Philippa Wagner

Fashion Future

The Central St Martins fashion show continued the DNA of previous years where materiality is key with more experimental and less safety and with the continuation to push the boundaries of abstracting the figure.

With some collections more successful than others, one thing that was consistent was the idea to showcase the breadth of what fashion design can be and for students to go out with an experimental 'bang'.

Various students took idea of 3D to a literal stance with over sized eye popping shapes. Personal favourites - Hellen van Rees' exploded Prince of Wales checks were striking whilst Luke Brooks's collection inspired by shipwrecks and painters palettes was a riot of colour, texture and pattern.

Sublime Materiality

Known for pushing the boundaries of materials and materiality, Icelandic Designer Sruli Recht has reached new heights in his materials with his latest collection.

From Horsetail hair satin that is made from the waste products of horse farms and hand woven at 3cm a day, to Cetacea leather that is made from bits of dolphin skin. Sourced from nets and dolphins washed up by the sea, nearly un-tannable the skin has a quality that is truly unique.

But the master piece is the knit that has been knitted from silk from the silk gland of a spider that has been placed in the milk duct of a goat.

A single filament is taken from the goat, making it one of the hardest to get fibres in the world. Using 2 skeins of silk it took 4 days to unravel the threads just to prepare for the knitting itself.

The holy grail of the textiles industry - spider silk with its attributes of being stronger than steel and kevlar but at a fraction of the weight just suggests the tipping of the scales of how synthetic biology and textiles are successfully beginning to reap rewards.

Platform 16 TABLES

The RCA work in progress show this week was an engaging mix of social considerations of technology overload, over consumption.

Change was also a key theme with projects looking to how our lives will need to change over the coming years due to new urbanization constructs, food and technology evolutions (synthetic biology) and changes in our understanding of virtual, real, magic and myth. A series of thought provoking projects there were also many that were simply striking for from, function and materiality.

One of the projects that caught my eye was by Design Products Platform 16 which took an Ikea table and asked the students to make a table out of a table and in the process make a comment on the idea of a table. Some looked to the table as a place to share and meet, whilst others looked at it as a place to consider time.

Marjan Van Aubel's 1:7 table actually made 7 tables out of one table by pushing with the boundaries of materials and materiology. Planing down the wood from the original Ikea table she has created a chemical reaction with glue that makes the wood expand to twice its size. Organic in its growth the resulting table and material takes on an entirely new form and appeal.

I also was taken by Dagny Rewera's LumienBois table that explores change and weathering in outdoor objects and the idea of at what point nature takes over and creates its own secret life.

Pulping the wood from the table and introducing a bioluminescent wood fungi - the fungi becomes the craftsmen of the object and Rewera becomes the assistant in the design process.The bioluminescent mycelium only reveals its beautiful secret when it becomes dark.

Future Forward Fashion

Having been making a name for herself as a socially responsible fashion designer through projects she has undertaken to include burying fabric to naturally age it rather than use chemicals and to train marginalized groups in fashion, Sakina M’sa is an interesting designer to watch.

Having collaborated with Puma and Merci (Paris) last year for a range of 100 pieces made from recycled french work clothes, her latest couture collection shows off her love of bold colour as well as graphically striking shapes - and of course includes her preferred shade of blue.

Patchworked in very modern ways and with mixed materials, inverted triangles stand out from the body in almost 3D future forward shapes and make for a striking collection.

A plastic future

With the continuing discussions about us running out of fossil fuels (which apparently is never going to happen according to those in the know) and the ongoing debate about plastic and its negative side, textile designer Ana Quaresma is asking the question “What is the future of plastic in a post-oil era?”

Part a consideration of sustainability, part an education, her project as part of her masters at Central St Martins Textile futures shines a light on our dependence on plastics and the importance of it as a material in our lives.

What is interesting about her project is that she is actually ambivalent towards plastic, but believes that our real understanding of the positive and the negatives of the material need to be explored.

In her project she celebrates plastic and finds a new beauty in it by weaving by hand a fabric that almost looks like molten gold - and in essence takes on a new ideal of beauty and importance. She also depicts the life of plastic and unpacks the 'truth' about the low carbon foot print plastic has rather than the perception of it being truly bad for the environment.

Her belief is that humans perceive quality and importance by the way something ages through time, but the beauty of plastic is that it can be designed to decay or look aged. She also believes that if we look at plastic in its use outside of the much talked about 'plastic bag' we will begin again to see its fundamental wealth in medicine and technology by citing key examples of where it is better than the alternative.

Her project by nature is contentious but it is truly relevant and one that will bring an interesting topic of discussion to the table. Her parting shot about her project is that “By giving it (plastic) time it becomes precious… In the past we wove with gold, in the new tomorrow with plastic filaments.”

Sartorial D-égradé

Textiles are always hugely important in menswear as the silhouette changes less dramatically from season to season than it does for womenswear, but I am particularly pleased to see the woven dégradé at Issey Miyake, Frankie Morello and Alexander McQueen. Bringing texture and dimension they update sartorial fabrics with a fresh and directional edge.

Microscopic Couture

Firm favorite, Iris Van Herpen's spring summer 12 couture collection was yet again beautiful, other worldly and pushing the boundaries of materiality, form and of course function.

Skeletal constructions abound in plasticized fabrics that appear molten, as well as her trademark rapid prototyped pieces. Inspired by nature (as her work so often is) she looked at Microscopic organisms as if seen under the microscope.

Her materials explore form and function using leather, synthetic boat rigging and pexiglass to name a few and she has collaborated with the brilliant Bart Hess who's latest work STRP mutant - a video installation piece - bears a striking resemblance to one of the pieces in Van Herpen's collection having been translated from digital to physical.

Recycling the dead

Titled 'Salvage: Recycling the dead' Woven textile designer Kerry Greville unveiled her masters project during the CSM Textile futures work in progress show.

One of my favourite projects from the first tutorial I had with the students I think her provocational project really puts into perspective our depleting resources that we are 'mining' from the world.

Suggesting a future whereby we may well utilise the precious materials to be found in humans after cremation, Kerry has designed a series of imaginary products that incorporate minerals sourced from human ashes.

With the potential of a Phd, this project is simply at this stage about bringing an awareness to the potential and Kerry is not saying whether this is right or wrong, but questions how we would feel about a product or material if it had recently been human.

A textile future

Both the Royal College of Art and CSM Textile Futures had their work in progress shows last week. Both showcasing the best of the future textiles but in very different ways. RCA as always was a showcase of beautifully executed design based on the creme de la creme of design talent. Colour and texture were in abundance with a particularly strong cohort of both first and second years showing their work.

Central St Martins textile futures show is always more about the narrative and the critical design than simply aesthetic and as always the students act as a barometer as to the important issues surrounding the future of the textiles industry.

Students examined issues surrounding resilient design and probed the future with projects that consider new crafting methodologies, compostable accessories and real fake fur to name a few. Projects I found of notable interest I will do more indepth posts on in the coming days, but as a taster here is a snap shot of some of the projects.

Lovely Texture and colour

Someone (anonymous) very kindly sent me this on Vimeo. It is lovely and I thought I would share it on. Think they were inspired by the colour and materials workshop that I recently ran using a very similar technique.

Plastic fantastic

'I like to think of myself as working in collaboration with materials, processes and phenomena and that the final physical outcome is a product of mutual consent.' -Tom price

Materiality is always something that catches my eye and I am really glad to see that designers are still pushing the boundaries of materials and processes in what maybe considered to be unconventional ways.

Tom Price and Kai Williams and Chen Chen both showed melted down materials in their furniture on show at Design Miami.
Price's chair is typical of his process but has taken it to a new level with the interplay of colour. Using a heated metal chair shaped tool he melted a series of woven rugs into a new plastic textile.

Also using a similar processm Kai Williams and Chen Chen have mixed up rope, resin, fabric and clay on a wooden based stool resulting in a delicately brash but beautiful object titled 'prototype 3 in-house stool'.

Williams and Chen's work was also part of 'inventory 02's soul does matter exhibition'. The show is a collection of works by eleven artists
exploring the interplay between the intangible personality of a design object in connection with the raw material from which the work is constructed.

New material

A team of scientists in the US have developed a new material that is the lightest on earth - so light in fact that it can be balanced on top of a dandelion without damaging it. What is amazingly unique about this material is that it is still dense and strong - yet so light and is capable of keeping its form even after intense pressure. It is even lighter the aerogel or frozen smoke as it is known. With a density of 0.9 mg/cc it is approximately one hundred times lighter than Styrofoam™

Called the Ultralight Metallic Microlattice it is a combination of nickel and air. Lorenzo Valdevit one of the scientists behind the invention explains that, 'materials actually get stronger as the dimensions are reduced to the nanoscale. Combine this with the possibility of tailoring the architecture of the micro-lattice and you have a unique cellular material.'

Although early in its developments such a material will have a huge impact on truly making products ultra lightweight

By Borre

Borre Akkersdijk who graduated from Design Academy Eindhoven last year has just released his first collection called By Borre. Based in Paris his collection is called ' The First cycle – the story from the yarn to the show'. An interesting collection with oversized woven coats and dresses as well as duffle dresses.

His textiles are from a unique process he developed for his graduation project working with textile mills who manufacture the textiles for mattress covers that allows him to weave the pattern piece and exaggerated quilting into the fabrics.

His show started with a stop-motion animation explaining the production process of the clothing as this is as equally important to his collection as the aesthetic and silhouette.

Mass 10 designers on method, materials and manufacturing

By far one of my favorite shows during Dutch Design week (and the hardest to find!) Mass: 10 designers on Methods, Material and Manufacturing explores how the DIY revolution is pushing the boundaries of design and manufacturing as designers take it into their own hands to make their own tools, processes and manufacturing.

Through resourcefulness designers are customizing technology as well as making their own materials and methodology. A move on from the new materiologists, these designers are taking it entirely to the next level. The exhibition is also a comment on issues of mass manufacture.

Charlotte Dumoncell D’argence’s Kneaded project explores an alternative production process of plastic goods using materials and skills borrowed from the kitchen. Inspired by pasta making and the processes within the plastics industry she has developed a low cost material and tooling technique that can be carried out in the kitchen.

Julien Carretero’s Stencil project was also on show highlighting how a bit of imagination can up turn a complex manufacturing system into cheaper and more sustainable methods resulting in low tech manufacturing processes.

Studio Formafantasma's Botanica was also on show again which was a pleasure to see again after Milan.

All set and curated in a disused Philips factory, the exhibition was a beautiful feast for the eyes and food for thought.

Microbal home

The latest Philips Design probe was unveiled during Dutch Design week. Shown within Piet Hein Eeks space it explores a future home scenario that is totally self sufficient. The overall idea for the Microbal home is for an integrated cyclical ecosystem where each function’s output is another’s input - essentially the home becomes a biological machine to filter, process and recylcle what we conventionally think of as waste – sewage, effluent, garbage, waste water.

Concept appliances within the home are a bio luminescent light that is powered from bioluminescent bacteria and a 'Patemoster’ a plastic waste up-cycler that uses mycelium (from mushrooms) to break down plastic packaging waste in the home. They also suggest an urban beehive that lives within the home and a kitchen table that is also where you grow vegetables that are kept 'fresh' for longer with 'Evaporative cooling' technology.

There is also a beautiful film commenting on future dirt and nano technology in collaboration with Nancy Tilbury, Bart Hess and Harm Rensik that is beautiful and thought provoking, I will post it up once it is released.

Paraffin table

One of my favourite projects from Design Academy Eindhoven was Tom Gottelier's Paraffin Table. Looking like a normal table top it is actually made from wax. Encouraging users to place hot objects onto the surface the damage is seen as part of the design and beautiful as well as a temporal memory of what has been going on around or on the table. Once the table has been damaged enough you simply plug the table into the mains and the surface melts and repairs itself.

Unbaked - Plates for Soulmates

While the gaze of the design industry has been on Eindhoven and Berlin these past few weeks, some of my favourite designers such as Mkkink & Bey, Jetske Visser and Unfold have been getting ready for an exhibition called Plates for Soulmates at Valerie Traan gallery in Antwerp.

In addition to the above, one of the '15 delicious installations' is by the brilliant (and lovely) Andere Monjo who has been baking at Domestic Bakery (in Antwerp) in collaboration with Lionel Bethaz a master pastry chef.

Up scaling from her Baked Table which she showed at London Design Festival in 2010, Andere has pushed her technique to explore the relationship between food and textiles. The results are beautiful and here are some of the shots that Andere took whilst baking away.

