Beyond Couture, Studio Färg and Blanche, Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair

Stockholm Design Week starts Monday February 06, with its key exhibition Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair opening Tuesday 07 till Saturday 11 February. ARTS THREAD previews the highlights.

The most talked about exhibition at last year’s design week was 20 Designers at Biologiska, picked up last year by ARTS THREAD as our one show not to miss. Curated by Fredrik Färg and Emma Marga Blanche, now known as Studio Färg and Blanche, the duo are now producing an installation called Beyond Couture specifically for next week’s fair. It will be a textile exhibition/bar, combining fake nature filled with dressed-up animals and kilt tribes Most of the objects have been specially created by hand in their studio for the exhibition, featuring some 35 seats, 10 tables, 25 lamps and much more. We can’t wait to see it!

In addition, Studio Färg and Blanche are also part of a one day exhibition on February 08 entitled Extra Material, alongside designers Simon Klenell, Vivianne Hedberg Perron, Alexander Lagergren, Sylvain Runberg and Hanna Gradin. Extra Material is about ‘B-sides, extra material, out-takes or bonus material. The creative process often causes a huge amount of material apart from its main product. Material that is worth taking care of.’

Extra Material; In progress to progress, Linnaeus University

During the four days of the exhibition, Linnaeus University will present the work of nine students from different courses at the Schools of Design in Växjö and Kalmar. This year’s title for the booth is In Progress to Progress and the students’ work from Växjö focuses on sustainable development, while the course at Pukeberg (Kalmar) shows works from students of both BA and MA product design students.

Swift, Johanna Stridh, Linnaeus University; Grow, Steneby, The School of Craft and Design

Never Mind the Object #1 from Beckmans College of Design on Vimeo.

Beckmans College of Design, based in Stockholm, is presenting Never Mind the Object. ‘Why should you care about objects? It is not until objects are filled with content and reason that they become meaningful. This exhibition is about ideas which require the observer to dig a little deeper, penetrating the surface. Welcome to the exhibition Never Mind the Object and have a closer look at ten personal projects by the third year students of Product Design, Beckmans College of Design.’

Everyday Tools, Aalto University, School of Arts, Design and Architecture

Mumrik, Petra Wester Nordgren; Felia, Anna Jonsson, The Swedish School of Textiles

The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, The School of Design will present a unique selection of uplholstered furniture under the theme RÅSTOF and TEKO, VIA University College in Denmark will showcase work from upcoming furniture designers.

Träakademien-Mittuniversitetet

Stockholm Design Week runs February 06-12 and Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair February 07-11 February.

Design Village/ Puff & Flock

Designersblock collaborated with the UK’s largest trade interiors event, Interiors UK, to curate a Design Village at the Birmingham NEC. The Village contained unique products and market stalls from up-and-coming and award-winning designers, B&Bs designed by top interior designers and even a Village Local where you could grab a pint and chat with the exhibiting creatives. ARTS THREAD select a few of the best things on show at the Village:

Mentsen/ Puff & Flock/Charlie Sekers

London-based interdisciplinary design practice Mentsen showcased a variety of items from a display shelf to tote and shopping bags. We loved seeing Puff & Flock’s playful collection of furniture created in collaboration with Stuart Melrose, especially the chest of drawers with arms! Charlie Sekers’ neon Lightlight also caught our eye. Made from a continuous line of hand-formed neon, Charlie ‘draws’ a 3D outline of a typical table lamp.

POSTextiles

POSTextiles showed their range of innovative material samples which resembled choral, seaweed and other objects from the ocean.

Peter Bullock

We were mesmerised by Peter Bullock’s live shoemaking performance. Peter sat in the Village all day, expertly crafting his high quality, exceptionally British footwear, seemingly unphased by the droves of visitors milling by.

The New English

We’ve expressed our love for The New English and their incredible tectonic plates several times before, and we can’t stop singing their praises. The New English had a market stall and a fireplace mantel installation in the center of the Village, with our favourite ceramic pieces being the Silence of the Lambs inspired cup and saucer sets.

Mentsen
Puff & Flock
Charlie Sekers
POSTextiles
The New English

Colleen Ellington/ Lucy Alice Porter/ Sophie Adamson

Interiors UK 2012 showcased the work of this year’s New Design Britain Awards finalists with the winners in each design category being announced on the 23rd of January. Each winner in the four categories (furniture, furnishing accessories, surfaces and fabrics) were awarded a placement within the industry.

