Industrial Design

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Studio OOOMS

Dandelion Lights made from cables ties… (see the huge pile of cable ties on the ground!). So simple, so effective. OOOMS says “With a lot of patience we’ll be rewarded with beautiful new structures, which can only emerge by fervent monkish work“. Love it!

A similar chandelier-style light, created for TU Delft. The University organised an exhibition about modern plastics and its uses. The chandelier consists of 25,000 cable-ties, painstakingly zipped together into one giant lighting object. Currently the French Chandelier is part of the collection of Spazio Rossana Orlandi.

Studio OOOMS is a Dutch design studio run by Guido Ooms and Karin van Lieshout. They are both graduates of the fabulous Design Academy Eindhoven!

OOOMS creative output exemplifies everything I love about Dutch design – originality, personality, quality of craftsmanship and just plain kooky-ness :) Their website is full of many smile-inducing ideas… and some eyebrow-raising ones too! (you’ll know what I mean when you see them…!)

OOOMS also runs unique creative workshops and lectures for companies and schools around the world. Some of their clients include Paul Smith, Adidas, MoMA, Design Museum London, The Cooper Hewitt NY, SUN Microsystems, and, again, the Design Academy Eindhoven.

More designs to make you smile! The gorgeous Solar Birdhouse (with solar panels on its roof!) is available for sale here. Also, LOVE the USB twig! How great does it look sticking out of the mac tower?! You can buy them here.

Presentation in collaboration with graduates of the Design Academy Eindhoven during the Salone del mobile. Improvised workshop using found street-material… Visitors were welcomed with food, drink and atmosphere.

Monday, December 08, 2008

Inspired Media – Kate Hannaford of Moth Design

Moth Design’s Kate Hannaford chats at Inspired Media in Melbourne last week

Inspired Media is a fantastic Melbourne-based monthly event organised by the Portable Film Festival. It’s an event that showcases some of the most innovative designers working in Australia’s creative industries, featuring speakers from film, advertising, online and mobile industries. This casual speaker series provides a friendly, low-key environment for design discussion, collaboration and networking.

Inspired Media took place last week at Horse Bazaar, 397 Little Lonsdale st, Melbourne. Love the eclectic interior of this fun and relaxed ‘digital arts bar’ and exhibition space.

Last week’s Inspired Media guest was the incredible Kate Hannaford, co-founder and director of Melbourne multidisciplinary studio Moth Design, and organiser of Penthouse Mouse, a pop-up retail, gallery and event space set up in the lead up to and during Melbourne Fashion Festival. I’m so glad Inspired Media brought this to my attention and invited me along!

Kate is an industrial designer turned project co-ordinator / event designer / retail and commercial interior designer… she’s an absolute whizz, and has amassed the most incredible body of work in only a few years since Moth Design first launched in 2001. Moth Design’s impressive and varied list of clients includes retailers such as Bonds, Holeproof and Metallicus, as well as high-profile events such as The Big Day Out, V Festival, St. Jeromes Laneway Festival, the Melbourne International Design Festival, and of course Spring Racing Carnival.

I’ve been chasing an interview with Kate for a little while now, but Moth Design has been immersed in Spring Racing madness…. they’re a very prolific team, and Ms Hannaford is a hard woman to pin down! Having said that, Kate’s also incredibly approachable, friendly and modest about her work… she’s also truly passionate about supporting and promoting local design, as is evident by her incredible efforts staging the hugely popular Penthouse Mouse event annually.

So until I have an interview secured with Kate, I thought I’d share some images of Moth Design’s work below… (clearly this will mean if I ever do publish an interview with Kate I will have no photos left to accompany it, but, you know… no time like the present.)

Moth Design’s work for the Herald Sun Marquee during Spring Racing Carnival 2008

More Spring Racing event design and installation from Moth Design

Moth Design details at Spring Racing ’08

Images from Penthouse Mouse ’08

Penthouse Mouse ’08

Moth Design’s light-filled studio in Melbourne’s Hardware Lane

Ps) Don’t forget to bookmark the Portable Film Festival site for info on upcoming Inspired Media events. Also check back often for more info on other media and arts events at Horse Bazaar.

Posted by Lucy at 8:00 pm
Categories - Australian people, Event Design, Fashion, Industrial Design, Installation, Interior Design, melbourne people, melbourne places Comments Off

Thursday, November 27, 2008

RMIT Industrial Design Graduate Exhibition

Bald Bowls by graduate Ben Landau is an interactive design project in which bald men cast each other’s heads in plaster, and then slip cast them to create bowls. The event grew from therapeutic sessions of bald support groups and includes art therapy theories. By creating something together, bald men can connect with each other through a unique process, and have an artefact to show for it in the end, which represents their acceptance of balding.

