Memory is Tokujin Yoshioka’s design for Moroso, fruit of his poetic originality. This imaginative Japanese designer never fails to experiment and surprise us. The comfortable chair features a unique technical covering that can be formed into any shape desired. A free interplay between the seat and the sitter, who intervenes directly in the creative process, shaping the anatomy of the product. Thus the importance lies in the gestures, which establish a physical bond at the time of use. The resulting beauty derives from its irregular form, and from the hands-on mutability of its appearance. The fabric, cotton fibre with an aluminium core, is the upshot of a lengthy series of experiments performed by the designer in person on materials originally meant for the building trade. The fine textural quality is due in part to the combination of aluminium, which gives the fabric its malleability, with cotton canvas, which ensures that it is robust and easy to use.

“Memory is a seat that completes its own design by changing shape. For this project I created a special fabric from recycled aluminium, and worked to make a chair that transforms and memorises its shape. This chair seeks to echo the beauty of nature, with its ever-changing expressions, giving the idea that the design doesn’t even exist”. Tokujin Yoshioka

Tokujin Yoshioka

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Sets of textured and tactile cutlery that have been inspired by the investigation into investment casting and an understanding that any organic material such as leather and cork can be burned out the same way wax can be. As there are no moulds, each piece of cutlery is cut and folded into the shape of a cutlery by hand and then dipped into investment. That allows every piece to be unique, as the ‘starter’ object is obliterated during the burn-out process. It allowed using soft discarded materials and transforming them into functional objects, whilst maintaining a perception of softness and tactility of the leather. Characteristics of each material perfectly suit their stage in the process; leather provides shape, metal provides function.

Since early age, she has harboured a passion for making things with her hands and wondering how things are made. Helena’s work explores industrial processes and how they can be manipulated to create unique, poetical and functional products. Besides materials and processes, she is obsessed with light and shadows and, how the concept of shadows can be translated into tangible objects.

Helena Karelson

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MATAERIAL is the result of the collaborative research between Petr Novikov, Saša Jokić from the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC) and Joris Laarman Studio. IAAC tutors representing Open Thesis Fabrication Program provided their advice and professional expertise. During the course of the research we developed a brand new digital fabrication method and a working prototype that can open a door to a number of practical applications. The method that we call Anti·gravity Object Modeling has a Patent-Pending status.

MATAERIAL – a brand new method of additive manufacturing. This patent-pending method allows for creating 3D objects on any given working surface independently of its inclination and smoothness, and without a need of additional support structures. Conventional methods of additive manufacturing have been affected both by gravity and printing environment: creation of 3D objects on irregular, or non-horizontal surfaces has so far been treated as impossible . By using innovative extrusion technology we are now able to neutralize the effect of gravity during the course of the printing process. This method gives us a flexibility to create truly natural objects by making 3D curves instead of 2D layers. Unlike 2D layers that are ignorant to the structure of the object, the 3D curves can follow exact stress lines of a custom shape. Finally, our new out of the box printing method can help manufacture structures of almost any size and shape.

More about: MATAERIAL

Via: Digitalarti

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What happens when you send something by mail? What happens in between you sending it off and someone else receiving it? What people and processes are involved and how many steps does it take? Those all were questions he was dealing with and wanted to find out. So instead of sitting back he started a simple project to actually see it himself. He put a small camera in a box, build a timer circuit using Arduino and shipped it. That’s as simple as it is. The timer circuit was set to make a 3 sec video every minute and make longer videos while the box was movin: to not miss on the ‘interesting’ parts.

Ruben van der Vleute

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At the very base of this glassware project by Meret lies the designer’s fascination with proportion and the way objects harmonise with each other. When designing a collection of products, it is absolutely essential that these things are taken into consideration. Meret has always been a keen drawer and she almost always finds the voice or language of a project through her pen.

Once the design language stands, it needs to be fine tuned and the different parts of the collection are brought to their respective seize and volume. To get a reliable impression of this, Meret builds paper models.

Where traditionally a wooden or metal blowing mould would be made, Meret decided to go for a different option. After experimenting with folded sheet metal, which worked great for the smaller objects, the decision was made to work with reinforced plaster.
For this process, a plaster last (in the exact shape of the glass object) has to be made. Meret used the pattern she already drew up for the paper models to create moulds out of cardboard and tape.

The liquid plaster is poured into the cardboard and left to cure. Once it has hardened, the cardboard is simply cut open and the last is ready to be sanded. Then the last is used to create a classic two-part mould, made out of plaster that is enriched with quartz to give it more strength.

Regular plaster simply breaks under the heat of the glass that is blown into it. Once the mould has completely dried out, it is ready to be blown into. For this, the two halves are clamped together in the right position. The skilled glassblower prepares a bubble of hot glass that roughly fits the proportions of the object. The bubble is inserted into the mould and through blowing gets expanded into the final shape. To get the hot glass into all the corners and edges, it is necessary to create vents for the air to give way to the glass. After the glass comes out of the mould, it is left to cool down very slowly in a kiln. Once this process is over, they are ready to be cut and sanded down to the correct height. The result is a collection of one of a kind objects which can be used in sets or individually. They showcase the material glass in its purest form and focus on the incredible craft behind it.