Although Colleen Ellington and Lucy Alice Porter didn’t take home first prize in their categories, we were really impressed with their work. Colleen, who graduated from Cleveland College of Art and Design, created some vibrant, luxe surface designs for interiors covered with decorated with animal and figurative motifs. Lucy Alice Porter’s series of owl and squirrel shaped wall decorations were also really eye-catching.

Heriot-Watt University – School of Textiles and Design graduate Sophie Adamson scooped up the top prize in the fabrics category for her Pouffe design. Drawing inspiration from bird feathers, Sophie created a wonderfully thick yarn which incorporated both hand and machine knitting techniques.

Rachel Hagger

Taking home first prize in the Surfaces category was Rachel Hagger who designed hand-printed wallpaper covered with an architectural motif. Drawing inspiration from Cavern Home interiors and Trove wallpapers, Rachel layers the different images to great a busy, bustling cityscape.

James Uren/ Roland Beaven

James Uren was lucky enough to take home both the people’s choice award and the award for best furniture design. James’ Luso Lounger is a modern reinterpretation of the classic Chaise Longue while his Dorso Stool is an investigation into different ways of joining wooden components together using a second material. Roland Beaven was awarded the prize in the furnishing accessories category for his Peaucellier Lamp.

Camilla Barnard

ARTS THREAD and Designersblock teamed up once again to bring you some of the best and brightest emerging design talents, this time at Interiors UK, Birmingham. From our Call for Entries, we selected six unique creatives from the realms of illustration, ceramics, product design and textiles.

University of Brighton 3D Materials Practice BA (Hons) graduate Camilla Barnard was there, displaying her three dimensional illustrations. Using wood, Camilla recreates everyday objects such as telephones, pencils and screwdrivers, all to surprisingly life-like effect.

Camilla explains: ‘I made the objects to trick my classmates. When they were looking for tools I would trick them into picking up the wrong ones. It will annoy them at first but I think it also makes them really appreciate the real thing once they have it.’

Catherine Frere-Smith

Catherine Frere-Smith also joined us to showcase her beautiful prints for interiors and fashion design. The Chelsea College of Art & design graduate also showed her lovely Old Farmhouse collection of hand embroidered fabric birds.

Sarahjane Harrison/Holly Wilson

We were pleased to see so many visitors at the Designersblock Design Village were enjoying sitting on Sarahjane Harrison’s Urbanisation chairs. The Liverpool Hope University Design BSc graduate printed the upholstery with photographs of Liverpool which she took during her investigation into how Chinese culture has affected the city.

If you visited The Local pub in the Design Village then you would have spotted University of Worcester Illustration BA (Hons) graduate Holly Wilson’s brilliant owl illustrations. The incredible amount of detail which goes into Holly’s illustration really impressed us and visitors.

Karin Soderquist/Katy Jennings

Camberwell College of Arts graduate Karin Soderquist had several of her 3D illustrations dotted around the Village while Royal College of Art
Ceramics & Glass MA graduate Katy Jennings had a display full of her ornamental Knitwear Birds. The birds are purposefully chipped during production in order to give each one its own individual ‘personality’.

Camilla Barnard
Catherine Frere-Smith
Sarahjane Harrison
Holly Wilson
Karin Soderquist
Katy Jennings

Send to Print/Print to Send/ Riccardo Bovo, Flock Lampshade/ Chaur Har Lee, Rapidform Shoe

Send to Print/ Print to Send at The Aram Gallery gives visitors a glimpse into how 3D printing is revolutionising contemporary design.

Whether it be for furniture, architectural prototypes or even for accessories, designers are adapting their design processes to accommodate this new technological innovation.

‘Flock Lampshade is the result of a Design Fabrication MicroSystem,’ explains Riccardo Bovo who has created a system in which users can customise a design for an open source printer to produce.

‘The design is constantly redefined in shape by the user with the system and at any moment is ready for production. The time between design phase and production phase therefore drops to zero.’

Chaur Har Lee’s collection of conceptual footwear was one of our favourites in the exhibition. The award winning designer, who has been designing and making shoes for over a decade explains: ‘I often employ a crossover of making and manufacturing processes from fields other than shoemaking in order to realise my concepts. This gives me much scope for creativity in the design stage.’

