London-based designer launches portfolio of products at 100% Design and 100% East South African designer Ryan Frank puts materials at the heart of creative process.
New London-based, South African designer, Ryan Frank, today launched his first portfolio of products at top London-based design shows, 100% Design and 100% East. His eco-sensitive collection, which makes frequent use of sustainable materials, draws inspiration from the natural environment and the deterioration, corrosion and decay of the urban landscape.

Materials are at the heart of the process and are usually the starting point of design for
Ryan. “My products are often by-products of the creative process,” says Ryan. “I’m
inspired by the range of materials readily available in the environment and like to let a
specific material dictate the kind of product that I make.”

Being fluid in his approach and development has meant that notably experimental and
often unconventional products have emerged. The ‘Hackney Shelf’ originated when
white boards were displayed at various points around East London, attracting a variety of illicit city activities. Boards covered in graffiti were then transformed into mobile
shelving units, allowing Ryan to bring street art into an interior environment.

‘Traffic’, a mobile coffee table, was based on a similar concept. A thin white board left
on a public pathway to endure the city’s morning rush hour, emerged with tire tracks,
footsteps and a variety of random markings. Ryan used it to create the coffee table which now represents a grubby snapshot of commuting London.

Other ‘free-range’ products launched at the shows include ‘Grapple’, a suspended coat
rack made using hemp and bio-resin, ‘Loot’, a set of pendant light shades exhibiting
currency symbols and ‘Harrison’s Rock’ a brick-cork accessories bowl.

“I’m keen to throw away the tree-hugger image associated with eco-friendly products
today and produce pieces that are functional and experimental,” says Ryan. “I believe it’s
important to allow pieces to mature in the design process and to be open to wherever that process takes you.”

Ryan Frank is one of seventeen designers chosen to exhibit work at 100% Design by
Hidden Art, a not-for-profit organisation which aims to put upcoming designers on the
map. Hidden Art’s Chief Executive, Dieneke Ferguson comments: “Taking on sustainability is a tough challenge, but Ryan’s innovative and experimental approach to
materials shows a real commitment to changing the way we all perceive sustainable design.”

See below for product description and dimensions.

About Ryan Frank
Ryan Frank is a South African born product designer living and working in East London. Inspired by the natural environment and the possibilities of harnessing this in design, Ryan started his studies in product design in Cape Town, South Africa and completed them in Zwolle, Holland. Having worked for a short period at den Hartog Musch, a Dutch product design company, as well as at leading architects firm Alsop Architects, Ryan settled in East London to concentrate on his own collection of free-range products.

For more information, go to www.ryanfrank.net

Product details
1. Hackney Shelf

Graffiti shelving unit. A white ‘canvas’ is presented to the open public. Once the boards have ‘matured’ they are removed and built into contemporary shelving units.
Dimensions: 1850/1200/400 mm

2. Traffic

A mobile coffee table made from birch ply. The morning rush hour was the inspiration for ‘Traffic’. A white board is laid on the ground and is then used to create a coffee table which provides a snapshot of commuting London.
Dimensions: 900/600/280mm

3. Loot

A range of pendant light shades made from natural jute and exhibiting currency symbols from across the globe. The stretched fabric creates an illusion of a weighted sack; this illusion disappears as the light is switched on.
Dimensions: 700/350/200mm

4. Grapple

 
A group of suspended coat hooks made from hemp and bio-resin
Dimensions: 1000/50/50mm

5. Harrison’s Rock

Accessory bowl made from reclaimed bricks and cork.
Dimensions: 210/100/65mm

‘Balloon Furniture refers to childhood memories of playing with materials, but also to modern production techniques such as the use of blow-up molds and foam injection’

Material: paper-maché, polyurethane foam
Dimensions: 90 x 200 x 60 cm

Niels Schuurmans
www.nielsschuurmans.nl