Lost in Lace

Lace is an enduring fabric that seems to always have a place in fashion, design and history and is currently being put under the microscope again as part of the Lost in Lace exhibition in collaboration with the Crafts Council and Birmingham Museum&Art Gallery.

Running from the 29th October to mid Feb it explores a series of artists and designers who are exploring lace in new mediums, scales and as a symbolic language.

Textile futures alumni,Alessia Giardino will be showing her 'Polluted Lace', an environmental concrete lace that develops pattern over time from air pollutants. Designed in collaboration with CTG, the technical centre of Italcementi Group, who patented the TX Active.

Alongside this will be the work of Annie Bascoul and Lise Bjørne Linnert who's work also explores modern takes on a traditional fabric.

A reflection on Dementia

Exploring issues around old age and dementia as a design narrative is a pertinent subject and one very much needed with our aging population.

Jetske Visser's project shown as part of her graduation project at Design Academy Eindhoven is a poetic exploration of how design can be affected by such a disorder.

Spending time at an old peoples home and befriending an elderly lady called Andreaa, Visser was particularly touched by how the smallest of things such as the crease of a table cloth would raise interest. VIsser questioned how she as a designer could design something for someone who's world no longer held any framework or boundaries as loss of memory had eliminated them all.

Asking herself the question 'what is a teapot when you no longer know what a teapot is? her project resulted in a poignant and beautiful film and a series of tea pots and cups made from wax that melt and disappear similarly to the memories of those with dementia.

Perspectives

With a slightly disappointing London Design Festival with an overall lack lustre feel there were some gems to be found in the mix. I really loved the fantastic perspectives installation from the amazing John Pawson who had installed a giant Swarovski crystal lens in the southwest tower of St Paul’s cathedral.

It marks the 300th anniversary of the cathedrals completion by Sir Christopher Wren back in the early 18th century.

Methods of imitation

With lots of discussion about copying as a homage and open source design, Methods of Imitation shown during London Design Festival is yet another exhibition opening up the dialogue making and references to borrowing and appropriating through design.

Favourites of mine Study O Portable alongside Markus Bergström & Karin Peterson, Daniel Eatock, Paul Elliman, Peter Marigold and Liliana Ovalle showed a series of proposals, products, suggestions or talking points to continue the debate/discussion of how we perceive a product or a design through our personal preconception or through our inherent understanding of a material, its values or its uses.

Study O Portable's Quartz crystal stood out for its simple beauty and its importance as a material in our lives being used in a long list of devices such as the radio, record player, television, telephone and computer. In the exhibition the quarts mimics the familiar form of a mirror but it disrupts and distributes the images and plays with our perceptions.

Beautiful rain

Taking inspiration from nature in her designs such as water, fruit and mixing it with an element of poetic playfulness Andere Monjo is an inspirational designer who is creating beautiful objects, patterns and products that sit somewhere between art, design and craft.

Always taking an emotional journey through her work Andere has a unique hand writing that has begun to be picked up by those in the design 'know'.

Her latest creations are her 'rain tables' where she has captured rain drops to create naturally stained surfaces. Using natures unpredictability she has harnessed it into a series of beautiful objects to include tables which are going to be shown during London Design Festival at Mint

Bacteria billboard

No doubt inspired by the work of pioneer in this field Jelte Van Abbema Warner Bros Pictures hired a microbiologist and an immunologist to create a billboard made of bacteria to promote their up and coming film Contagion.

2 billboards cultivating bacteria were erected in a disused shop in downtown Toronto. Over a series of days the bacterial cultivated and spelt out the name of the film.

This is yet another example of how bacteria is being used in new and unique ways for design, communication and materials.

Xylinum

Another project researching into how future materials and production processes could incorporate bacteria has peaked my interest.

A project by Jannis Hulsen explores how an artificial cellulose material can be used to build a 'skin'. Similarly to the work of Suzanne Lee the material is grown around a given form and results in a fully biodegradable material.

Working in collaboration with Jenpolymers they have developed a technique that grows a skin around a wooden stool frame forming and coating a seating surface.

Body Laboratory 2011

For the third consecutive year Kingston Universities Fashion Ma Body Laboratory is showcasing its latest crop of directional, diverse and influential fashion provocateurs.

Considering issues around sustainability, body dysmorphia, new materiality and subjects such as mould and bacteria as a new material these designers offer thought provoking and beautiful collections.

Showing during London Fashion week as part of fashion innovation leaders Vauxhall Fashion Scout, the designers are showing as a collective digital catwalk that is supported by a QR (quick Response) code catalogue.

Alongside the digital catwalk are a series of static shows highlighting the research and thinking that supports the projects to include a greenhouse cultivating mould for a shoulder pad and sustainable luxury future snake skin alternative materials.

Ninela Ivanova

Han Gu

Photo Credits www.till-janz.de
Art Direction www.silvasilva.co.uk

Fabric Fantastic

With London fashion week on the horizon I just wanted to share one of my favourite collections from New York. Prabal Gurung’s collection was stunning and the use of materials beautiful and very directional. Many fabrics were unexpected such as latex and silicone as well as sportswear mesh that is given a truly sophisticated update.

What is really amazing are the engineered weaves from the delicately decaying brocades in semi sheers to the metallic trousers and dress with purple/pink paint drips that look printed but are in fact woven in.

I love it for its flamboyance and playful fantasy.

Edible 'Kup'

Taking inspiration from how villagers in developing areas of China, Laos and Papua New Guinea use ingredients from nature with which to eat, create and live, Japanese designer SugiX has designed and created an edible cup.

Sustainable and bio degradable he drew on local knowledge and self sufficiency in traditional villages considering manufacturing, local resources whilst considering the throw away culture of the developed world.

Made from rice flower, the Kup is an edible yet disposable cup and is named combining 'Kuu' which is 'eat' in Japanese and 'cup' in english.
for his project smile park, japanese designer sugiX creates sustainable products based on his experiences abroad.

Sustainable Luxury

Fashion designer Stefanie Nieuwenhuyse is re defining our notions of sustainable luxury with her latest capsule collection.

Borne out of a collaborative project with Incrops the materials and designs blend modern techniques such as laser cutting with natural sustainable fabrics such as unbleached cotton.

Taking inspiration from iconic luxury materials such as snake skin, Stefanie has used discarded pieces of plywood and is cutting out shapes as efficiently as possible and is applying them to fabric playing on the idea of bio mimcry or 'bio mimicking'.

Both sustainable and durable as well as being beautiful her fabrics retain nature by mimicking its attributes but without depleting key resources. By simulating nature, a balance with nature and luxury remain with a level of harmony.

Stefanie will be showcasing her collection in a digital catwalk during London Fashion week at Vauxhall Fashion Scout as part of Kingston Universities Fashion Lab on friday 16th September.

Swallowable Perfume

With the growing importance and drive in the area of synthetic biology and the body as a new frontier for design as well as the importance of science and design, Lucy Mcrae’s latest project swallowable parfum suggests a future whereby we swallow our cosmetics which will in turn be emitted though our skin as our own personal cosmetic DNA.

Collaborating with synthetic biologist Sheref Mansy, Lucy has taken the theory one step closer to reality as well as releasing a teaser advert for the product.

Following In a similar vein to that of Nancy Tilbury’s Body Atmospheres both act as provocateurs to the cosmetics industry and offer a potential glimpse into the future of science, technology and the body.

Wrapped Garments

Playing with form and function textile designer Junguen Lee a recent graduate from the RCA has designed a stunning collection of fabrics, garments and accessories made from wrapping synthetic fibres around a 3d form. Using heat the fibres mould into 3 dimensional forms that are dramatically beautiful yet simple and appear as if rapid prototyped.

Bacterial Growth

Being somewhat obsessed some might say with bacteria and mycelium I was very happy to come across the work of textile designer and recent graduate from Central St Martins Ba Textiles, Erdem kiziltoprak.

Clearly taking inspiration from Suzanne Lee and the Ma Textile futures course at Central St martins he is pushing the boundaries of design and materiality.

Growing and culturing his own materials he is also playing with bacterial with fluorescent pigments and is creating entirely new patterning that he then translates through textile printing to fabrics. He is also printing with unusual materials such as plaster of paris and yeast resulting in his fabrics cultivating real mould on the top of his printed pattern creating living patterns on fabric.

He also explores movement in his textiles to suggest growth and in doing so makes the invisible growth of bacteria visible. Using shape memory alloys he creates a second layer on the body that acts as the interface between skin and bacteria.

Rapid prototyped shoe

Taking inspiration from flowing sculptures and the potential of a continuous line in one material brought about rapid prototyping technology, recent graduate from the Royal College of art Victoria Spruce’s shoes are at the same time a piece of sculpture as well as being fully wearable.

Combining rapid prototyping techniques and hard materials with traditional shoe making and leather they create a striking contrasting appeal that somehow works together exemplified by the matt and shine contrast.

Fish Scale Plastic

As always the Royal College of art graduation show proffered up some exciting and intriguing projects and yet again there were a series of new materiologists emerging from varying backgrounds of design. Erik de Laurens’ Fish feast project is entirely unique as it touches on issues of sustainability, modern day plastics (similarly to studio Formafantasmas Botanical project) as well as design driven from materiality.

Using the waste material from the fishing industry ie the scales he has developed a new ‘plastic’ that is bonded together simply by the natural oils to be found in the scales. He has also coloured his new materials surprisingly with a range of ‘synthetic’ colours, but when pushed on the issue he was keen to discuss the issues around the possibilities of natural food dye stuffs.

Currently he has used his plastics for ideas for cups and inlay on a table but the possibilities are endless.

Augmented reality

Augmented reality is one of those technologies that is quietly creeping up on us and soon will be fairly mainstream in our lives. Having collaborated with Holition an augmented reality company specialising in augmented retail, Jenny Lee a recent graduate from Textile Futures at CSM has looked at how materiality and augmented reality can blend.

Her project seeks to understand our perceptions of beauty and perfection in a more digital future and looks to the growing number of online communities and profiles.

Jenny's film from her graduation show showing an augmented animation inspired by her material design explorations is intriguing, other worldly and strangely beautiful.

Solar Sinter

The Royal College of Art press view was yesterday and the one project that I havent stopped talking about is the brilliant Solar Sinter by Markus Kayser. I loved his sun trap lazer cutter that cut out plywood sunglasses that he showed during the work in progress and in Milan, but his latest foray to the Sahara desert is brilliant, thought provoking, humorous and truly relevant.

Using natures power - the sun, Kayser's project offers a glimpse of a personal utopia whereby we dont have to say good bye to the luxury of technology and all that it affords us in order to be more sustainable.

Instead he suggests to drive off on a journey into the desert to create a piece of art or a product using the power of the sun, some sand and a great imagination. His 3D printing device concentrates the Sun's rays through a glass ball lens to such a degree that it creates a beam that can heat silica sand to melting point that can then be used to make products such as a bowl.

I cant wait to see what Markus does next, but in the mean time his video is well worth a view

Fungutopia

An installation, a workshop and a prototype, Fungutopia was shown during DMY Berlin Design week as an ecological utopia based on mushroom cultivation. Fungutopia is the design of a social and ecological utopia based on urban mushroom cultivation.

Mushrooms and fungai are incredible in their versatility and are an open source for medicine and food as well as a soil recovery method. The mycelium produced by them is being used for eco packaging to replace polystyrene as well as being used to decompose plastics. Mushrooms are also being heralded by Paul Stamets as to being a natural resource that is going to save the world!

With mushrooms being of such importance, a workshop during DMY showed simple techniques of how to grow mushrooms in the urban environment as well as showcasing the prototype MUSHroom which combines open source electronics and biology to grow rare medicines.

The project hopes to create a community project where people will share their knowledge and their experiences and touches on the issues of urbanisation, sustainability and most importantly the need for future resourcefulness.

Inlaid fantasies

Textile designer Andreea Mandrescu has been pushing the boundaries of modern day craft through marquetry and inlay techniques with a modern approach to materials and form.

Pushing both the material and aesthetic potential she has designed a series of textiles that challenge traditional perceptions of craft as well as designing a series of materials that are both visually and texturally beautiful. Inlaying wood and fur alongside latex and silk the results are beautiful.

Andreea will be showcasing her work in her graduation project at Central st Martins Textile futures later on this month and will be well worth a visit.

Hair Glasses

Hair has been a key material of choice for designers and artists for a while, but it doesn't seem to be abating with more and more interesting projects appearing using hair with which to design with from the catwalk to product design.