Sam Jacob, Versioned Chairs

Sam Jacob’s Versioned Chairs explore ‘five canonical chairs through acts of translation’. Sam begins with a photograph of the original chair which he then describes to a group of people who mus then draw what they imagine the chair to look like. Each sketch is then digitally modelled and turned into a 3D form.

Sam says of his project: ‘Versioned Chairs exploits the limitations of different media, it moves from photograph to text to sketch and back to 3D, their misreadings and mistranslations often entirely unrecognisable from their original course.’

Chloë McCormick and Nicholas O'Donnell-Hoare, Tapestry Spectacle/ Michael Eden, Large Yellow Oval Bloom

Chloë McCormick and Nicholas O’Donnell-Hoare combine traditional tapestry weaving techniques with 3D printing to produce customisable glasses. The frames are printed with small holes which the owner can then thread wool through to produce their own design.

Large Yellow Oval Bloom by Michael Eden is a contemporary re-imagining of a classic Wedgewood tureen. By employing new 3D printing technology, Michael can manipulate the surface in a way which would not be possible using traditional methods. The garish yellow finish gives the piece a radioactive glow.

Send to Print/ Print to Send is on until 25 February 2012 at The Aram Gallery, 110 Drury Lane, Covent Garden, London WC2B 5SG

Future Map 11, Selfridges

The University of the Arts London unveiled their Future Map 11 exhibition yesterday at the Zabludowicz Collection. The show features 30 of the most ‘cutting edge’ talent from the University’s 2011 graduates. ARTS THREAD takes a look at a handful of the best creatives on show.

In addition, Selfridges is showcasing seven designers from this year’s Future Map in a window display designed by StudioXAG and curated by the Future Map team.

Karin Soderquist, 'To the North Pole'

Camberwell College of Arts graduate Karin Soderquist will be showing her intricate laser cut 3D illustrations. Each illustration tells the story of two sisters who journey together to the North Pole. See Karin’s ARTS THREAD portfolio.

Karin says of her work: ‘The world I create is filled with bubblegum colours, snowy mountain tops and endless summer days. It may all seem nice and sweet but my work often have a darker side too, a bear wearing a hat is still a bear and it would have you for lunch if it could!’

Jon Anders Gulbrandsen is displaying his final project from the MA Graphic Design Communication course at Chelsea College of Art & Design. The project, an animation titled [uppruni] explores traditional Norse mythology and the way these folk tales ‘explain the world beyond what we can see, hear, touch and feel’. See Jon’s ARTS THREAD portfolio.

Alex Kwan, 'Endangered'

Graphic Designer Alex Kwan, who graduated from Central Saint Martins is showcasing his ‘Endangered’ project. The work features the image of a polar bear etched onto three separate pieces which are attached to the hands of a clock mechanism. As the images rotate, the bear is turned into a machine – highlighting the plight of the species and the way technology has a stranglehold on nature.

Chieh Ting Huang, 'The P Objects'

Camberwell College of Arts graduate Chieh Ting Huang is showing ‘The P Objects’ project which draws inspiration from lanterns of eastern and western cultures.

Chieh explains: ‘These objects also represent a homage to lighting and the taming of fire as the cornerstone of humanity, which can easily ignored by people in the modern world.’ See our review of Chieh’s gradaute show on the ARTS THREAD blog.

Wei Wang, 'Celadon Egg Shape Ceramic Evening Bag'

Traditional Chinese ceramics are turned into beautiful evening bags by London College of Fashion graduate Wei Wang, whom we featured in ARTS THREAD magazine Issue 4. To create the bags, Wei used a traditional Chinese crackle glaze: ‘The crackle pattern will continuously crack so that the ceramic displays new appearances at different periods. I like this idea very much. It would be like carrying an elegant bag that incorporates the glorious past with the present fashionable outlook.’

Jy Yeon Suh, 'Duvet Stalls'

A great project to look out for in the exhibition is the ‘Duvet Stalls’ project by Jy Yeon Suh – a series of flat-pack textiles that inflate to become stools and lamps. See Jy’s work as part of our review of Talking Textiles during Milan Design Week.