NOOK by Industrial Design graduate Henry Sgourakis is an exploration of knits and weaves from the ‘arts and crafts’ movements of the past 150 years, and is inspired by detailed lace work in original handcrafted doilies – henry@sgourakisarchitect.com.au

I have not yet been to see the RMIT Industrial Design grad show, but it’s only on for three more days (ie this Friday – Sunday)… so I thought best to pop something up before the weekend so you have time to check it out!

The show is called Parting Line, and includes the work of 20 gradating students. The photos above were kindly provided by one of the exhibiting students, Liam Prescott.

The exhibition is at the gorgeous Guildford Lane Gallery which I wrote about recently… it’s a beautiful space, so if you get the chance do take a moment to support these emerging designers and discover a lovely new gallery in the CBD this weekend!

The Guildford Lane Gallery
20-24 Guildford Lane
Melbourne 3000

Open Wed-Fri 12-9 / Sat-Sun 12-5

Posted by Lucy at 10:52 am
Categories - Craft, Industrial Design, melbourne people, melbourne places, product design Comments Off

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Graduate design shows 2008

Images from the RMIT Ceramics Graduate 3rd year and Honours exhibition ‘Batch 1.04′. Top – work by Jyun Hung Moon, Bottom – Tim Clarkson’s origami-inspired work.

Craft Victoria made me very happy yesterday when I discovered on their ‘clog‘ (blog) an extremely extensive list of all the graduate exhibitions happening across town this month, as the school year draws to a close for Melbourne’s design students!

Grad shows are often not very widely advertised, and I always have trouble keeping abreast of what’s going on, so I was very excited when I came across this round-up!

The list below has been taken directly from the Craft Vic blog (hope they don’t mind!), and focuses mainly on craft-based courses… a great place to start to see the best from Melbourne’s up and coming designers!

Opening on 12 November:

NMIT, Advanced Diploma Jewellery

Northcote Town Hall

Until 20 November

Monash University, Bachelor of Fine Arts (Metals and Jewellery)

Faculty of Art & Design, Caulfield Campus

Until 28 November

Box Hill TAFE, Diploma of Ceramics

Yarra Sculpture Gallery, 117 Vere Street, Abbotsford

Until 30 November

Box Hill TAFE, Diploma of Ceramics

Arts House, Meat Market

Until 30 November

Box Hill TAFE, Diploma of Arts (Furniture Design)

Arts House, Meat Market

Until 22 November

Box Hill TAFE, Advanced Diploma of Engineering Technology (Jewellery)

Arts House, Meat Market

Until 22 November

Box Hill TAFE, Diploma of Arts (Textiles)

Arts House, Meat Market
Until 22 November

Opening on 14 November:

Monash University, Bachelor of Industrial Design

Faculty of Art & Design, Caulfield Campus

Until 28 November

Monash University, Bachelor of Fine Arts (Ceramics)

Faculty of Art & Design, Caulfield Campus

Until 28 November

Monash University, Bachelor of Fine Art and Visual Art (Glass and Ceramics)

Faculty of Art & Design, Caulfield Campus
Until 28 November

Monash University, Bachelor of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Visual Arts

Faculty of Art & Design, Caulfield Campus

Until 28 November

RMIT, Bachelor of Design (Interior Design)

Shed 4 (Open Channel), North Wharf Road, Victoria Harbour, Docklands

Until 19 November

University of Melbourne, Faculty of Architecture Building & Planning (Timber furniture)

Concourse – Faculty of Architecture Building & Planning, University of Melbourne, Parkville

Until 21 November

Opening 18 November:

RMIT, Ceramics

Skepsi on Swanston, 670 Swanston Street

Until 27 November

RMIT, Gold and Silversmithing

Trades Hall

Until 28 November

NMIT, Diploma of Arts -Furniture Design

Wills Auditorium, Building B, NMIT Heidelberg Campus

Until 21 November

Opening 19 November:

RMIT, Bachelor of Arts (Textile Design)

Telstra Building Foyer, corner Lonsdale/Exhibition Streets

Until 28 November

RMIT, Bachelor of Fine Arts (Sculpture Honours)

Off The Kerb, 66B Johnston Street

Until 4 December

And currently open is RMIT’s Bachelor of Fine Arts (Drawing) at Guildford Lane Gallery. It is on till 16 November so get in quick!