During Milan Design week at the Royal College of Art RCAinTent show multidisciplinary design duo Studio Swine showed their Hair Glasses, a series of fashion glasses made from human and synthetic hair.

What is particularly interesting about this project is the premise behind it tracking changes in the growing relationship between China and Africa as China becomes a global super power.

Observing how the consumption in Africa is very different from that of westerners it feeds into China's production of human and synthetic hair and in turn is feeding the ever growing market in Africa for hair extensions.

The Hair glasses project highlights this growing relationship whilst at the same time commenting on cultural differences and suggests a new level of trading and export beyond local community.

Moulded Mind

Interested in the relationship between humans and mould, designer Ninela Ivanova plays with mould and fungai as a design tool. Using mould as a material for colour, pattern and form as well as exploring the science behind mould and its relationship to our constantly changing environment.

Questioning whether in the future we can use mould as a way of transforming our clothing resulting in the potential for season-less dressing Nelly's project has echoes of (In)visible Membrane by Sonja Bäumel, but takes a more fashion approach using colour and form to inform her designs.

The latest development for her project is her cultured shoulder pad where she has cultured and grown mould in a closed environment resulting in a thoroughly modern and unique aesthetic.

Part researcher, part fashion provocation her blog is worth a visit and she is certainly one to watch. Graduating from Kingston Fashion Futures Ma this September, Nelly is another designer to bridge the gap between science, design and materiality.

Conversation Piece - On the doorway

One of my favourite exhibitions from Milan this year because of its sheer beauty in colour and form was 'Conversation Piece - On the doorway' presented by Belgium Gallery, Galerie Caroline Van Hoek.

A collaborative art-jewellery project by Nicolas Cheng and Beatrice Brovia they designed around the historical concept of ' the conversation piece'.

Using the door handle as an object to re design as it sits somewhere between a piece of ornamentation and a functional object, they used materials commonly found such as copper, salt and textiles and hybridised them with more precious materials such as jet, silver, marble and ebony.

Each takes on a fragile and sculptural look, the handles become almost like precious stones in their own right sometimes looking like modern fossils or precious up-cycled objects.

Future Fashion

The graduate season is about to start with next generation of students showcasing their designs. The Royal College of Art Ma Fashion show is the first to offer a glimpse with their fashion show on the 1st June. Open to the public as well as industry insiders tickets can be bought from here or e-mail here. Tickets are available for 4pm and 7pm shows, well worth a seat and here is a sneak preview of some of the collections on show.

Future Silk

A material revolution? or a technological marvel I am not sure, but I am amazed and inspired by the new material that is being dubbed as Future silk.

A water and protein blend - similar to silk, Fiorenzo Omenetto has shown today on TED his material that is truly programably bio degradable, an edible material that is bio compatible and can be used from packaging to bones to a micro processor. It spans from a truly sustainable bio material to one that can be printed on and harvest light.

You can see the video here

Beautiful ugly

A recurring theme throughout Milan Design week, designers are pushing the boundaries of what we perceive as beautiful.

Daniel Azoulay's Beautiful ugliness questions aesthetic values by integrating dirty materials into decorative objects. Working with tar, glass and hair it evokes an interesting reaction.

Looking at the beauty to be found in mildew and mould, students from The Swedish School of textiles play with colour, texture and form. Also under the umbrella of (un Beautiful), the 'Stained by expectation' project contextualises stains in the hopes of making them beautiful.

Showing at Spazio Rossana Orlandi, Infested glass explores decay and beauty at the same time offering a balance of attraction and repulsion.

Botanica

Always a pleasure to visit during Milan Design week, Spazio Rossana Orlandi yet again held most of the highlights from Milan for me this year. Studio Formafantasma of course delivered (yet again!) a beautiful show. Researching into bio plastics and polymers they explored colour, texture and form.

Commissioned by Plart, an Italian research institute dedicated to scientific research and technological innovation and to preserving plastic works of art and design, the project celebrates the Bakelite era as well as making us re consider plastic - a material that was once seen as a symbol of modernity, now seen as a negative product of the oil years as we strive for a more sustainable view on production and materials.

Exploring Botany the studio researched natural polymers extracted from plants and animals to include Rosin Dammar, Copal a sub fossil state of Amber and Shellac a polymer extracted from insect excrement. Immersing themselves in the art of botany the resulting objects are beautiful, fragile and intriguing.

The natural textures and colours of the resins result in a primitive yet contemporary aesthetic with plastics used as precious detailing as a reminder of a new post industrial aesthetic.

Talking Textiles

Milan Design week was awash with textiles and materiality highlighting the trend for the need and desire for tactility again as we search for the softer side in a reactionary response to our ever increasingly digital world.

It was really interesting to see the number of textile related exhibitions and how textiles were used from furniture to product designers as well as in exhibition curation such as at the RCAIntent show where they had fabric tents to house their work.

Li Eidelkort curated a two part show Talking Textiles' that brought together some of the best emerging textile design talent from Europe alongside established designers who are using textiles in their designs highlighting the growing trend.

Alongside this my students from Textile Futures, Central St Martins and The Swedish School of textiles both showed for the first time in Ventura Lambrate to high acclaim.

The year of textiles? maybe, maybe not, but certainly a time to re consider the importance of materials and materiality.

Waiting for Glasstrees

A preview for the 54th Venice Biennale starting on the 4th June, Glasstrees was shown at Ventura Lambrate during Milan Design week. Glass is a key material that is being updated and used in many interesting ways, but what struck me about these by Particia Urquiola was the fantastic use of colour.

Fragile Future III

Fragile future is a continuation of a project spawned in 2005 and has since evolved into a more industrial project without loosing its poetic and delicate appeal. Shown during Milan furniture fair this week it is up there as one of my favourite things I have seen.

Using dandelion clocks and laser cut metal 'A Drift' by Lonneke Gordijn and Ralph Nauta is breathtakingly beautiful. Raising questions as to how can something so delicate stay in tact and the idea of capturing in time a dandelion clock that represents the delicacy of nature, it represents perfectly the balance between nature and the hand of man.

Domestic Disguise

Having loved Emile Pallard's work during Dutch design week I am really pleased to see her new developments she is showing during Milan Furniture Fair. Taking a more 'wintery' approach to her fabrics she has some lovely brushed surfaces.

Texture and materials are the key theme evolving from Milan with texture, tactility and surface interest being key. More to follow.

Hosting Parasites

One of my favourite projects from Design Academy Eindhoven in 2009, I am really pleased to see that Kathy Ludwig’s ‘Hosting Parasites’ project has been made into a limited edition product with Galeri BSL

Hosting Parasites are objects/jewellery that can be attached to the body blurring the boundaries between parasite and host. Intimate pieces are worn turning fingers into the limbs of parasites. Made out of skin coloured fabrics they appear to be extensions of the wearer merging into and from the skin.

The limited edition ‘Hosting Parasites’ consists of three oak cabinets of curiosities with each containing jewllery objects which will inhabit the users body leaving an imprint or blending with it.

Made from latex, ivory, textile and silver they are a tactile experience as well as being curiously beautiful.

Maeda magic

The amazingly inspirational John Maeda one of the most influential people in my early career with his work at MIT and who is also named as one of the most influential people of the 21st Century by Esquire magazine is currently holding a lecture in the brilliant online Adobe museum.

Discussing A, B, C - atoms, bits and craft or 'neue craft' as he describes it where we see people blending the virtual and physical, he takes us on a historical journey of the evolution of technology as we know it today.

Held in the newly constructed auditorium the lecture uses infographics and video clips of work coming out of Rhode Islands school of design to demonstrate his story - it is well worth a visit.

Givenchy - Japanese Fantasy 2

A friend forwarded me this film titled 'the making of' - not really a making of, but still incredible to watch all the same. I already loved this collection, now I am even more in awe!

Givenchy- Japanese Fantasy

Taking inspiration from japanese fantasy, partnered with a palette of white and creams with a flash of neon graphics makes for the most stunning of the couture collections from Givenchy

Built with beautiful techniques as befits couture - laser cutting, applique and multilayered design and exquisite materials - Riccardo Tisci didn't disappoint.

Luciferase

Constantly working to develop new materials, Studio Nacho Carbonell pushes the boundaries of product design, materiality and form.

Many of the materials that they use are often malleable and primitive and are created by mixing materials such as leaves, rust and plaster together with exposy resins to create something entirely new in handle and aesthetic.

Working with these organic and primitive materials Carbonell's work is unique bordering on the edge of ugly and beautiful and his latest collection of designs continue to push his particularly personal aesthetic.

Titled 'Luciferase' meaning 'Photon producing enzyme' in Latin his lights are inspired by a pebble he found on a beach in Spain which led him to experiment with expoxy resin mixed with coloured sands, dust and plaster. The resulting forms look almost like weird creatures from the deep.

Contrasting the interiors are translucent resembling natural gem stones of amethyst, quartz and malachite.

These fifteen pieces have been edited exclusively by galerie BSL and are on show currently in Paris.

Oversized abstraction

Central St Martins show during London Fashion week is always inspirational but this years show seemed to have an added sophistication and future vision.

Continuing to push the boundaries of abstracting the figure, clothes in many cases sat away from the body offering almost graphic contrasts with form and shape.

Colour was also key - moving away from last year where muted and pale were key (think Lilly Heine) - instead this year we have a riot of colour and an almost misfit appeal. Appliques and textured fabrics offered an outrageous modesty offering a glimpse into a new vision of dress

Many of the silhouettes were exaggerated continuing the growing trend for oversized especially in the case of the menswear, but my favourite collection was the bold and simple shapes by Rejina Pyo who's mix of simple shapes and contrasting materials as well as bright colours mixed with natural slate were just beautiful.

21st Century bodies

Questioning the ethics of bio technology, cloning and stem cell research is Natsai Chieza. Exploring through a series of materials explorations as well as through collaborations with scientists in the laboratory Chieza is engaging us in a provocational discussion about the future of subcultures and mutations.

Working with 3 scenarios on which she is building a vision of a potential future she imagines the aesthetics of bio subcultures who engage with synthetic biology and stem cell design to create entirely new mutations with their bodies.

Her “Parasitic Prosthesis” takes another perspective seeing us living symbiotically with home cultured parasites. These new micro eco systems become integrated into our worlds and our reliance on them increases.

Her most contentious debate is around the idea of “Biocollectables” suggesting a future where there is a market place for genetic information and products derived from harvested renewable body parts.

Working with PhD student Lottie Davies under the supervision of the professor of microbiology, Dr John Ward, at University College London Chieza is exploring this potential crafting with various bacterium and is amongst a growing collection of designer thinkers who immerse themselves in the field of science and design.

Biological atelier

Textile designer Amy Congdon's work is particularly pertinent during couture week - hypothosising about a future whereby the worlds of bio tech and textiles collide she envisions a time when we will be able to grow, craft and graft our own fashion.

Based on her knowledge of current research in the area of bio technology, 3D printing and digital embroidery that is already used to build scaffolds for body parts - she projects a future probe into what that may mean to consumers and designers alike.

Will we graft our accessories from our own bones or extend our skin into our dresses for a truly personal couture?

Graduating from Textile Futures in June later this year Amy is one of a series of designers who are bridging the divide between science and design as we evolve from a decade of technology into a decade of science.

Delicious Valentino

Valentino is not a design house I would have usually been inspired by, but in recent seasons their direction of taking exquisitely pretty and giving it an interesting twist through proportion and form has put it completely on my radar.

This SS11 Couture collection yet again offers a pretty intrigue with the transparent volume and the skin like dress that appears as if the models own skin is peeling off to create her own personal couture.

Perhaps Valentino are quietly making references to the future of couture? Our own biological atelier? More on that in an up and coming post!

Maison Martin Margiela

Not usually one to disappoint I love the couture collection by Maison Martin Margiela and the evolution from the rigid cardboard cut out forms from his SS11 collection to this prettied up offering of minimalism meets maxamilism.

Accordian Cabinet

Textile designer Elisa Strozyk known for her elegant wooden textiles has collaborated with artist Sebastian Neeb and together they have designed the aptly titled 'Accordion Cabinet' which was showcased at IMM Cologne last week.

Working with the inherent properties of the textile wood - wood veneers laminated to a textile base - the cabinet folds like an accordion.

The piece is interesting as it is very lightweight and behaves like a piece of cloth rather than a piece of wooden furniture.