Iyvone Khoo, 'Liminality'

New ways of looking at everyday objects, activities and situation are explored in a video directed by Central Saint Martins MA Fine Art graduate Ivyone Khoo. See Ivyone’s ARTS THREAD portfolio.

Ivyone explains: ‘The positioning of the video cameras took on a ‘functional’ role in probing relationships between how we see and what we think we see. In these works the camera became my surrogate eyes.’

Jing Jing Cao, 'Memento Mori'

The beautiful ‘Memento Mori’ collection by Harold Hobbs Memorial Process Award winning jeweller Jing Jing Cao is another project to look out for.

Geoff Bartholomew, 'Postal Service'

Drawing inspiration from Neoclassical sculpture, early 17th century landscape painting and contemporary abstract art, Camberwell College of Arts graduate Geoff Bartholomew creates incredible photography.

Holly Stevenson, 'Swiss Roll'

A fascination with wrist watches has informed ‘Swiss Roll’, a project by Chelsea, MA Fine Art graduate Holly Stevenson.

Giovanni Martins, 'Manifesto'

‘Manifesto’ by Giovanni Martins is a wonderful dream-like fashion film which makes use of bullet time animation techniques.

Giovanni explains: ‘Inspired by Andre Bretons ‘Le Manifeste du surrealism’, written in 1924, it’s 5 moving sequences of fashion photography reference and draw inspiration from techniques employed in classic surrealist films such as Cocteau’s ‘Blood of a poet’ and Luis Bunuel’s ‘Un chien de Andalou’.’

Emma Hancock, 'Eames'/ 'Albers'

Furniture and 70s interior design influences the work of London College of Fashion graduate and footwear designer Emma Hancock. Emma investigates the use of different textures in her collection with wood and curtain tassles being some of the unusual materials which she incorporates into the designs.

Future Map 11 is open from 12 January – 5 February 2012 at Zabludowicz Collection, 176 Prince of Wales Road, London NW5 3PT.

For full details of all the exhibiting designers visit the Future Map website.

Mark Kobine

How can design influence healthcare, well-being, society and sustainability? A new generation of designers from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, Edinburgh College of Art, Gray’s School of Art and Glasgow School of Art are exploring just how in ‘Design and Democracy’, the latest exhibition to open at the Scottish Parliament.

From fashion design to interiors, product and graphic design, each project on display deals with a specific social or economic issue which is dear to the designer’s heart.

Depression, which affects one in four people in the UK, is rarely addressed by the design community. However, Edinburgh College of Art (ECA) graduate Mark Kobine has taken the initiative to produce a ‘Recovery Toolkit’, a collection of tools designed to support the recovery phase of clinical depression.

Mark explains: “Design has an enormous capacity for good in society, for me design is about improving peoples lives – it could be on a very superficial level or it could be in a very deep and meaningful level – but there is a great deal of responsibility in there.”

Felix Chabluk Smith

Fellow ECA graduate Felix Chabluk Smith takes his own family lineage into consideration when creating his immaculately tailored menswear collection ‘Kin’. Using fragments of late-Victorian tailoring patterns, the collection has a historical and timeless quality to it.

“Fashion has an important role in society,” explains Felix. “I think it’s generally seen as a mirror to what’s going on sociologically, politically and economically. More and more it’s being seen as a worthy subject of analysis by philosophers and other serious critics.”

Rebecca Veal

Rebecca Veal’s (Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art) research into how to improve hospitals and other units caring for children is one of the most touching projects on display.

“I saw a need for children and their parents to be involved actively within the design,” explains Rebecca. “Children that are in hospital over extended lengths of time can become very withdrawn, I wanted to find ways to actively involve them in the design process and gain their opinions on how therapeutic areas could be improved.”

Rebecca asked children to take photographs of the hospital wards and corridors to understand the difference between what children and adults see. The contrasts between the two viewpoints were startling.

“Where I saw an average length corridor that looked relatively bright, the child really did not see an average length corridor – it was a very long, very daunting path.”

Design & Democracy: An exhibition exploring how designers can shape our world runs until 23rd March at the Scottish Parliament.

For more details and a full list of the participating designers visit the Scottish Parliament website.

