Polish designer Alicja Wasielewska has got some interesting work. Among it is Morph Chandelier, combining the traditional element of crochet with the use of modern fibre optic technology that result in is this strangely wild chandelier.
In a world where everything is in a perpetual state of flux, from the way you brush your teeth to the fastenings on your shoes, food packaging has stayed more or less the same. Sure, the crisp packets have gotten a bit fancier and pricey organic veg comes in marginally more environmentally friendly materials now, but on the whole food has been left far behind the crowd in terms of progression.
It’s no secret that Studio Swine are forever pushing boundaries in the world of product design, taking uncommon materials and putting them to universal use. But their latest project is extremely unusual, even by their own standards. For Hair Highway the pair ventured into the heart of mainland China to the epicentre of the global human hair trade. There they acquired enough human hair to use it as the basis for a number of luxury bespoke objects – the carefully-maintained strands preserved in deep amber resin, creating stunning patterns and textures. To top it all off they’ve made this lovely film to document their journey, the people behind this strange trade and the finished products themselves.
The interplay between design and the cultures they both respond to and help shape is not always easy to decipher. An interesting exhibition currently on show in London examines 20th Century Soviet Russia through the objects which defined it on a very human level – the toys and appliances, vehicles and sports equipment. There are products that became iconic such as the Chaika vacuum cleaner and others that may never have been feted before.
Epiforma is a brand new Portuguese design studio founded by Felipe Ferreira and Francisco Ribeiro in Porto. In spite of their newness it would appear they’ve long been busy working on all manner of projects across many facets of design. As well as practicing the more traditional graphic arts of branding and type design, they also produce high-end modular furniture, unusual board games and limited edition products. Judging by their website they’re also pretty good web designers and art directors too. In short, these guys appear to be very much the complete package and we’re excited to see what their first year of business holds in store.
I’m one of those people that will always need a desk-tidy. No matter how hard I try, I remain ineptly disorganised in the world of stationery – pens have missing lids, a pencil will rarely get re-sharpened and I’ve not been able to draw a straight line since I lost my ruler two years ago.
I’m always interested by the paradox which means that small exhibitions are often the most impactful, and the new show at the Design Museum, entitled Time Machines: Daniel Weil and the Art of Design is a prime example. Though it occupies a relatively small space, tucked in on the top floor next to the expansive Designs of the Year show, it seems to catalogue Daniel’s original approach to design perfectly.His new series of clocks demand attention first; finely made with all of their parts exposed, they maintain the dematerialisation that he first established with his Bag Radios, exploring new means of conductivity, but they seem to have progressed to a more finely-tuned, beautiful state.
Here’s an unbelievable statistic – 3.4 million people die every year due to water-related illnesses. The latest weapon in the ongoing war against this horrifyingly avoidable epidemic comes from ad agency DDB and super-clever scientist Dr. Theresa Dankovich who have created the world’s first Drinkable Book for the Water Is Life charity.
As part of this year’s DesignMarch in Iceland, one of our favourite illustrators and designers, Siggi Odds, got together with a few collaborators to produce something 3D and tangible. He and Geir Ólafsson, Hrefna Sigurðardóttir and Þorleifur Gunnar Gíslason all work in a predominantly digital fashion, producing things that are transient and rarely made physical. To counter that they partnered with product designer Jón Helgi Hólmgeirsson, and working under the name Børk created a selection of bespoke quilts, printed with custom graphic imagery that’s evocative of Iceland’s landscapes and natural environments, borrowing elements from traditional mythology and folklore.
We can all pretend that we don’t care that much about design awards but the truth is that it’s always interesting to see who wins what; particularly when it comes to the Design Museum’s prestigious Designs of the Year. This morning the seven category winners were announced and they are as below; the overall winner will be announced on 30 June and the show continues until 25 August.
It’s laudable that designers are working on worthy projects that will have a practical impact on building a better future, but we’re big believers that creatives should be engaged in making tomorrow a bit more fun too. Luckily for us, there are institutions like the Ecole cantonale d’art de Lausanne (ECAL).
Us Brits are meant to be huge fans of queuing but in actual fact we’re even bigger fans of speeding up these processes. Already we’ve seen contactless payments remove the time-consuming pin-entry procedure but now a Swedish student has gone one better with a system that SCANS YOUR VEINS.
Ever see “ice” hanging around someone’s neck and and think to yourself, “you know what, I could bloody do that.” Well, now is your chance! Brand new jewellery brand & Sparkles is offering you a chance to pick a design from a selection of over 150 different items in their collection and transform it into a personalised piece of exclusive jewellery. The company will then take what you create and craft out a real item from conflict-free gold or platinum.
StoreDot have just invented a small, rectangular device that when attached to your Smartphone can charge it from 0% to 100% in 30 seconds. I don’t want to appear shallow and disillusioned, but this is quite literally the answer to my prayers. Sometimes you wonder, don’t you, why things just don’t exist when they should, and this is a totally classic example of that. Just think in our lifetimes we’re going to wave goodbye to all of life’s annoyances. Goodbye, tangled cables! Sayonara, no WiFi! People still insisting on riding horses? See you later. I’m so excited about the future, and this is MERELY THE BEGINNING.