Digital Couture 2

With all eyes on the couture shows and the latest offerings from the key fashion houses and following the discussing and admiring of the number of stones sewn on by hand by skilled craftspeople - it is delightful to see on of my favourite designers Iris Van Herpen and her first couture show.

Working again with architect Daniel Widrig, Herpen has yet again created a series of striking and influential designs that sit somewhere between fashion and product.

Digitally printed using 3D rapid prototyping, hybrid garments are styled alongside other unconventional materials such as metal and silk blends.

Inspired by the sculptures of American artist, Kris Kuks, Herpen yet again steals the show and continues to offer a glimpse of the future of fashion and the future atelier.

Immateriality - new surface dimensions

Asking questions such as 'If the collective conscious continues to place such value on the social surface, what will become of our immateriality in a technological future?'

and 'How will we define our future human-self in a digitalised world?' designer Jenny Lee is exploring how in our ever increasingly digital world those key senses and feelings that make us human are being altered.

Looking to issues such as societies desire to better our appearance and the constant strive for perceived perfection she questions how we will promote and enhance our external selves through augmented reality.

Exploring through materials and the potential of AR she is offering us a vision of a future where science and technology provides us with the tools to re-design our selves.

Set free to design perfection what capabilities will we be able to add on to ourselves and what effect will this have on being human in the future?

Will we be living in a future of ‘Digitalised Dystopia’ or ‘Techno-Utopia’?

The Herbarium energy/ L’ Herbier Energetique

The Energy Herbarium was recently shown during the Design Biennale in Saint Etienne, France and is a collaboration between Laerke Hooge Andersen (one of my ex students )and Franck Magne and EDF energy.

Designing a series of future thinking probes they have defined a future hypotheses for energy production from renewable sources exploring plant life.

Offering solutions such as thermodynamic systems and concentric hellitropic cells the resulting probes are titled 'Rhizone Electriques, Trompettes Solaires and Efflorescences to name a few.

The project aims to research ways in which to capture energy through new ways driven by living organisms and plant life and offers up a glimpse of the research being undertaken by the large energy companies who need to reconsider how to source future energy.

A textile future

Pushing the boundaries of what is perceived a textile or a material are the designers at Central St Martins on the Textile futures course and this years work in progress show on Tuesday 11th Jan (5pm - 8.30pm, 10th Floor, Red Lion Square,Central Saint Martins) proposes to be thought provoking and inspiring.

Posing questions and issues around the subjects of the ‘embodiement of the unconscious mind’ and ‘immateriality in digital design’ as well as designing for a future biological atelier issues of sustainability, hybridity and food are up for discussion.

Electronic Heirloom

Considering a more emotive way of blending technology in our lives is product designer John Kestner with his Tableau which was recently on show at the Saint Étienne International Design Biennale.

Described as an anti computer experience he has re-designed a bedside table and a printer/scanner that links to twitter.

By placing a photograph in the tableau drawer which is scanned and posted on twitter he reconnects our social interactions with the physical of a real photoraph rather than the increasing digital exchange of current social networking – in return images that are posted on twitter manifest themselves in the drawer as ‘real’ photographs.

Humanising our relationship with technology twitter updates are shown by the draw handle glowing gently.

Considering what Kestner is calling ‘Heirloom electronics’ the table is made up of reclaimed materials and obsolete electronics saved from landfill.

In addition as it is linked to twitter it utilizes its basic interface and enables it to be reprogrammed or repurposed giving it a longer lifespan than other electronic devices.

self healing concrete

Bacteria is being used in another novel way by researchers at TU University Delft, Belguim.

Researching how the self healing ability of concrete can be improved by using calcite-precipitating bacteria they are opening up the possibilities of self healing concrete.

looking to which conditions the bacteria thrive under they are developing concrete mixtures that would essentially expand the lifetime of concrete structures.

Exhale Pavilion

Capturing wind and giving it form and a presence is an open air space at Art Basel Miami.

Dubbed 'The Exhale pavilion' it is a dynamic and interactive public space made up of seven miles of reflective and phosphorescent ropes that glow in the dark and interact with the wind.

Constantly changing from day to night and with the weather this dynamic space will be entirely recycled after the show including the concrete bases which will be used for an artificial reef nearby.

Glowing and swaying at night it was inspired by the bioluminescent effect that occurs in algae blooms in the sea. Linked to wind sensors and a light control system it will act as a central feature for the duration of Art Basel Miami which runs until December 5th.

There seems to be a new trend for bioluminescent inspired design. Have a look at my earlier fashion related post here

Liquid Dress Body Architecture

I love 'the making of video' for Robyn's Indestructible video.Styled using dynamic textiles made using liquid, air and vapour the garment/skin was designed and created by a team to include body architect Lucy McRae and Amba Molly (recent graduate from Design Academy Eindhoven) to name a few.

It uses 40 litres of glycerol and over kilometres of plastic tubing.

Colours pulse through the tubes at different speeds giving the appearance of a dynamic skin that breathes and pulses across the landscape of the body.

Edited by Ine van den Elsen it is really worth a watch and more emotive than the actual video.

Deep Blue - bioluminescent Couture

Being quoted as saying ' I think technology is helping to bring the handmade back.' Fashion designer Vega Wang totally sums up the relationship between design and technology that is leading to a new 'digital craft'.

Progressive fashion designers are using technology in the way that a couturier would work traditionally with fabrics and beads.

Wang's latest collection blends tech and fashion in a beautiful way. Inspired by the the BBC's Deep Blue and bioluminescent jellyfish she used EL (electroluminescent panels) to create a beautiful effect.

Unlike other uses of lighting in fashion which have up till now mostly been trashy and ugly, she has managed to create a sophisticated collection.

I am not totally sold on the fashion itself, but I love the use of the EL integrated into the fabrics and the garments.

Teleporting - St Etienne Design Biennale

The little known St Etienne Design Biennale is currently taking place. Not on the immediate radar of design festivals like the better-known Dutch and Milan Design weeks, this 10-year-old biennale is making waves.

Different from other tradeshows it is built on exhibitions that show a diverse and intriguing take on design. Pushing boundaries of thinking the exhibitions and the objects/images and projects shown are there to pose questions or to show unexpected visions of the future.

For this year Dunne and Raby have been invited to curate a show under the biennale's theme of Teleportation.

Their exhibition titled ‘Between Reality and the Impossible’ questions the notion of what happens when designers use the language of design to pose questions to transport our imaginations to another place, a parallel universe?

Speculating and imagining a future world where technology plays a different role is typical of the work of Dunne and Raby where they reflect on the trouble that technological innovation brings rather than the shiny satisfied world that the industry portrays.

Looking to such issues as food shortages and evolutionary technologies such as molecular technology, they suggest a future where consumers need to take charge to solve problems.

Using a combination of synthetic biology and new digestive devices they suggest that we may modify ourselves to become Foragers.

Based on the principle of existing splinter groups such as garage biologists and guerilla gardeners the project takes on a future casting DIY thinking to design ‘Microbal stomach Bacteria’ alongside electronic and mechanical devices to forage. These people or hybrids become the new urban foragers.

Products can fertilise each other

During Dutch Design week there was a certain undercurrent trend for the darker side of design spurred on by recent scientific developments and the unknown side of DNA and genetic modification.

One designer who embraced this thinking was Amber Molly a graduate from Design Academy Eindhoven who showed two projects considering and a new evolution based on cell division and future mutation.

My favourite of her two projects was 'Products can fertilise themselves'.

Based on cell division she has created 'parent' objects made from existing vessels from the the industrial world and the traditional world to include an old eathernware jug and a plastic bottle.

Systematically taking moulds from them she has then created sequences of mutated objects in series' of 2,4,6,8 and 16 pieces. Calling this 'family' the 'Mitose' series she has given each new form a DNA code referencing all the sequences it has encompassed to give it it's new shape and form.

Each made from earthenware - they are beautiful and intriguing.

Raw Colour

Lex Pott a graduate from Design Academy Eindhoven last year showcased his latest project 'True Colours' as part of one of the many smaller Academy alumini shows during Dutch Design week.

Curated beautifully in an old bunker-esque building his project explored the beauty to be found in oxidised metals. Using defined 'recepies' he has created a series of oxidised colours.

The oxidised surfaces create colours that also provide information about the material itself.

Pointing out that not each colour is possible on every surface, his project shows research into metals and their true colours and was completely beautiful

Patch up Pull over

'Patch Up Pull Over' is about shielding and decoration and as inspiration for the fashion industry. Shown as part of his graduation project from the Dutch Design Academy, designer Niek Pulles has played with materials and film to create this inspirational visual mood board.

Fragmented coatings, water repellent and relief surfaces as well as stretch fabrics offer up an interesting materials catalogue.

NANO Supermarket

Nano technology is a word that we are used to hearing, but as an emerging technology it is one that we know relatively little about apart from the fact that it is too small to see.

Nano technology is an important emerging technology that will impact our food, our clothing and generally our lives.

During Dutch Design week The NANO Supermarketpresented a series of concepts for future products that use an understanding of Nano technologies for within the next 10 years.

The Philips Food probes printer and E-chromi were shown there alongside other thought provoking products such as twitter implants or Nano Lift.

Nano Lift - is a Physical Photoshop that allows you to change your face on a daily basis using cosmetic implants containing nano magnetic particles.

Skinpaper is a concept that considers current developments in nanotechnology and blends it with the idea of paper as a dying medium. The paper like scaffold acts to support skin cell growth in a notebook that acts as a placeholder of the skin cells of the owner. Essentially offering up a biological snapshot offering a vision of a biotech future.

These and other concepts that were on show offer an interesting take on our nano and biotech future.

Have a look here for their supermarket advert

Synthetic skin

With smart materials and wearables celebrating a decade since the first commercial wearable (Levis ICD+ jacket in collaboration with Philips) we are now on the verge of a new breed of technology that sits somewhere between technology and biology - bio tech.

As scientists and designers bridge the gap between tech and bio we are beginning to see new 'hybrids' emerging and new developments on old technology.

I am particularly struck by these two recent developments that take into consideration skin and touch as the new interface for technology. Not a new concept in its thinking - BARE conductives, Philips Design Skin probes and Skinput are to name a few previous projects that touch on this subject, but now scientists have come up with a new electronic skin.

The electronic skin allows robots to have a sense of touch. Taking technology and giving it human intangible senses is really exciting. Why is it that the hairs on our skin raise in certain situations of fear, excitement or the unknown? How will this manifest itself in robotic terms?

A pressure sensitive skin made from geranium and silicon it has built in capacitors that change the skins thickness dependent on the pressure of an object held against it by the robot.

The outcome is hoped that robots will be able to gain an intuitive sense of touch.

Another electronic skin recently developed is by Nokia. A stretchy skin innovation, it also opens up a new consideration within this bridge between bio and tech. In collaboration with researchers at Cambridge University they have developed a flexible circuit board that sticks to skin. The electronic skin responds to touch and pressure even when it is stretched.

Have a look at the video to see it in action

Salt

I love it when designers use unusual materials with which to design and currently there seems to be something about salt in addition to other foodstuffs that are being used.

At 100% design, design studio Tweraser design showcased their salt lamp shades (not in production yet, but pending and my terrible picture doesn't do them justice - the lighting wsa terrible at 100% design) and now I have stumbled across GEOtube a concept building that would develop its own outer shell from salt.

Conceived by Faulders Studio the building is suggested for Dubai situated in a salt pond. Formed from a lattice of pipes on the outside they would harden with salt deposits over a 15-30 year period.

Using floating solar panels for power, the seawater is pumped from the Persian Gulf to the basement level up to the rooftop and is then fed into the tubing system. The results are suggested to be a crystaline lace like skin on the buildings mesh surface.

mushroom heaven

With London Design festival well and truly over and the fashion and design world has moved its gaze to Milan and Paris it gives time for pause and thought.

Mostly nothing was new as Milan Furniture Fair earlier this year was of course the main showcase, but there were a few fantastic surprises.

My firm favourite was the fantastic Studio Toogood with their Supernatural project.

Collaborating with New Forest forager Mrs Tees they had the most fantastic mushroom installation that was rich in colour and scent and offers the ultimate in the new urban rural. They also had a room scented with the smell of woodlands by Francis Kurkdkian. (bang on trend for scent as part of the overall offering and a key update for the primitive trend we have seen so much of recently)

Beautifully presented alongside was a cafe (with La Fromagerie) and their new furniture range based on using the simplicity of 3 main elements: wood, stone and brass which they created working with english craftsmen such as stonemasons and carpenters.

I also LOVED the raw earthyness of their bones door handles cast in interesting metals and materials.

