OVO editions is a new editor of design furniture. They are based in Brussels and start their  work with the famous Belgian designer, Pol Quadens. Their goal is to develop innovative and composite materials and put forward talented designers interested in new experiences. Pol Quadens designed for OVO an exceptional collection in Corian® and carbon fiber. His creativity was challenged by the multiple properties of the Corian®.

more: Pol Quadens, OVO editions
via: YATZER

Nude – IED Barcelona exhibits thesis projects developed jointly with Zicla

The IED (European Institute of Design), Barcelona, and Zicla, a company that specialises in recycled products for construction, collaborated on a multidisciplinary thesis project for the academic year 2007/2008. Five groups of students were formed from interior, industrial, and graphic design courses. Their objective was to research and manipulate recycled materials provided by Zicla, as well as to raise awareness of respect for the environment. They worked primarily with three materials (recycled car mats, plastics and foams) and were asked to study their properties by manipulating them (touching, folding, heating, wetting, cutting, cooking, etc.). After examining the materials, the groups chose one each and, depending on its characteristics, proposed suitable uses for the material or created new products from it.

La Linea – Banco Urbano (Urban Bench)

Birgit Eschenlor and Kalle Ehlers, Interior Design students, chose the recycled car mats for their thesis project, and proposed the possibility of integrating sustainability into the urban space of a city like Barcelona.

Leve – Jardín Interior (Interior Garden)
Caroline Nergaard, Francisco Tejada (Industrial Design) and Txema Hernandez (Graphic Design) also decided on the car mats. Their project concentrated particularly on the study of the amount of living space that each person needs and how optimal distance between people can vary depending on culture and environment. Optimal distance is a psychological term that describes and explains how the individual can feel comfortable among a lot of people.

Reverse – Cojín de Emergencia (Emergency Cushion)
Alon Tal (Industrial Design) and Fabio Alvarez (Graphic Design) opted to work with the recycled foam. The group questioned the role of design in society. In carrying out their project, they looked at different societies and analysed how design featured in each one.

Mome – Sistema Expositivo (Expo System)
Liane Prause (Interior Design) and Stephanie Voves (Graphic Design) chose the recycled plastic for their project. The work focused on sustainable design. They wondered if, apart from sentimental reasons, people kept objects because they were icons from a particular period.

25:1 – Emergency Design
Alex Gunnarsson (Interior Design) also worked with the car mats. The central theme of his project was article 25.1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which declares that “everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing, medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.”

IED Barcelona

Since 1966, the IED has worked in training and research in the areas of Design, Fashion, Visual Arts, and Communications. Today, the IED is an international network catering to 9,000 students of 50 different nationalities at its schools in Milan, Rome, Turin, Venice, Madrid, Barcelona and Sao Paolo. It offers three-year courses at university level and professional specialisation, advanced training, and masters courses.

More: IED

Covitaca is a creative studio founded by Covadonga Carreño Álvarez that develops interior, graphic and industrial design projects.

I like to know that I’ll be able to work at something that I enjoy doing, where I don’t mind spending hours in front of a screen or a blank sheet of paper …I feel fortunate because I can do what I want! I would like to create objects that have a message, useful for people, that excite them …I like simple objects but they have to say something. They must speak for themselves about their purpose and function. I like to observe daily life, gestures, actions …and create from there!”

Oh!jear

Why waste space with furniture that we are not using? Do you want to hang something? Just move the sheets that make up this rack. When you don’t need it, fold it to the wall and it will be unnoticed.

Mybags

Re-use. Re-think. Everyday we are becoming more concerned about the environment, but why not really do something for it? “mybags” is a series of lampshades made from crocheted plastic bags that are no longer useable. Is it not better to find another use than to throw it out? Give them a second chance…

Siamesas

There are things in life that must be together. Where would be Laurel without Hardy? And a photograph without it’s frame? These chairs were born to live together. They are Siamese. They could be separate, but then they wouldn’t be the same… they need each other to show off.

En.llamas

We spend all day in the kitchen preparing the perfect dinner. Tablecloth, crockery, cutlery, glassware… we even have the small details planned. Since we always concentrate in the kitchen when we invite someone to have dinner, why should we forget the kitchen during the dinner? En.llamas is a candlestick that reminds us that the fundamental role of the kitchen is to prepare our dinner. The eyes of the oven get dressed up for the occasion and come to “warm up” our table.

Raindrops

Who said that the rain is annoying? Don’t umbrellas do their job well? Raindrops is an umbrella collection with messages for the viewers. You can feel protected because “here it is not raining”.

[a]salvo

How many times arrives at a restaurant, a meeting … and ask yourself, where I put my things? Because there are objects that speak for themselves, with this chair is clear, under you and in a safe place. Simplify. Let us make our life a little easier.

More: COVITACA

Mulgui

Mulgui is a fish form lamp made with traditional Korean paper. Using the ready made base scales and extremities are added. There are several Mulgui sizes to extend until 90 diameter centimeters. Although most of the most are inspired by different aquatic animals there are also panda and bird forms available just changing the Korean traditional paper pieces . The lamp plays with the surprising effect of putting a light focus in an element related to the darkness, changing the logic of the atmosphere. Mulgui can also be present in any sort os space such as high standing design living rooms or child bedroom.