Meret Probst

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Fuera de Serie. (One of Kind). Things that design can change.

Till 1st Septembre 2013 One of a Kind
Plaza de la Cibeles 1. 28014 Madrid

Exhibition

ONE OF A KIND is a exhibition that demonstrates the importance of design activating agent contemporary economy, social and culture change, beyond the aesthetic and formal.

ts in which national and international designers focuses on a number of projects in which design is allied with craftmanship and industrial processes. For different reasons, these are either experiencing difficulties, or are in danger of disappearing.

This exhibition, curated by Ana Dominguez Siemens has projects of:
Marcelo Rosenbaum / Pedrita, Tomás Alonso, Curro Claret, Alvaro Catalan de Ocon, Guillem Ferran,  Tomas Kral, Hella Jongerius, Martin Azua; BCXSY; Florie Salnot, Fernando and Humberto Campana; Front; Scholten and Baijins, Max Lamb, Michael Young.

“Some people still think that the aim of design is merely a decorative matter, with the sole purpose of adorning an object to make it more striking, strange or original. This exhibition aims to present a series of projects where design is at the core. It is thanks to the personal view, approach and thinking of designers, that when faced with a material, a product or a “making”, they come to ingenious and often unexpected solutions. These have to do with aesthetics, yes, but also, and essentially, with other crucial aspects of our life. Design, as understood by the designers selected for this show, is a motor for the economy, for social change and culture. This exhibition focuses on a number of projects in which design is allied with craftmanship and industrial processes. For different reasons, these are either experiencing difficulties, or are in danger of disappearing. Sixteen projects have been chosen –carried out in countries all over the world ­, in which the talent of designers has been applied to reinventing, revitalising and launching products in such a way that their identity, history and even weaknesses become their greatest asset. In some cases, the financial crisis has been the trigger for manufacturers and artisans to seek the help of designers in finding new opportunities for their businesses. In other cases, manufacturers wanted to experiment with new ideas. And sometimes the starting point has been a specific need, a lack of resources or even an environmental issue. In every instance, the designers’ strategies have been to intelligently and sensitively enhance the wise use of the elements at their disposal, in a creative and surprising way. Spain boasts an important heritage of this kind of “making”, which should be preserved and promoted if we would like 21st­century consumers to return to objects and furniture which, at present, are associated with old­fashioned and unattractive ways of life. We hope that these projects will be inspiring and serve as models, encouraging entrepreneurs to join forces with contemporary designers and thus rescue our heritage and tradition by giving it a new life”

Ana Domínguez Siemens
Curator

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As one of Japan’s last remaining swordsmiths, Korehira Watanabe has honed his craft for 40 years while attempting to recreate the mythical Koto sword.

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Benjamin Hubert Studio designed Innofa 3D Stretch textile over metal framework with minimal PU foam. ‘Talma’ is a compact new lounge chair launched at Salone Internazionale del Mobile in April 2013. The project is a result of a close collaboration between Benjamin Hubert and Italian brand Moroso.

‘Talma’ named after a type of cloak describes the chairs construction with a softly padded textile wrapped around a lightweight metal framework, mirroring the way a cloak would wrap the body. The chair stems from the studio’s ‘Materials driven, process led, industrial design approach’ and research into the traditional construction of upholstered chairs with a view to reducing the material, weight and cost of this typology of product.

‘Talma’ utilises a CNC shaped steel framework to describe the shape of the chair with integrated upholstery straps for support. The framework is wrapped with a custom made textile in collaboration with Innofa with integrated padding. The cover is secured with a series of zips and two fastenings at the front of the chair.

This combination of metal frame and padded textile allows the chair to use a minimal amount of polyurethane foam (a conventional armchair would be covered almost entirely with it) – therefore reducing the carbon footprint of the product.

Materials:

CNC formed steel frame
Innofa textile
Moulded Polyurethane foam

Benjamin Hubert and Moroso

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Tomorrow will start the What Design Can Do! Celebrating the power of design and its problem-solving abilities. This two-day event in Amsterdam exposes design as a catalyst of change and renewal and a way of addressing the societal questions of our time. WDCD Was initiated by dutch designers.

Too often design is associated only with aesthetics, trends and luxury, but design can mean so much more. At its best, design can change, improve, renew, inspire, involve, shock, move, disrupt, help or solve. What Design Can Do intends to demonstrate the value of design thinking as a response to the challenges of today’s world.

With a lineup of international speakers from all design disciplines, What Design Can Do will be the platform for designers to manifest the social potential of their profession. Together with the audience, the speakers will discuss alternative strategies for the future. Participants will be stimulated to come up with their own answers and ideas. This makes What Design Can Do an activist conference, the outcome of which will be published in a book compiled on the spot and presented at the end of the conference.

What Design Can Do is an annual international conference for design professionals, company leaders and government officials.

What Design Can Do is a cross-over between design disciplines – from architecture to product design, from graphic design to fashion design – as solutions for today’s challenges generally demand a multi-disciplinary approach.

What Design Can Do is initiated by designers who feel the responsibility to make their profession useful for society and want to reflect on this with fellow designers and other professionals.

Date & Place: May 16-17, Amsterdam.

What Design Can Do!

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