Gravity Stool, Jolan van der Weil / Gousset, Raphaëlle Bonamy

A fresh crop of designers will be unveiling their unusual creations as part of the [D3] Contest exhibition at the imm Cologne + LivingInteriors trade fair 2012. The [D3] Contest, which is open to students and graduates who specialise in furniture, lighting, textiles and accessories, gives young designers the fantastic opportunity to present their ideas to an international audience. Each year the competition receives hundreds of applications, with 2011′s contest receiving a record number of 862. ARTS THREAD takes a look at what to expect this January.

Gravity Stool by Jolan van der Weil, a 2011 graduate from Amsterdam’s Gerrit Rietveld Academy uses gravity as the determining factor in the design. Jolan sets the parameters for the magnetic field and then the plastic particles with metal cores arrange themselves into an object that you can actually sit on. Jolan constructed the machine from wooden frames and magnets and chose a soft, very malleable plastic for the manufacturing process. The final shape of the stool assumed by the special plastic makes the invisible visible by materialising the magnetic fields into a product.

Raphaëlle Bonamy, a graduate of the University of Art and Design Lausanne (ECAL) is showcasing Gousset, a wooden six tier chest of drawers shaped like a waistcoat pocket that can only be opened and closed using a chain block mechanism. ‘A daily routine is thus turned into a conscious act by transforming the pine drawers into a precious safe and the fittings – in this case chrome-plated bicycle chains – into gleaming jewellery.’

Recycling Plastic, Julien Renault / FALT.lamp, Tim Mackerodt

Recycling Plastic series by Julien Renault looks as if its made from rustic solid wood but is actually produced from recycled plastic. Julien Renault studied product design in Lausanne and Reims and has developed a range of furniture that can be used both indoors and out. Julien used the technology normally used for mass-production of terracing, with boards and blocks made by melting plastic granules and spraying them into moulds. The robust outdoor collection consists of a table, bench and chairs, all of them very low, with a symbolism of being closer to nature The solid plastic furniture can be melted down and reprocessed ad infinitum.

[D3] Contest featuring all the designers chosen can be seen at imm Cologne + LivingInteriors trade fair 2012 taking place January 16-22 2012.

Jolan van der Weil
Raphaëlle Bonamy
Tim Mackerodt
Julien Renault

Giles Miller, 'Cardboard Christmas Trees'

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas tree, How lovely are your corrugated branches!

London-based designer Giles Miller, world renowned for his cardboard based designs and work for clients including Stella McCartney, Sheraton Hotel Edinburgh and Selfridges, has been commissioned by London Design Museum to design a set of bespoke cardboard Christmas trees to be sold exclusively through the Museum’s shop during the festive season.

In addition, Giles has created an extra special tree to be decorated by illustrator Daniel Heath, which is set to hang in the museum’s public atrium. The tree stands six meters tall and is possibly the largest of its kind! Made from 3,600 individually cut and handmade pieces, the tree is in with a chance of securing the title of ‘World’s Tallest Cardboard Christmas Tree’ after The Design Museum submitted an application to the Guinness Book of World Records.

We imagine these trees will sell out pretty fast so if you want to get your hands on one then head over to The Design Museum Shop now before they’re all gone!

Design Museum Christmas Tree will be available to view from 2nd December- 5th January 2012 at London Design Museum, Shad Thames, London SE1 2YD.

To buy your own, visit the The Design Museum Shop website.

Giles Miller Studio website.

Saved by droog at Laboratory of the Future

Liquidated products are given a second chance by creative pioneers Droog and put on show in their latest exhibition at the Centre for Contemporary Art at Ujazdowski Castle, Warsaw as part of the Laboratory of the Future international art program.

Since 2009, Droog have been purchasing items from liquidation auctions, hoarding everything and anything they could afford from water coolers to dog baskets, flower pots and safety vests, until eventually they had over 5000 items in their possession.

This mass of items were then transformed into a collection of products which include a chest of drawers made from a stack of found drawers and a chair made entirely from old rags.

With ‘Saved By Droog’, the international creatives want to emphasise the need for resourcefulness, improvisation and the re-use of products, not only to reflect the current socio-economic climate but as a way of furthering the development of product design.

Saved by droog. at Laboratory of the Future

‘Saved By Droog’ runs from 18th October 2011 – 15th January 2012 at the Centre for Contemporary Art Ujazdowski Castle, Warsaw.

Droog website.