3D lace

Rachel Harding’s 3D lace caught my attention at TENT during London design festival. Finding inspiration from human dysfunction and a glimpse into a more digital future and based on scientific and cultural research she designs hybrids of technology.

Using rapid prototyping techniques she has created these 3D lace forms.For more of her work have a look here

Fashion materiality

As fashion week turn to design week I think that it is only right and fitting to showcase two fledgling designers who use materials and processes perhaps usually used more for product rather than clothing.

Stephanie Grace Foy's collection during Kingston Universities Body Laboratory created an audible 'gasp' at the sheer beauty and simplicity.

Working with plastics and vinyl she has moulded and vac formed them to represent fluid fabrics. Blended seamlessly or worn as accessories her pieces are beautiful.

Also showing as part of the Body Laboratory was Yasmin Siddiqui. Taking her initial inspiration from a cardboard toy from Muji (inside info!) she has learnt to tool and cut leathers and wood slotting them together as a huge scale puzzle.

Cleverly using the waste leathers from her cut outs she reduced waste and created a beautiful collection that sits somewhere in between art, product, fashion and theatre.

Both these designers will be showcasing their work at Tent London alongside other fashion futurists, well worth a visit.

Objects with a void

With lots of exhibitions popping up for design week it is going to be hard to cover it all, but this looks worth a visit.

Titled 'Objects with a void' it showcases the work of 6 designers who have examined new ways of recognising the role of voids in objects.

Working across a series of disciplines designers such as Studyoportable and Paul Elliman have explored materiality, graphics, form and of course voids.

The show runs from 18 - 26 September 2010 (11:00 - 18:00)
2nd floor, 3 Yeoman’s Row
London SW3 2AL

Home sweet home

I love how Mary Katrantzou has played with her trompe l'oeil prints this season really demonstrating her skill taking it into real three dimensions this season through her styling and forms.

I particularly love the lampshade skirts and dresses and those where fringing blends seamlessly from real to printed.

Fossils

With concrete as a key material of choice and a big trend for volume and process dictating form it is not surprising that I keep finding designers who are pushing the boundaries of manufacture and concrete.

'Fossils' is the production method given for casting concrete in a fabric mould by Ofir Zucker a recent graduate from Shenkar College, Tel a Viv.

Devising his own method of casting concrete into a soft fabric mould, the results offer up a very organic aesthetic almost showing a level of fluid movement in the forms.

Due to the textile used for the moulds Zucker is able to stretch, fold and distort the form resulting in a family of organic yet structured objects.

The fabric imprint and seams embossed in the concrete add the interest in these objects.

Bio Lace

These beautiful shots are the latest from Emily Crane who is making waves in the fashion world with her bio lace. She is one of the new materiologists that I have been talking about for a while.

Emily shot these pictures with her bio lace that is grown and cultivated using unique recipes that she has devised. Read my previous blog post to see some more process orientated pictures.

If you want to see the material itself, Emily will be showcasing it during London Fashion week at Vauxhall Fashion scout as part of Kingston Universities Body Laboratory on september the 17th (Invitation only) or at TENT London in the Brick House, Brick Lane.

She is currently working on a film showing her process which I have been promised will be sent to me as soon as it is edited. I will post it up as soon as Emily sends it as I have seen it and it is fantastic!

mobile kitchen

With the continuing trend for slowing down and taking time to relish in small simple pleasures such as cooking and washing up (think The Usuals from Van Eijk & Van Der Lubbe) I love the latest offering from Studiomama.

Their outdoor kitchen which they have designed for this summers TEN project as part of London Design Festival is a perfect example of this trend.

The outdoor kitchen is made up simply and beautifully relishing in the simple functionality of its parts and its materials.

There is a gas cooking hob, a bucket sink, a chopping board and storage for crockery/utensils and a few food ingredients.

Water is connected from the garden hose and waste water is collected in a watering can placed beneath the sink, so that water can be reused.

Graphic fashion

Looking at the body through the eyes of technology and techno craft, graphic designer turned fashion designer Patricia Osbahr pursues the idea of the ‘ideal’ body in contemporary society.

Looking at the relationship between our desire for avatars in the digital world and human augmentation through plastic surgery in order to manipulate the female silhouette, Osbahr has used advanced 3D modeling to offer up a digital silhouette and form.

Working with leathers and digital cutting techniques she has created architectural faux real forms inspired by manipulation of the body, whilst creating an entirely new aesthetic borne out of the relationship between the digital world and the craft world.

Her work sits in this new digital craft space that is defining not only a new aesthetic, but also respect for the artisan and raw digital code as a material with which to work with.

Fabric Mould - process dictates form

Pushing the boundaries of materials and design manufacturing is redefining design - resulting in new forms, methodologies and processes.

The latest designer to push these boundaries is a graduate from De Hogeschool West-Vaanderen, Janwillem Van Maele with his concrete Mass IIII table.

Using a fabric mould he has poured concrete inside it to create an entirely new form that is both industrial (in materials) yet organic (in form).

Rojo Nova

Continuing to push the boundaries between art, fashion and performance, Lucy Mcrae has recently taken part in the Rojo Nova exhibition, a contemporary art experience set over a 7 week period in Brazil.

Using the medium of film she has explored movement and body adornment. Her film is evocative and alluring and I love the simple luxury of gold and silver paper clips.

Lucy has also recently taken part in Showstudio for anothermagazine with Bart Hess as Lucyandbart. Actual footage is still not up on the site, but this image gives a taster!

Projection of light

Body architect Lianna Sheppard is pushing the boundaries of form and function with her projected light body sculptures. Exploring concepts of play and puzzles and simplicity in form, she has created a series of body adornments that fold out, pop up and light up.

Working both with internal light and projections she has created multifunctional and interchangeable clothing that are unique and innovative.

A fashion designer by training, Lianna is one of a growing number of designers who are crossing the boundaries between the body, product design, architecture and technology.

Working from patterns and shapes derived from flat to 3D form they play with perceptions of scale, pattern and silhouette.

Lianna's work will be shown during London Design festival as part of Kingston Universities Body Lab at Vauxhall fashion scout and at Tent London. She is also currently editing her video that I will post up here once she has it. Hot off the press!

Marquetry updated

Marquetry has been having a resurgence over the past year or so with the likes of Bethan Laura Wood (ex RCA) and Studio Job as well as one of my favourite design studios Studio FormaFantasma with their piece 'hidden Inlays' for Droog.

A traditional wood working technique, modern day designers are using the technique to bring a new aesthetic and artisan approach to products.

The latest to emerge is from Gareth Neal who has designed a series of picnic benches and ping pong paddles.

Titled Urban Picnic, the tables and ping pong paddles are to be found in disused areas around east London on the 28th and 29th of August.

Punched lace

Exploring the juxtaposition between traditional craft and modern materials, textile graduate Imogen Luddy has designed a series of interesting objects from a metal punched lace table to lace ceramics.

Digitising traditional textile techniques and processes such as cross stitch and lace she also experiments with vac forming and laser marquetry resulting in a series of digital craft hybrids.

The aesthetics of disgust

Considering the idea that revulsion exerts an attraction to an object or thing, recent graduate from the RCA Katrin Baumgarten's project is weird and wonderful.

Introducing the aesthetics of disgust as a tool with which to design she has created a series of surfaces and products that play with our emotions.

Squirming surfaces, goosebumps and someone else's hair are all incorporated to make us feel ill at ease.

As she herself questions, what role does disgust have in future design thinking?

X endless

Another materiologist but working from a very different perspective is Neil Conley a recent graduate of Northumbria University. Showing his work during New Designers we got a glimpse into a new material that he has developed. A sustainable carbon fibre composite titled X Endless.

Basing his project on recent developments in composite recycling that allows carbon fibres from composites to be re-used he has created an entirely new material.

Taking carbon fibres from disused aircraft he mixed them with a bio resin derived from plant oils to create an entirely new carbon fibre composite.

Not only does his project create an entirely new material from perceived waste, it also prevents waste of carbon fibre and offers up new uses for it.

Taking his new materials Neil showcased a series of levels of the process during New Designers as well as showing a series of two urns that represent the full circle recyclability potential of such a material.

Crystallization

Fashion designer Iris van Herpen showcased the first (i think!) fully 3d printed garment during Amsterdam International fashion week.

Working in collaboration with designer/architect Daniel Widrig it took many hours and cost thousands of dollars to make. Is this the beginning of future couture?

Alongside her 3d printed garment she showed highly considered and technical garments using materials that seemed to blend between hard and fluid.

Looking as if they were frozen in time her materials offered up garments that were sometimes wearable and sometimes not.

‘I’m fascinated by the fact that secret lines are hidden in fully transparent and fluid materials. At the moment this material freezes (when the crystal arises) this comes to life. It’s then that the symmetry and structure underneath become visible’, Iris explained to Peter Stigter.

Industrial Makeshift

Exploring the relationship between craft and modern industry and questioning the role of handmade in a mass produced world, the latest project from Simon Hassan is fantastic.

Responding to a brief set out by the Northhampton Blink Festival to create a site specific installation in the towns 700 year old market square he has continued to use his method of traditional leather working and has hand crafted 400 objects which can be bought from a coin operated vending machine.

All the pieces are moulded in the forms of mass produced objects such as coke bottles or tack to be found in pound shops. Each object is made from boiled leather, polyurethane resin and linen thread.

Each piece is selling for £3 each and all proceeds going to the market traders fund.

Inspired by Hassan's work I am sure! Tortie Hoare was one of my favorites on show at New designers part 2.

Also referencing a long lost technique of boiling leather from medieval times she lets the form of the boiled leather dictate the outcome of her furniture.

Jean Paul Gaultier

Not usually a favourite of mine, I loved the silhouette and materials used for Jean Paul Gaultier's latest couture show.

Not as theatrical as often is the case the results are intriguing.

Working with super buffed leathers looking almost like latex there is a level of deception with materials and form looking awkward, but still offering up a sophisticated and covetable look.

Coconut Chairs

Sustainability is pushing the boundaries of materials being used for products as designers need to source from elsewhere and think a bit harder about what they are going to use.

I particularly love this latest material experiment from Cilicon Faytory who are using coconut skin and resin to make furniture.

Taking the raw coconut fibre they are mixing it with resin to make a robust and lightweight mouldable material that can be used for chairs and tables.
It is also waterproof and hard wearing so can be used outside too.

The material resembles a fibreglass but with a hint of modern primitivism about it when the material is exposed in the paler colours.

New Materiologist

Fashion designer Emily Crane is part of a new breed of designers who are pushing the boundaries of design through their materials and process. Dubbing them the New Materiologists, she alongside others are growing, cultivating and forming new hybrid materials.

Growing her own materials with which to design from Crane is using agar agar, gelatine and lustres to create both hard and soft materials for the body.

Setting up a lab in her kitchen she is experimenting with growing and freezing bubbles and foodstuffs such as agar agar and glycerin.

Her process involves capturing bubbles that are then frozen into bio lace structures and finished using a variety of lusters.

Borrowing skills from molecular cooking she is making comments on fast fashion and a more sustainable future with her bio lace that is both wearable and edible.

Emily's work will be shown during London fashion week as part of Kingston University's Fashion Ma Body Lab at Vauxhall fashion scout and also during Tent London.

Winter couture

Here are a few of my favourite couture pieces so far from the autumn/winter 2010/11 shows.

I especially love the leather work from Maison Martin Margiela and the almost growth like plisse fabric work at Christian Dior which brings a bit of modern primitivism to the season.

DIY algae

More about the rise of bacteria/algae comes from recent graduate James Shaw who showed his DIY algae garden at New Designers last week.

Titled 'The WaldenHome project' Shaw suggests a radical reassessment of what is considered food in a world with food shortages. Looking to ideas of home farming and allotments his concept offers a solution for people to be able to produce a significant percentage of their nutritional requirements inside a small urban environment.

The results is a 'algae photobioreactor'. A concept designed to cultivate up to twenty five percent of a food required for a person using the potentially nutritious algae. Cultivated at home the results are a nutritious edible algae that would go some way to addressing food shortage issues.

The rise of bacteria

I have been banging on about the importance of bacteria as a material for a while now in articles for clients as well as boring those around me, but I am very glad to see that I am not alone and that a plethora of designers, artists and materiologists are using various forms of bacteria for a range of interesting outcomes.

Recent graduate Damian Palin (RCA) has been experimenting with bacteria to create a synthetic sandstone whilst Marin Sawa (Textile Futures, CSM) is borrowing skills from molecular cooking to create algae for architectural purposes.