For even more, RMIT has a comprehensive list of all their 2008 graduate shows here.

Agghh! Too much to see! Better get list-making. :)

Posted by Lucy at 8:00 pm
Categories - Craft, Industrial Design, Jewellery Design, melbourne people, melbourne places Comments (1)

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Interview – Trent Jansen

Trent Jansen‘s highly acclaimed Pregnant Chair for Moooi

extremely cute concept sketches for the famed Kissing Pendants!

…those beautiful Kissing Pendants (again!), which recently won the Bombay Sapphire Design Discovery Award 2008.

I was so excited to meet Australia’s designer-of-the-moment Trent Jansen recently at the Bombay Sapphire Design Discovery Awards in Melbourne. As one of the recipients of the Design Discovery Award, I was expecting Trent to be inundated with media and networking professionals all evening… but the event was thankfully very low-key, and I was pleasantly surprised to see him lurking in the shadows, and generally keeping a very low profile!

There is so much to like about Trent. He’s thoughtful and so modest in conversation about his work. Despite the accolades following his success with the Pregnant Chair in Milan earlier this year (which is being produced by Moooi), and the recent Design Discovery award for his stunning Kissing Pendants, he seems utterly unaffected by all the media attention and new-found notoriety. At just 26 (I think?), he’s polite and quiet, and during our conversation, asked as much about me as I did about him!

Trent’s clever, playful designs are such a breath of fresh air for the Australian design industry. His pieces perfectly reflect the designer himself – relaxed, slightly quirky, instantly warm and friendly, and entirely unpretentious! I know I’ve said it before, but I really am convinced we’re looking at the next superstar of Australian design here – watch this space!

Just found this great little promotional video about COFA graduate Trent on Utube… it gives a fantastic insight into Trent’s work and design ethos. My interview below!

Tell me a little about your background – what did you study and what path led you to what you’re doing now?

I studied the Design Degree at the College of Fine Arts at the University of NSW in Paddington, Sydney. I am not sure how I ended up doing what I am doing. I have wanted to be an architect since I was very young, but went to university to study graphic design. Luckily I enrolled in a multidisciplinary design degree and at some point I become interested in object design.

You’ve become very well known in the design world in the last year or so, and are getting a lot of media attention currently in the wake of your success with the Pregnant Chair in Milan. However, you’ve been plugging away for a lot longer than most people probably realise! How do you feel about this sudden peak in media interest, and is there a sense of pressure to keep the ball rolling?

I guess that the attention is nice I guess, but I do not feel any pressure. So long as I am happy with the work that I am doing, that is the most important thing.

The world of the solo industrial designer is a bit of a mystery to me and many people… What motivates you at the start of a new project? At this stage in your career, how much of your work is self-initiated, as opposed to being specifically commissioned or funded externally? How do you know what to be spending your time on!?

I am not sure what motivates me, I think it is my short attention span. I get bored really easily and I am always looking for the next project or the next place to move on to. I like to always feel like I am moving forward. The motivation for my projects comes from a desire to design worthwhile, sustainable objects to provide thoughtful and long-lasting alternatives to the junk that exists in the world.

A selection of Trent’s Sign Stools, created from recycled street signs. Top left – the Sign Stool Limited Edition, designed in 2004. The other styles shown here are Sign Stool 450, a more recent take on the original version, designed for manufacture on a larger scale.

My time is pretty evenly divided up between self motivated projects, commissions and teaching design at the College of Fine Arts, University of NSW. It is often hard to decide which of these takes priority, as they are all important to me. I can not take time away from my self motivated projects, as these are the projects that most strongly represent my values and philosophies as a designer. I can not take time away from my commissions as people are counting on me to deliver a project on time, meeting their expectations. And I can not take time away from my teaching preparation because my students expect a lot of me and they are ruthless if I am not prepared. So I guess I just work longer…

Do you feel at a disadvantage as a designer by being based in Australia? What challenges have you faced by being based so far from the established design hubs in the UK, Italy, The Netherlands etc? Do you feel drawn to base yourself ‘closer to the action’?

I think that Australia’s distance has its advantages and disadvantages as a designer. In the past four years this distance has been a huge advantage for me. There are not so many people practicing design in Australia, but there are still some great organisations advocating for Australian design, making it easier to be noticed, published and recognised. The problem with the Australian design industry is what comes after this. Australia lacks the history of quality makers and manufacturers and the general culture of design that exists in many European countries. This makes it hard to have work made and even harder to have work sold.

