At NUDE´08 I am presenting a conceptual and aesthetic research project which looks at materials through five products. The idea is to knit together a variety of materials, de-contextualising them, bestowing them in the process with a new, surprising character and paying special attention to the inherent symbolic aspect of the materials – wire, newspaper, Tetra-Brik containers, blueprint paper and IV drip tubes.
All of the lamps are named after members of my family, representing the notion of tradition passed on by the women in the family, the common thread through the generations:

Rafaela Lamp is the result of weaving together the lamp’s own wire – electricity is responsible for everything here, a tangled form of electricity which shapes the light produced. Rafaela was my grandmother’s name.

Expósito is a lamp made from woven IV drip tubes. It is similar to Rafaela although without the copper wire; the tubing here is empty. Expósito was the surname traditionally given to orphans in Spain.

Concepción is a lamp created using blueprint paper which has been woven together. The symbolism associated with blueprint paper plays a key role here: the conception of ideas. Concepción is my mother’s name.

The waste paper basket and container are what they hold. A waste paper basket made from waste paper and a container made from Tetra-Brik containers. What we throw away into rubbish bins becomes the container itself. Recycling here consists of transforming the waste material – the destruction and construction of elements:

Papelera – the name involves a play on words in Spanish, where the word for waste paper basket (papelera) can also be construed as era papel – “was paper”: a waste paper basket made from woven waste paper. A newspaper, once read, is useless. It is thrown into the waste paper basket and in turn becomes it.

Envasera - Again, a play on words in Spanish where the word for container – envase – becomes envasera – “was container”: a container made from old Tetra-Brik containers. An empty Tetra-Brik is useless; it gets thrown into the recycling section of the rubbish along with other empty containers and becomes a container anew, recuperating its initial role as a container.

MORE: RAQUEL MORENO

Swedish design duo Folkform think not, and have continued their work with the local factories in the small village of Rundvik in Vasterbotten in the very north of Sweden.

They believe globalisation has given rise to a new local dimension in design.

-The new Folkform products carry with them the spirit and history of the place where they are produced.

Folkform will also present a collection in the new Masonite hardboard range which is made by Folkform in the factory in Rundvik. By combining the wood fibres with other organic material it has been possible to give this down to earth material an entirely new look. Natural flowers and dead butterflies have been inserted into the huge masonite presses to create a permanent organic decoration embedded in the masonite hardboard.

Folkform

Folkform design studio in Stockholm, Sweden is owned and run by industrial designers Anna Holmquist and Chandra Ahlsell.

Anna and Chandra, both of whom gained an MA at Konstfack, Stockholm, in 2005, work on own projects, as well as customer assignments in the borderland between art and design. They experiments with materials, both traditional and new, exploring the scope for using them in new ways and new application areas.

“Folkform transforms simplicity into all its complexity, and gives the obvious an underlying and ambiguous meaning. Seeing the subtle in the simple, and challenging prevalent design codes is one of their absolute strengths” Motivation Future Design Days Award 2006

Awards

Future Design Days Award 2006
Swedish Design Year Award 2005

Exhibitions (selected)

Future Design Days 2006
Stockholm Fair

Salone Satellite, Milan 2006

The Design Marathon 2006
Ministry of Culture, Stockholm

Contemporary Swedish Design 2006

Ambiente Internationale Frankfurter Messe Frankfurt

Designers Block, Milan 2005

Swedish Style Milan 2005

Swedish Style Tokyo 2004

Coming up exhibition: Typically Scandinavian, Berlin 11-14 may 2007

Image texts

1.The Factory The masonite hardboard factory is located in the north of Sweden in Västerbotten where the professional experience of processing wood spans over generations in places such as Sorsele, Burträsk and Vännäs.

2.Sawmill 3. The hardboard material is made out of the left over sawdust from the sawmills in the area.

3. Making the new material Real flowers are placed on the masonite pulp.

4. The Masonite press By combining wood-fibre with organic materials under high pressure it has been possible to give this down to earth material an entirely new look.

5. Samples of masonite How can we create new forms of expression by combining materials in new ways?
How do we add new value to traditional down-to-earth materials such as the humble masonite?

6. Atlas pouffe Laser-cut steel merges with the soft fabric. The swarm of insects forms the pouffe.

7. Atlas table A real Atlas butterfly has been inserted into the huge masonite presses to create a permanent organic decoration embedded in the masonite hardboard

8. Rotation Pendant lamp inspired by the rotation of the huge gear-wheels in the factory. The lamp is moving slowly round its axis, transforming the movement to the next lamp.

Contact

Folkform
+46 737 67 55 45
Stora skuggans vag 11
115 42 Stockholm
Sweden

“Ryggraden”, created by the Design Group Smånsk, is a piece of furniture where length and shape can modified. The parts are held together with a simple joint. They cannot stand on their own, but together they create a piece of furniture which adapts to various rooms and types of flooring. It can even be adjusted to variable ground levels. You can use a few of the parts to assemble a stool, or you can use many parts to create a bench that stretches out along the whole length of a corridor. Or the length of a garden.

“Ryggraden” was first exhibited at the Salone Satellite during the Furniture Fair in Milan, where Smånsk showed their first products to the world. The Design Group was originally formed at Konstfack, where the members realised that they had similar ways of approaching creativity.

– We analyse the  actual origin of ideas and try to govern this process in various ways, says Simon Jarl, one of the designers at Smånsk.

– When working on “Ryggraden”, we observed how the repetition of identical modules could create complex geometries and a larger unity. It is fascinating to see how one part on its own falls down, but together with the others it stands strong and fills a function. Identical parts are also interesting from a manufacturing perspective. If they are well designed, they can reduce the cost of tools.

At the moment, the group is looking to find manufacturers and exciting international collaborations.

For further information: www.smansk.com

The “symbiont delta” is part of a series of symbionic products that utilise unused energy or other residuals. As the toaster is emitting a lot of heat he is becoming the “host” of the cup. With this technique, a cup of tea can be prepared simultaneously with toast.

Anne Schmitz
annemieke.schmitz@web.de
More information: kunsthochschulekassel

O2G is a functional and ornamental green space module that is a good match to almost every ambiance, whether in the office, or at home, or on a house front. O2G gets nature back into your life.

The modules reprise oxygen from carbon dioxide. They not only contribute to the amelioration of the ambient conditions, they also have an active share in the depletion of the CO2 emission in the atmosphere.

This elemental air cleaner requires just water, light and a little of fertiliser thanks to it’s extremely frugal and still very energetic species.

school of art and design kassel
Leonard Wilkop product design
leowilkop@gmx.de