Marin will be exhibiting her work during 100% design by kind invitation from Mix mag. Worth having a look!

Another student on the Textiles futures course, Jenny Lee as part of her project for Microsoft on future communication has created 'Bio Lumi'.

A social network that links friends through a future thinking bio connection. The more you connect with your friends in physical space rather than just in the virtual world the more you feed your bacteria which in turn glows.

Solid soup & edible plates

I love the way that designers are pushing the boundaries of materials currently - creating new materials to suit their needs. Dubbing them as the 'New Materiologists' what they are doing is really exciting.

Food designer Dianne Bisson is one such designer who's work I find really inspiring. Working out of her laboratory/kitchen she is developing and designing a range of edible table ware.

Driven by a desire to eliminate wasteful disposable plates and because she hates the aesthetic of current corn flour plates that look and probably taste like cardboard, she is creating something far more interesting!

One of her inventions is 'Solid soup' made using agar which she adds 'real' flavours and colour too, such as tomato and pepper or balsamic vinegar and apple. Moulded into bowl it can even hold hot liquid.

She has also developed a series of other materials that vary in consistency, texture and flavour.

Pushing her idea further she is also playing with the ritual of eating and eating implements. Designing a ring that holds 'finger food' but is also a portable food container.

Bio robot Fridge

Electrolux's Design lab competition always results in great future lifestyle concepts and this years finalists are no exception.

With hydroponics and robotic fish dishwashers as well as home 3D garment printers they are right on trend for our future homes, but the concept I really love is the Bio Robot fridge designed by Yuriy Dmitriev from Russia.

Using a unique biopolymer gel his concept suggests that it cools food through luminescence.

The odourless and non sticky gel morphs around the food and suspends it so it eliminates the need for shelves, doors or drawers. The best part is that there is no motor so it is really environmentally friendly and can be made into any shape.

Because of the materials used the fridge is adaptable and can be hung vertically or horizontally and it could in theory fit anywhere and is another great example of where the material dictates form!

Off the wall

Recent graduate from Textiles at the Royal College of art, Katie Lenton's work stood out a mile for its playful wittyness as well as its down right wierdness!

Having collaborated with architecture student Adam Smith, Katie has designed a chair which has a locust leg. Looking at things frozen in time - preserved yet still alive Lenton froze a locust and had it 3d scanned and then grafted onto a chair in 3D software.

She is also inspired by Freud's concept of uncanny and plays with form and imagery through her exquisite drawings such as with the gill of a sturgeon and the tail of a mink.

She also showcased a vac formed chair incorporating one of her prints that has a dead fox vac formed into it asking such questions as 'can discomfort become an ideal?'

Weird and wonderful, look out for more from Katie who's locust chair will be exhibited at the International Design Biennale: Saint Etienne 20th Nov - 5th Dec 2010.

The synthetic kingdom

Posing questions about hypothetical and conceptual future materials recent graduate from central st Martins Future textiles course Laerke Hooge Andersen has created a world of materials inspired by science, art and future biological synthesis.

Visioning a future where new boundaries are explored between synthetic and natural - hybrid materials evolve. She has collected what she calls 'super natural specimens' and has magnified, manipulated and transformed them into provocations about our material future.

Her graduation project explores how such materials would feel, look, react and behave when the world of synthetic biology and materiology emerges and we really live in a world of what we call today 'smart materials'.

concrete +

Concrete as a material of choice continues to dominate the design landscape from furniture to jewellery and continues to offer up a new aesthetic and modern utilitarian appeal.

Gray Concrete are showcasing their latest concrete design during 100% Design in London later this year with their concrete chesterfield, but I think that their concrete wall paper for Manolo Blahnik in Dublin shows how a perceived crude material can be used in a truly exquisite way.

'Trash Fashion - Designing out of waste'

Pia Interlandi (see In memorandum and In memorandum 2 posts) alongside textile researchers Suzanne Lee and Kate Goldsworthy (to mention just a few!) will be exhibiting their work in an exhibition exploring garments and textiles that reduce waste and the impact on our environment.

Alongside Pia's funeral shrouds there will also be a jacket grown by bacteria and garments that are made entirely without stitching as well as some playful garments using digital printing technologies to create sustainability through memory of a garment.

The exhibition starts towards the end of june and is showing in the Wellcome wing of the Science Museum till Feb 2011.

Consume or conserve?

Studio Wieki Somer’s work is always inspirational in their use of materials and processes and this latest offering is no different.

Considering issues with consumerism and over consumption, and that all materials used for products have a symbolic meaning they have 3D printed with human ashes to offer products that have an emotional value that is in many ways more luxurious than any existing material.

Currently showing as part of the ‘In Progress’ exhibition in Belgium, they have designed a series of 3 objects that question the values of life and an object.

Using visual references from 17th century still life vanitas paintings they have referenced flowers and insects that symbolise the transience of life and of course the certainty of death.

In Memorandum 2

I periodically am in touch with Pia Interlandi who is a researcher at Symbiotica in Western Australia and she has recently sent me some pictures of her latest work.

Picking up on the environmental issues of burial and the fact that more and more people are looking to natural earth burials without coffins and headstones, Pia is designing garments that will not only shroud the body in death,but will provide nutrients to the earth.

Researching into garments that dissolve over time she is using fibres such as hemp and buttons that are made from milk protein. The idea being that as the body decomposes so do the garments.

In order to do her research she is using pigs (she obviously cant be using people!). She has a series of pigs that she buries and exhumes to analyse the changes in her fabrics/materials.

The fabrics she designs are beautiful both before and after decomposition.

Using print and embroidery she takes design cues from nature - grass seeds/roots which she designs into patterns to recreate the pattern and form of the body that will be wearing it.

Applied Dreaming

I love the work of recent RCA graduate Ellie Doney who explores material as matter in her sculptures.

Using the design studio as a lab she experiments with materiality and its boundaries - searching to find the extraordinary in the material itself.

Her project shown during her graduation show titled Applied Dreaming plays with a sensuality in materials and form. Playing with the changing states of liquid and solid - entropy of the mind and the material.

Digital craft

RCA Mphil graduate Kathryn Hinton has been exploring the relationship between the digital world and the art of jewellery and silversmithing.

Using a hammer to virtually shape an object she then uses cnc milling, rapid prototyping and cast forming to realise the objects in real materials.

Responding to the drive to see the outcome of design and interaction where the artisan and technology meet, this project alongside others such as the 'L'Artisan electronique' are offering up a new aesthetic, experience and potential manufacturing process.

Digital Ceramics 2

Having been wowed by Zachary Eastwood Bloom's work during his work in progress show I was really pleased to see the final outcome of his research and development.

Working in the space between digital and material and the place where they meet his work becomes a blur between digital interference and materials in space.

For example a table becomes dysfunctional due to digital interference.

Working with ceramics, wood and concrete the materials are honest and known and mixed with the sometimes intangible language of digital become objects that take on an entirely new aesthetic that is indicative of our digital craft times.

Show RCA 2010

I went to the press preview of the RCA part one show yesterday and loved the jewellery and ceramics. There was some really fantastic work that I saw at the work in progress which has now come to fruition and also some others that just caught my attention!

I will post some specific designers work, but as a taster on a friday night after a long day working here are my pic of the best!

Enjoy!

wooden lampshade

I love the latest design from Elisa Strozyk
who through her textile and material manipulations has transformed our perceptions of what wood can mean to us.

The pendant lamp named “Miss Maple” shows off the material beautifully and takes on an entirely different look when the light is on and off.

What is really great about this lampshade is that it can also be transformed in shape in a three dimensional direction due to the clever construction of the material.

Process Chair 2

Yet another chair pushing the boundaries of traditional upholstery using the fabric as the mould is by Israli designer Gilli Kuchik from bakery studio.

Using in similar technique to raw edges studio and their Tailored wood series and Studio Hausan's Process chair Kuchik is pushing the boundaries of both the materials and process. Using two kinds of polyurethane they are injected into the fabric to create the form.

Hi-density polyurethane is used
for construction and polyurethane foam for comfort.

What is really interesting about this and the other chairs is that the designers are really pushing the boundaries of production, materials and following the ideal that process dictates form.

Kinetic clothing

Movement in textiles is a big drive at the moment and I love the latest offering from industrial designer Jae Kim. Using simple geometry resulting in a faceted surface (right on trend for dreamscape avatar inspired trends for A/w 2012 for those who are interested!).

Connected to a mechanical controller the wearer can adjust the skirt creating new forms.

If you like this you will probably also like this previous post

Self health

Its always a pleasure to see the latest offering from the Philips Design probes programme.

I have it on good authority that the one they are currently working on is the best yet, but until they unveil that one their Self Help is beautiful and thought provoking.

Taking a provocative (of course!) and unconventional look what will effect our own health in the future based on our lifestyle choices they have come up with a set of designs that will enable us to monitor our health.

Looking to the shift from curative to preventative medicine and the increase in the role of modern perceptions of health they uncovered a series of issues with our relationship with our bodies and illness.

The project is focussed on 3 areas of self health -

Body Dysmorphia tracks the rise in anorexia and obesity as well as the modern worlds obsession with body beautiful, plastic surgery and botox, whilst Body Talk looks to ways to remind people how lifestyle choices affect our health over a lifetime and that disease is not predetermined. The final theme considers how as society we have a growing isolation from each other resulting in what they refer to as 'Touch Hunger'.

Next steps they will use these concepts to conduct interviews to gain an understanding into peoples preferred self help future and the outcome will inform design led projects within Philips.

In the same vein Tuur Van Balen's synthetic immune system shown as part of the Impact exhibition at the RCA explores the potential of a future where we take responsibility for our own diagnosis whereby we become our own doctors and pharmacists. He suggests that by externalising and outsourcing our metabolic processes we will be able to diagnose anomalies in our body and create synthetic immune systems that would be tailored to our age, lifestyle and anxieties.

Tailored wood

There seems to be a new trend for the use of expandable foam and chairs at the moment which is really interesting as process really does begin to dictate form.

Raw edges studio showed their latest product for capellini in Milan last month, but this is a technique that they have been using for a while now.

Starting with their Tailored stool and volume chair they adopted a technique normally more commonly used in the fashion industry. By generating a paper pattern of a chair they then filled the void with expandable foam. The process is unconventional in the furniture industry as it proposes a construction without the use of a mould.

What is really interesting about this process is that in a sense it is the reversal of upholstery which is usually the skin applied over the form.

For their production for Capellini they have used wood laminate and filled it with expandable foam that has creased and stretched the wood making each piece unique.

Process Chair

Another chair made without the use of a mould is the Textile moulded chair from Studio Hausen which was shown during Milan Satellite.

Developed from a graduation project the textile form has been refined to create an even spread of foam which is injected into the form to create the chair itself. Again using expandable foam the form has a valve into which the foam is sprayed and spreads evenly around the textile mould. Once it hardens it forms the basis of the chair itself.

This is another great example of where process is dictating form as the structural pattern of the form has been used as it is the most efficient in order for the foam to travel and harden equally.

Experimental East

Another highlight from Milan was the exquisite exhibition titled 'Yii" which means 'change and transformation' in Taiwanese philosophy.

Fifteen designers worked with master craftsmen to create a series of beautiful contemporary objects with a traditional blend of sensibilities from artisans and designers from Taiwan.

Each of the designs were inspired by three themes - Nature, cultivation and sustainability and the results offered up some really unusual material choices such as a bamboo woven chair by designer Rock Wang and Craft Artist Tsun-jen Lee which combined the natural process of cocooning silkworms to create a sleek sofa.

Lace porcelain bowls and plates were so delicate from designer Ching-ting Hsu and Craft Artist Tsun-jen Lee. Whilst a tray, vase and bowl made from brick from designer Rock Wang and Craft Artist Pei-ze Chen brings a whole new perception of the beauty of such an mundane building material.

L'Artisan Electronique

There were lots of great things showcased during Milan, but the one thing that I keep finding myself telling people about the most or referring to as a key trend driver from a technological and artisan perspective is the L'artisan Electronique by Unfold + Tim Knapen.

Showing what is possible with live computer aided design and rapid prototyping they created a miniature clay pot that was rapid prototyped using clay that was sculpted and conformed by people moving their hands in the air working with lasers and projectors.

By enabling people to sculpt and form simply by shaping their hands in the air looks to revolutionise craft and digital manufacturing and essentially the potter and his wheel.