Pescando lámparas:

My house which was built over 100 years ago has a beautiful balcon. It has a view towards ‘La Sagrada Familia’ and there I spend lots of time deep in imagination.

Using Korean traditional paper, I made a fish like a white moon. With a long fishing rod I try to fish the moon on my balcon.

The fish swims through the city’s road.

Immediately, I drop a line on the air.

I have hooked a fish brighter than the moon.

Hye Young Yu (Chungju, South Korea 1971) Korean artist and designer. She studied in Seoul, Barcelona, an United States. She worked as graphic, multimedia and interior design. She works for Elisava design school as professor in Barcelona. As artist and designer she has participated in several exhibitions in Seoul, Barcelona, Milan and Berlin. She has also been curator in the Design Made exhibition that is celebrate every year in Seoul Arts Center. She has been also commissioner of sonarsoundseoul in Korea.

More: Hye Young Yu

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

SWING, designers: Verónica Martínez y Alberto Sánchez
Swing is a suspended seat for adults. Inspired by the falling of the leaves in autumn, Swing should be placed in outdoor spaces where the sunset glints through its leaf holes, creating sweet shadows. This slow rocking movement will remind you of the peace and tranquillity of a child hearing a lullaby. A time to relax at the end of the day…

ORION, designer: Alberto Sánchez
Orion is an outdoor stackable seat for installations. Inspired by the starlight of the Orion constellation and visually as light as the stars.

Seating on Orion is an invitation to see a shooting star on a summer night, near the sea, with your feet in the sand, sweet music and perfect company, trying to guess where the Orion constellation is in the dark sky.

SNOWHITE, designer: Alberto Sanchez and Verónica Martínez
Snowhite is a lighting design for outdoors and indoors that can be used alone or in a group. It´s light creates a subtle atmosphere giving different sensations used separating areas or creating a wall of light-trees.

Why ENEA?

The relationship with this natural plant is basically based upon the natural spirit that the studio communicates with its projects. There are always feedbacks with nature, and each element that is involved with it. (The sea, leaves falling in autumn…).

In this way, enea’s plant, represents the objective within ENEA STUDIO is working:
-Emotional Design
-Natural and environmental contact
-Personality, strength and resistance
-Global spirit

ENEA STUDIO, an invitation to emotional design

With a quick view at the origin of its name, it appears the studio’s personality and spirit is conveyed in every project. There is a new idea spawned, materialized from a concept and then it is released to the public audience then transformed into sensations and experiences. The products are considered as an emotional income for the public.

Connecting with public is a priority in the development of the different projects. This connection involves evoking in them different sensations and feelings:

The touch of the seawater while I walk along the beach…
Wind that moves my hair when I ride a bike…
The smoothness of sand while I play with it…
Rain falling upon me…

All those messages with soul are directly related in ENEA’s design. Creative messages that talk to us and communicate.

ENEA STUDIO, work and projects.

ENEA STUDIO offers two working lines. In the first one, products are thought, developed and produced by the same studio. The second working line is relocated directly with the function of a design studio, in which there are specialist design area disciplines such as graphic, product and interior design.

ENEA STUDIO is composed by two young Spanish designers: Verónica Martínez, B.A in Arts and Interior Design (University of Barcelona, Spain) and Alberto Sánchez, B.A. Industrial Design and Graphic Design, (Politecnic University of Valencia).

Both of them have seen how their work has been supported with many prizes, which highlights them as a strong working team.

Professionalism and creativity are shown in each of Verónica and Alberto’s work. “With ENEA STUDIO’s projects which are exhibited in ‘Salone Satellite of Milan’-Mare, Swing, Orion and Wave- we aim to standout from the others with creative solutions that provoke a sense of emotion in the viewing audience’.

‘Salone Satellite of Milan’ is the opportunity for ENEA’s products to be recognized in the international spotlight.

ENEA STUDIO

Projects:
Jose González: Folia, Pelican, Ceronte
Jose Rizo: Qbox, Oon

FOLIA (up)

ONN, lamp

Qbox, seating system

Ceronte.

Más información en:
Jose Alberto González Ruiz: www.joseacreative.es
Jose Rizo Gasó: www.joserizo.com

Tandem formed by Javier Taberner and Nacho Poveda, two young designers with concerns entering showbusiness. Their work have been published in magazines like Experimenta, Ottagono and Neo2.

COCOON
Handing lamp inspired by the puppets. By moving the string, its structure changes creating different volumes.

SÁBADO Y DOMINGO
Low tables collection whitch lieiv motive is the application of materials outside it´s regular use. Concrete and cork leave their working environment to be more refined and enter our homes.

CAPRI
Light and easy chair designed for casual multipurpose atmospheres. Made in stainless steel and rattan. The breading of the fiber contrasts with the geometric forms of the seat.

More information: OBJ STUDIO

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

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