I have spent the last three months in Holland, France and Switzerland and intend to spend the best part of the next eight months in the same area. It is my aim to see how the industry works over here and find out whether there is any advantage to be gained by living and designing in Europe. At this stage I am still unsure of what the future holds, but being a Dutch citizen and working for Moooi, I have a bit of freedom to check it all out before I make a decision.

The desk is one of the workspaces Trent has occupied since travelling around Europe. He spent a week and a half in a wine region called Minervois in the South of France. This was the little room that he had to work in while I was there.

Which designers, artists or creative people are you inspired by?

Marcel Wanders has always been a great inspiration for me. Recently I have been very interested in the work of Theo Jansen (no relation), a Dutch sculptor and genius…

Where else do you turn for specific inspiration when working on a new project – do you scour books, magazines or the web? Do you pay attention to trends in the broader design world such as film, fashion or architecture?

Most of my inspiration at the moment comes from relationships that I observe and experience everyday. The work that I have been working on lately attempts to form long-term relationships between my work and the people that own it. It is an important factor in designing sustainable work to consider the longevity of these objects, trying to create as much time between purchase and disposal as possible. I have a theory that if I can design ‘objects that remind us of ourselves’, these objects will become important to their owner and become a lasting part of their life instead of a disposable thing.

At this point in time I am using personal relationships as the conceptual grounding behind these objects, developing pieces that borrow familiar characteristics from the relationships that are so important to all of us. The Pregnant Chair and Kissing Pendants are perfect examples of this theory in practice. If motherhood is important to you then the relationship that exists between the baby and mother chair will speak to you and remind you of your mother or child. This nostalgic response will hopefully create a special place for this object within your home.

Japanese-inspired textile design (2007 and 2008). Top image – Jansen’s Ichimatsu textile was selected for the Japanese Environment Minister’s traditional Furoshiki (gift-wrapping cloth), designed for use during the 2008 Environment Minister’s Summit in Kobe, Japan. This piece was produced in a limited edition by Japanese company Felissimo. Bottom left – closer view of the Ichimatsu design, bottom right – Shrine. Textiles available through Sekimoto.

What does a typical day at work involve for you? How do you divide your time between designing, building prototypes, marketing yourself and seeking collaboration / manufacturers etc…?

There is no such thing as a typical day at the moment. I have spent the last four or five months living out of a suitcase, so stability is a distant memory for me. When I am in the studio I spread my time between working on my own projects, working on commissions and teaching. This can involve anything from sketching, developing presentations, making models, technical drawing and lots and lots of emailing…

Topple Light (2006) available through ISM objects

What are you most proud of professionally?

Working with Moooi. They are a great company and I feel very lucky to be part of their family.

What’s the best thing about your job?

The best thing about my job is being able to do what I love every day.

And the worst?

I can’t think of a worst thing…

What would be your dream project?

My dream project was any project for Moooi. Now I am trying to get involved in humanitarian design projects. I am not sure what or where, but I am beginning to make some in-roads now.

What are you looking forward to?

I am looking forward to spending a couple of months in Kiama with my girlfriend and our families over summer.

Where do you shop in Sydney for the tool of your trade? (ie building materials and tools, sketching materials, hardware?)

Most of my supplies come from Reverse Garbage or the Bower on Addison Road in Marrickville. They are always my first port of call because I don’t really like to buy new things where I can help it. Old materials and tools are so beautiful.

What/where was the last great meal you ate in Sydney?

Cafe Giulia most Saturday mornings and Friday lunch-times, on Abercrombie Street in Chippendale, across the road from my studio. By far the best Cafe in Sydney.

Where would we find you on a typical Saturday morning?

and

Sydney’s best kept secret?

Giulia or the Mitchell Road Auction House, which is also Sydney’s best kept secret. On Mitchell Road in Alexandria, this place is a treasure hunter’s dream I love it and the owner Jeffry is an amazing character…

Trent’s studio in Chippendale, Sydney

A big thankyou to Trent for his time with this interview and all the fantastic images! :) Can’t wait to see what comes next from him!

Posted by Lucy at 8:00 pm
Categories - Australian people, Industrial Design, Interview, Lighting, Sustainable Design, Sydney, awards, furniture design Comments (2)

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Bombay Sapphire Design Discovery winners announced!

Quick news update – Trent Jansen‘s ‘Kissing Pendants’ have won the Bombay Sapphire Design Discovery Award, in conjunction with Ilias Fotopoulos‘ ‘On Close Inspection’ tactile wallpapers!