Peristaltic Skin Machine

Lucy McRae is a designer/artist or self proclaimed body architect who works between fashion and technology and the body. Best known for her work with Bart Hess as one part of Lucyandbart her work transposes fashion, skin and a visualisation of a world where genetic modification and synthetic biology rein.

Using a mixture of materials such as toothpicks, ear buds and foam to demonstrate her ideas she creates beautiful and thought provoking visuals.

Her latest project titled 'Peristaltic Skin Machine' covers the body in tubes of coloured fluid that represent the externalisation of our biology. The video is beautiful.

It reminds me of a similar project I wrote about a while ago from Charile Bucket with his fluid dress. Unlike Peristalic Skin Machine the tubes are woven together taking a more textile rather than second skin appeal.

On Off

d-Vision is a unique internship programme that was established in 2005 to nurture design in industrial design. Set up by Mr Sami Sagol owner of Keter group the programme sets out to fill the gap between design school and industry.

15 of Israels most outstanding design graduates have been on a 2 year programme where they have been researching and developing. The results showcased during Milan furniture fair are fantastic and another example of the wealth of design that is coming out of Israel currently. Watch out Dutch Design someone is after your rein!

Designing using LED lighting to highlight its growing importance as our main source of light for a sustainable future - the resulting prototypes are intriguing, playful and in some cases strange!

I particularly like the Olla light that is made up of balloons that you blow to make the lamp glow. Using a material from our childhood it is both beautiful, ephemeral and a statement on use of energy.

97% Soap is a lamp that is made up of an inner LED lamp surrounded by soap, whilst Light kiss requires both parts of the light to 'kiss' to turn on.

Also making a statement on energy consumption and waste is the Still Light which is a hybrid LED light system that suggests it is being powered by tomatoes.

Are you positive?

My most favourite place in Milan was again Spazio Rossana Orlandi with the fantastic location, styling and of course products on show! I especially loved the latest lighting foray from lighting artist/designer Marcus Tremento.

His 'Are you positive?' installation plays with the iconic reference of traditional lighting but is using OLED and electroluminescent - flat lights to create a playful and beautiful offering.

screen printed chocolate

Having finally made it back from Milan most great things have already been talked about, blogged about or generally gushed over, but one great find was screen printed chocolate by Esther Derkx.

A designer/artist who uses found materials and pushes the boundaries of screen printing she was printing chocolate onto tiles or any surface that you presented to her including magazines and books!

Quirky and fitting she was to be found in the Zona Tortona area - never speaking, just gesturing she pushes the boundaries of food as a material with which to design.

Moa

Moa is a new basket series moulded from a unique textile formation designed by German design duo Besau-Marguerre.

The baskets are made from a process developed by the duo using a combination of elastic yarn and resin.

Connecting traditional craftsmanship and modern processes they have created interesting forms with a range of intense colours - with the appeal of hand made baskets, but with a very modern twist.

What is really nice about these baskets is due to the process each one is entirely unique.

Product recipe

I love 5.5 Designers latest take on design in their project that will be shown in Milan next week. Titled Cuisine d'Objets, 'Delicious object recipes to cook at home' it really embraces the trend to pare back and less is more.

The projects suggests to make new products out of the ones you already have. For example. lamps can be made using the recipe (on left) using a stick, a clip on lamp, cement and a vessel!

wooden light

The continuing love affair with wood in all its glory will continue to be prevalent at Milan furniture fair next week no doubt, but it is the twist on the best of the old and new/natural and man made that will be the most interesting and refreshing.

I have just seen this lamp from designer Julian Robin for Hix. Celebrating the natural beauty of wood when it is turned off, when turned on the laser cut leaf design shines through and offers an entirely new perspective.

Techtile3

Pushing the boundaries of tactile materials and memory and embracing what seems to be a new trend coming out of Tokyo (memory aluminium) I love the exhibition Techtile #3 - an exhibition/installation held earlier this year at Gallery K in Tokyo.

Selected people ranging in age from 10-40 were asked to copy textures that they found in their environment. They were then 'memorised' into aluminium foils resulting in textural memories captured in time offering a textural vision of the city.

Surfaces were as diverse as a police car symbol and piano keys alongside the more obvious pavement textures.

The project is by Nosigner and is the third in a series of such events. A few words from them about the project...

"We aimed for visualising the invisible. For designing activities that create a big movement by editing the creativity of many people including researchers. Consequently, design becomes tangible and intangible. I feel that this is the true goal of design" Nosigner.

This is yet another example of how important metals as new skins will be in the coming seasons for surface and material inspiration.

Textile movement

I think this is really beautiful and opens up lots of possibilities of what a textile can be and become in the future. It also links well with the heatswell and electro active polymers...

memory chair

Furniture brand Moroso looks to be a hit again this year at Milan furniture fair with their Memory Chair designed by Tokujin Yoshiokak (who they worked with last year too). The chair is made from a recycled aluminium fabric and is moulded into shape by its user.

Its a softer more inviting updated version of Droog's Do Hit chair by Marijn van der Poll and is a great testament to how metal will be used as a material of choice for the coming seasons where hand manipulated metals will be used as a new skin for everything from product, to packaging to fashion.

Thanks to Icon and Dezeen for the insight!

Paper cones

Brilliant Edhv and Wendy Plomp of WND (all dutch of course!) have collaborated on this brilliant paper cone installation that is reminiscent of icicles or stalagmites. Pasted to the walls and ceiling of the Verger shop in Milan the results are striking.

Using hundreds of coloured paper cones they have created a whimsical space reminiscent of a limestone cave.

Heatswell

A brilliant invention and material - Heatswell is a insulating collar for hot drinks cups that has an endothermic reaction when a hot drink is poured into the cup.

What is really interesting about this material is that a 3D logo pops up when it gets hot giving an almost towelling feel (apparently!)

Being launched as a sleeve for coffee cups - which in itself is interesting, I think that the possibilities are endless and really interesting for packaging and other areas of design.

To watch it do its thing have a look at the video here.

Thomas Heatherwick

Described as a 3D designer Thomas Heatherwick is inspirational. HIs design for the British pavilion at the Shanghai expo is nearly finished and looks as incredible as it promised from his original renderings.

Made up of millions of perspex rods - each with a seed captured inside - the rods move with the wind to create an incredible ephemeral, almost imperceptible form.

Paper Chair

More clever and inspirational uses of paper comes from Danish designer Mathias Bengston. Mixing digital and handmaking techniques he has created a chair from recycled paper.

Stacked together and glued and put under pressure and heat he creates a 3D body. Using black and white paper he has created a graphic piece that highlights the shape of the chair.

This chair alongside other work from Danish designers will be shown
as part of Mindcraft at Milan Furniture fair in Zona Tortona.

The exhibition is titled "Would You Mind," and explores a new approach to form and materials through experimentation.

Electro active Polymers

I love the latest explorations from PhD student Aurélie Mossé who amongst her research is exploring the potential of electro-active polymers (plastics that conform and change shape when an electric current is applied to them). Aurélie has an exquisite design sensibility that enables her to take dull looking materials and turn them into something rather beautiful.

Doing some basic experiments with simple geometric patterns - the polymers stretch when electricity is applied resulting in entirely new formations.

DIY lamp

The trend for DIY and customisable has been gaining momentum for many seasons now and the latest offering from LampGustaf is a lovely example of what you can do.

A lampshade with milled out holes, it comes with a needle and series of 8 coloured yarns so that you can create your own design. Available from May, the company will also upload patterns onto their website for users to copy if they are stuck for ideas.

The Invisibles by Tokujin Yoshioka

I am so excited about the prospect of seeing The Invisibles by Tokujin Yoshioka for the Swarovski crystal palace in Milan next month.

He is doing two pieces, one a massive chandelier that looks like it is emitting rays of light and a new development on his venus chair.

Growing crystals in a vessel he will create the ultimate crystal chair for the ultimate crystal brand!

Crystallographica

With digital design and rapid prototyping, the shape and forms of products has been changing for a while. Inspired by Avatars and 3d printing fashion is following suit.

Taking inspiration from the possibilities afforded by digital technology and formations from natural crystals, the garments from designer Irina Shaposhnikova are stunning.

Using wool, silk organza and cotton fused with plastic she has created interesting forms and materials.

I also really love this video by pierre debusschere of Irina's work.

Concrete Chair

A continuation on the theme of concrete, I love the concrete furniture by Tejo Remy & René Veenhuizen.

Looking inflated they are in fact made from concrete.

Playing with 'mundane' materials and turning them into something interesting and unique is typical of the dutch design duo.

The four prototypes, 2 chairs, a bench and a footstool go on show at an exhibition in Washington DC next week at the Industry Gallery and will no doubt make an appearance in Milan next month.

(thanks to Dezeen for the insight!)

Modern Marquetry

I really love this modern marquetry piece from Studio Job to be launched during Milan furniture fair.

Using Indian rose wood inlaid with maple - what makes these so striking is the balance between the natural and the artificial - using laser cutting technology to create the inlay forms and the form of the furniture creates a truly twenty first century piece using a traditional 18th century technique.

The aesthetic is a strong one being driven by studio Job at the moment as also demonstrated by their wall paper for the Viktor and Rolf show in Paris earlier this month

Poem light

I love the use of natural resources - light, wind etc to control an output from an aesthetic perspective and the poem pavilion by Jiyeon Song is a perfect example of this. Using a series of perforations in the outer shell, light passes through and at certain points of the day or season transforms the perforations into the text of a poem.

Depending on the solar calendar the perforations show different poems - carefully chosen for their poignancy. During the summer solstice the poem is about new life whilst during the winter solstice it is about reflecting on the passing of time.

Each poem lasts about an hour embracing the importance of slowing down and taking time out of our hectic lives.

There is a time captured video on the website here

Pin art

I am intrigued by the art work of Lisa Kellner who uses quilting pins to create 3-dimensional artwork. In one piece she uses 20,000 quilting pins on a wall. The piece investigates the memory a space holds and the absence of meaningful object. She also has a piece titled 'oil spill' which does appear to almost move.

The depth and the shadow created are beautiful.

Paper Masks

Again a fantastic use of paper, I love these A3 paper masks by designer Michael Schoner. None of the masks have eyes of particular features, but appear animal like in their appearance due to the folding and digital print shading.

Printed on normal paper and held together with office supplies such as staplers and rubber bands the pattern plays with geometry in its folded and unfolded state.

Designed to create shamanistic extensions of the wearer you can print your own out here.

(thanks to Dezeen for the insight!)

Concrete Cloth

Concrete Cloth is a fantastic material that has been developed by Concrete Canvas - allowing concrete to be used in an entirely new way. Offering the opportunity for a building in a bag it only requires water and air for construction.

It has already won awards for its use in concrete canvas shelters, but the possibilities of this materials are as of yet to be fully appreciated!

Hair

I went to see this fantastic exhibition at the Riflemaker gallery yesterday. Hair has been a key materials topic for a few seasons now with visual merchandising in Barney's New York as well as Sonia Rykiel using it for inspiration, but the exhibition by Alice Anderson puts it into a different league and scale!

The huge installation titled Rapunzel showcases hundreds of meters of red dolls hair that seems to be growing out from the fireplace and is knotted and tangled around the gallery space. It is also draped across the outside of the building and goes in through an upstairs window and back into another fireplace. What is really interesting is that the hair has been carefully crimped in places and back combed in others creating different moods, there are even hair grips holding it in place.

The other parts of the exhibition to include a wax mask and a video of a girl slowly morphing into a doll add to the overall surreal feel.

Fluid sculpture

I think this fluid sculpture by Casual Profanity is really interesting. Casual Profanity is the name and philosophy behind a series of ridiculous clothing experiments that are a bit clunky, but I think it does open up some ideas for material and surface design for packaging and products.

3d Printed house

With the new manufacturing revolution in full swing thanks to rapid prototyping it was only a matter of time before things moved from small product to architectural scale.

Engineer Enrico Dini has made it possible to create the first printed building with his giant 3D printer. Using sand and inorganic binding ink it is essentially a scaled up version of the 3d printers used by the likes of Freedom of creation.

The resulting material is similar to marble - forms are constructed from the base up and can take on any curve, be hollow and hopefully load bearing!

To find out more have a look at the fantastic article written by Tim Abrahams for Blueprint magazine here .

Market Estate Project

Bringing together 75 artists the Market Estate project is a temporary 'gallery' housed within 20 vacant flats waiting to be demolished. A 1960's housing estate cum gallery, the project is curated by TallTales, a London based practice exploring creative opportunities within urban regeneration.

