New Designers Goldsmiths’ Company Awards and Pulse Award. Noeleen Logue of The National College of Art and Design (NCAD) won The New Designers Goldsmiths’ Company Silversmithing Award for her project which focuses on sculptural decorative metalwork.

Noeleen’s work has a beautiful, striking simplicity and flowing continuity, however, each piece has a different segment omitted. The segment is then laid by the side adding to the sculptural impact. The pieces can work stand-alone or as part of a collection. Noeleen pays particular detail to the finish of the pieces especially the interiors of the pieces which she buffs and then scratches slightly to give a more worn effect, giving a modern yet natural feel.

Marie Johnstone, DJCAD: University of Dundee

Each article created is a one off piece drawn and then made primarily by hand. From thumb twidlers with rabbit fur linings to scented button pins to button hole scent holders, Marie’s work is intricate, whimsical and fascinating.

Alison Howell, Staffordshire University

Alison’s work is sculptural whilst maintaining its practical functions. She uses a neutral colour palette which is inspired by the influences that she draws from architecture. The use of curves and defined straight edges creates a modern quality as natural materials meet  modern finishes.

East Meets West: Art & Design Now!, Mokspace; Yenz Lin explaining her Perceptions installation

ARTS THREAD went along to the private view last night of East Meets West: Art & Design Now! curated by Mokspace from ARTS THREAD portfolio members. Featuring new artists and designers from China, Taiwan, Korea and Japan, the gallery was full of intriguing new work.

Located opposite the British Museum, look out for Artificial Plant by Zio Qiao Chung; a new series of work involving dried leaves and magnetic forces.

Artificial Plant, Zio Qiao Chung; Zio Qiao Chung, China Bronzes, ShiKai Tseng

Yoo-kyung Shin’s Grown Lamps twinkled away; also on show Yoo-kyung’s bracelets, created through the same process of drawing in metallic ink and electro-forming the finished shapes.

Grown Lamp, Yoo-kyung Shin; The Hidden Beauty, Ya-Wen Chou, Forms and Representations, Gerald Hoi Him Mak

Gerald Hoi Him Mak is showing Forms and Representations, two long wooden shelves featuring glazed ceramics mirroring their wooden silhouettes.

Oil paintings by Chiaki Yamane displayed on the back walls have a mysterious quality to them. Seeds of Sanity by Christina Lai refers back to the forms and textures of seeds, shells and barnacles and are displayed under glass bell jars in reference to the peculiar wonder of Victorian cabinet of curiosities.

How do you look at them? Chiaki Yamane on back wall; Seeds of Sanity, Christina Lai & Boxes, Koji Shiraya on mantelpiece; Mingsung Lee showing her To-gether bench

The full list of exhibitors are Belinda Chang, Chai Won Kim, Charles, Zi Qiao Chung, Chiaki Yamane, Christina Lai, Francis, Ka Yan Chu, Gerald, Hoi Him Mak, Kaoru Ishikawa, Koji Shiraya, Leena Sin, Li-Chu Wu, Mariko Sumioka, Minsung Lee, Olivia, Shu-Chun Yao, Pian Pian Zheng, ShiKai Tseng, Wenhui Li, Ya-Wen Chou, Yenz Lin and Yoo-kyung Shin.

Read Q&As with East Meets West: Art & Design Now! exhibitors here. East Meets West: Art & Design Now! runs from April 24 to May 06 at MOKSPACE, 33 Museum Street, London WC1A 1LH.

ShiKai Tseng, 'Bronze China Project'

Award-winning designer ShiKai Tseng graduated from the Royal College of Art, London after studying a masters in product design. Since leaving education he has exhibited internationally and established his own creative practice. He joins us at MOKSPACE next week where he will showcase his beautiful Bronze China. We caught up with ShiKai to learn more about his work.

ARTS THREAD: Talk us through the work you will be showing at Mokspace
ShiKai Tseng: Bronze China is a project I created in collaboration with Chinese craftsmen in Henan, China. YanJian is a small village in the Henan Province. More than 30% of people living there there are involved in the same business – copying and selling ancient bronze pieces. Their homes become workshops – they built traditional kilns and hired their families and friends. These people build many amazing replicas using limited resources and tools. Nowadays, more than 1100 people are in this bronze replica business.

The Bronze China project aims to introduce the concepts of originality, creativity and honest and fair trading to Henan. In another words, to cooperate with the local craftsmen to create new objects which could fit in our current society, with new form and new meaning. I stayed in this village for 3 weeks, immersing myself in their design process – soil sculpting, wax carving, mold making, lost wax casting and welding.

AT: Where do you get your inspiration from?
ST: Anything can inspire me, but I am especially drawn to unique materials and processes.

AT: What are your plans for the future?
ST: There are many traditional art and design processes in China that are not surviving well in modern society. I would like the opportunity to bring these processes back into the mainstream so they are no longer just seen in museums.

East Meets West: Art & Design Now! runs from 24 April – 6 May at Mokspace.

Design for a Liquid Society; Objects in Disguise, Tove Thambert

Tove Thambert‘s Objects in Disguise are as they say – appear to be one thing but are, in fact, another. Light & Heavy can be used as candlesticks but are also workout dumbbells available in three different weights and produced by Skeppshult, Scandinavia’s last foundry located in Sweden.

CONST, Ploypan Theerachai; Cheap Red Ass, Saran Yen Panya

We featured Saran Yen Panya‘s Cheap Ass Elites in the last issue of our ARTS THREAD magazine and are pleased to see it again in Milan. A play on high and low taste, the chairs are made ‘from ‘low’ common household plastic objects; storage and laundry baskets for the seating (back, base and arms) and the lower part of the chair is a simplified version of stereotypical “upper” class chairs made out of wood.’

Confession, Nick Ross; Fold, Anita Johannessen

Anita Johannessen has created an acoustic panel system entitled Felt whose ‘origami-like, sound-absolving materials (heat-pressed polyester felt) accented with aluminium edges are able to flip around individually to create an endless pattern with concave and convex contrast. Fold is also double-sided which allows it to be adjusted and used as a room divider in addition to the sound functions it is designed to serve.’

‘Design for a liquid society…Or as the sociologist Zygmunt Bauman put it—we now live in liquid modernity, which means that the individual is more and more involved in planning their lives and careers in short-term projects and episodes.’ comments Ivar Björkman, President of Konstfack.

Design for a Liquid Society by Konstfack, curated by Ikko Yokoyama, Head of Exhibition Konstfack, will take place at Spazio Rossana Orlandi, Milan from April 17-22 2012.