The project aim is to bring together a temporary community of designers and artists on a site of regeneration and to showcase their skills and to bring together a community feel in a place of displacement and regeneration. A radio station has also been set up to broadcast live 24 hours a day to update the exhibition and subsequent demolition.

A range of artists, designers and photographers have come together to showcase their work.

Textile designer Alessia Giardino who explores concrete design with her 'Visible/invisible - concrete harmony', highlights the invisible materials used during construction. Her work looks to show how construction materials can be used to work in harmony with their surroundings during regeneration.

Whilst photographer Anna Hilman's Slow Down, Look Around is visual feast of exploration of the wear and tear, decay and use of the building.

Others took a more installation approach and invited visitors for tea in the perfectly curated kitchen.

Skinput

With the continuing minaturising of technology it was only a matter of time that we would need a greater surface area with which to use our user interface.

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon and Microsoft have put their collaborative heads together and have created Skinput.

A bio-acoustic sensing device it uses your skin as a touch screen interface. Using a projector embedded in an armband it displays a menu or phone key pad. An acoustic sensor also in the armband analyses the sounds made on the skin surface when it is touched related to bone density, tissue and joints. This is then wirelessly sent back to the device to determine which button has been selected.

Although not commercially available, what it does begin to suggest is the wider thinking of what portable and wearable technology will offer us and the future of interface technology.

Have a look at my digital skins piece to see a more poetic approach to similar thinking and potential future technologies

Paper Isolation

Another project using paper in a beautiful way as well as looking at privacy and mobility. (see sleeping suit).

Titled Veasyble, it is 'a project based on three words: isolation, intimacy and ornament.'

The outcome is a series of wearable paper objets/accessories that morph into places within which the wearer or wearers can hide and create an intimate area of isolation.

Digital Skins

I have been meaning to write about this for ages, but seems to have slipped. My friend and colleague Nancy Tilbury collaborated with 125 Creative and Living skins designer Amanda Sleet to create a series of design provocations for future fashion and cosmetics.

The result is a thought provoking film exploring the role of our bodies, fashion and technology in the latter half of the 21st century.

Their provocations look to swallowable electronics that heighten senses with their 'Tendo Veluntos' concept, as well as looking to body modification and extension with their flesh dress. They also take a more intangible approach with their 'cloud gown' suggesting future clothing or - in this case 'digital couture' that is made from particles and gas that are an extension of ourselves.

Curious

A curious collaboration between shoe designer Tracey Neuls and artist Nina Saunders has resulted in a morphing installation at Neuls' london shop.

Using textiles from Sanderson, a traditional interior design company, they have designed two styles of shoes using the fabric as well as covering a a melting chair that is upholstered in a vintage Sanderson fabric.

It is all set alongside some tree trunks which gives it its particularly curious appeal!

Paper bags

As I have written about before in my Paper entry, paper is being reconsidered as a material of choice. The latest use of paper (or in reality Tyvek® which is a synthetic hard wearing paper) are the stylish Papier bags from jewellery designer Saskia Diez and her husband Stefan.

Launched during Paris fashion week the bags offer all the standard requirements of a travel bag, but are fully recyclable and lightweight as well as being ultra tough and waterproof...what more does one need?

Pantone Cosmetics

I love the concept pantone nail varnish and eye shadow make up by Renata Veiga. The simplicity of the packaging design compliments entirely the pantone reference books.

Spool chair

Japanese design and sensibility is always so perfect and is again demonstrated by the latest work of Keisuke Fujiwara. Wrapping bentwood chairs designed by German brand Thonet, he has taken 12 kilometres of coloured thread and created a modern twist on the relationship between hand craft and modern manufacturing and production.

He has done 2 versions, one in warm colours called Fire and the other in cool colours titled water.

I also love his rain chair...

Balenciaga

Nicolas Ghesquière does it again with his latest collection for Balenciaga by defying the rules of fashion and fabrics and has created an amazing collection that defies the definition of a fabric.

A futuristic sports inspired couture-esqe collection fabrics played with contrast. Matt against shine, plastic against pile. Faux lace partnered with sports inspired perforated materials whilst knits appear to be bonded and sculpted into an kind of futuristic armour.

Colours were representative of the seasonal palette with greys, black, white and camel but off set with some saccharine sweet pastels in peppermint green and apricot giving it a more trans-seasonal appeal.

Shapes were kept simple offering a perfect platform to showcase the amazing fabrics.

African light

Fashion photographer Viviane Sassen who shoots for i-D and Purple as well as ad campaigns for brands such as Mui Mui has photographed a series of African villagers from the village of Moshi.

Naming the project after their village she has photographed them at the foot of mount kilimanjaro. Playing with colour and light the photographs are beautiful.

Her first solo show starts on the 4th March in New York at Danziger Projects

Cow chair

I love this chair by Niels van Eijk for Droog. I saw it again at Maison&Objet and it ignited my love for it for the simplicity of thinking as well as the consideration of waste.

Each chair is unique as it is made from a single cow skin that is soaked and is stretched over a chair frame whilst wet. Once dried it becomes hard and the frame is removed to leave just the hide.

Digital couture

Digital couture is the name given to the work of Hermann Weizeneggerk where he has worked with traditional craftsmen and partnered them with modern manufacturing techniques such as rapid prototyping and laser cutting.

Embracing the idea of wood turning and layering he has created a series of objects that sit somewhere between functional design and autonomous objects. What is interesting is that the products look and feel hand crafted and one off's, but in fact can be mass produced thanks to the fusion of the old and the new in terms of manufacturing.

Fairytale fashion

Commercial Wearable electronics and smart materials are 10 years old this year - and it is interesting to see how little it has moved on in most cases from the ICD+ jacket we did back in 2000 to now.

Technology has become smaller and in some cases more intimate, but design still doesn't appear to have found a need. Fashion which doesn't really require a need has been adopting technology more and more over recent years with the likes of Hussein and Rodarte's lighting up heel (AW10/11), but taking a more emotional perspective is Diana Eng with her 'Fairy tale fashion show'.

Not new in thinking or particularly forward in forms - what her designs do do is take simple technology and use it in beautiful ways. Some designs are a bit clunky, but I really love her work with the inflatable dress and the balloons containing lights that volumise the skirt and then are released.

Rodarte Light up heels

Having mentioned them in my fairytale fashion post I thought I should show you the light up heels by Rodarte for the latest AW10/11 collection.

Inspired by sleepwalking and the murder of Mexican maquilladora workers in Juarez, Texas, Rodarte's shoes designed by Nicholas Kirkwood stole the show with their cut out sportswear inspired form with illuminated fairytale melting wax heels.

Rodarte's Space

Rodarte have collaborated with photographer/video artist Todd Cole to create a striking film of colour, material and texture. On a par with Rodarte's 2010/11 a/w collection it is somewhere between science fiction and fashion. The opening frames are a feast in their own right but it is worth watching the whole film and immersing yourself in the soundtrack. Have a look here.

Sleeping suit

The relationship between fashion and architecture isn't new but I love the latest foray by architect Forrest Jessee. Inspired by the theory that we should have four segmented half hour sleeps every six hours, Jessee has designed a portable sleep suit that would allow users to 'nap' in public.

Using structural pleats made from EVA foam (which usually absorbs shock in sports equipment) it is used to dress/contain the wearer during sleep. Having researched into sleep positions the thickness of the foam is adjusted according to need and creates a

Pallet Chair

The brilliant Studiomama have been shortlisted for their pallet range for the Brit Insurance design of the year awards. Their work is always underpinned by a simple humour as well as good design (ofcourse!) and great choice of materials. Their pallet range exemplifies that upcycling doesn't have to look terrible.

Designed for the project or 10, TEN, X project at 100% Design. The pallet chair is made out of two pallets and 50 screws. H76 x W36 x D48 cm and only costs £10. The idea behind the chair is that you make it yourself and buy the assembly instructions from Studiomama.

You can watch a video about the pallet chair here

black vs white

Using unusual and exciting materials artist Banks Violette's artwork fits somewhere between material and immaterial. Working with salt, perspex and mist (horse picture). His latest work has just gone on show at New York’s Gladstone Gallery.

Beautiful Corian

Corian is a beautiful material that has been slowly making its way out of the bathroom and kitchen for a while now. I love the latest example of its use by studio Davidclovers (HongKong) and Los Angeles artist C.E.B. Reas. Together they have created a shop front where LED lights pulse patterns cut into the surface of the Corian doors.

The doors have a relief diamond shape in the middle which has a pattern milled out of the Corian to create a transluscent layer where the LED's sit behind.

The contrast of the HongKong street and the simple, modern doors creates a striking result.

There is also a beautiful video showing it working that can be viewed here

Floating whiteout

Whiteout is a series of dividers hung along beams in the Hallein salt factory in Austria.

Playing with perceptions of space and inspired by the phenomenon of extreme weather conditions the panels move in response to the static given off by visitors moving around in the space.

The hangings appear to inflate and deflate. Using spun bound polypropylene they appear to be a floating mass of vertical clouds.

Designed by Spaceoperaform it is a poetic use of the space and offers a simplicity of design thinking.

NOBELini - Feel out loud!

One of the other finalists from the NOBELini was a project from textile designer Celine Marcq and scientist Ev Yemini.

Titled, Feel out Loud! they created an installation that continuously captures facial expressions and moods which are then interpreted as abstract dense network patterns. Using technology more commonly used for Avatar's they have begun to explore a new relationship between design, technology and human emotion.

Working with the colour emotion wheel and understanding pattern form and our moods they created a series of beautiful responses to anger, sadness, happiness and surprise.

Recognising that different emotions evolve at different speeds the anger pattern pulsates from the core whilst sadness almost waterfalls as it wells up.

What is really interesting about this projects is how it highlights the fact that we very rarely see our own expression and emotions and that others perceive us in an entirely different way than perhaps we would imagine.

Augmented Textiles

With Burberry showing the first ever 3D fashion show today it signifies a shift in the relationship between the fashion industry and technology as a tool beyond the cut of the clothes.

Also embracing this burgeoning relationship is fashion label Cassette Playa who in conjunction with the Fashion digital studio at London College of Fashion have created a range of AR (augmented reality) t-shirts.

A small barcode style symbol is printed onto the t shirts and when viewed through a web-cam or mobile they come to life.

AR technology in itself isn't new and has been adopted by the likes of Adidas with their recent embedded AR trainers, but what it does open up is an entirely new look on how we perceive materials for fashion and product going forward.

updated textiles

With London fashion week in full swing I am really glad to see that my material predictions (for a client!) are right on trend - updated classics, oodles of fluid and embroidered leather as well as ratines and brushed camel aplenty.

Putting a spin on the celebration of traditional classics of wool flannels and checks as well as cable knits is Ashish with his fantastic sequined cable knit with all the flair of colour of his roots and Charles Anastase with his updated tweed.

Eco Table

Considering the cradle to cradle aspect of design Sascha Ndordmeyer has created an injection moulded table legs and extruded table top that can bio degrade as it is made from an entirely plant based thermoplastic called Arboform.

Arboform consists of lignin which is the most frequently used naturally occurring polymer after cellulose. It is a bi product of paper production which makes it all the more interesting as a material.

With a beech veneer the table looks beautiful and in keeping with the trend for all things modern wood at the moment in furutnire. The legs are also assembled using metal thread inserts and screws that can be reused and are seen as ‘techbnical nutrients' that flow back into the technical cycle and makes the table truly cradle to cradle

Feeding the Senses

The latest project in the curious food probe from Philips Design is a collaboration with Spanish restaurantt Arzak. Dubbed 'Multisensorial Gastronomy' it is the next step in the potential of future food and the future kitchen/restaurant.

As part of their far reaching probes project they are looking at how food will be ingested, enjoyed and experienced in the future.

Taking familiar objects from our every day lives such as the serving plate, they have redesigned them and updated them for future thinking. Embedding conductive inks, selective fragrance discharge, micro-vibration and lights - the crockery sets out to enhance our eating experience as our senses are stimulated on multiple levels.

Plastic fantastic

Plastic is continuing to evolve into the material of choice for designers across all design disciplines and it taking on an entirely new sophisticated aesthetic. Gaultier is the latest in a prestigious range of designers to have designed a plastic shoe for Melissa.

Whats really interesting about this take on the shoe and the material is the blend between the opaque and translucent plastic

NOBELini - Negative Data

The love affair between science and design continues with the Nobilini project that was recently showcased at the Dana centre. Born out of the brilliant Nobel textiles project which saw Nobel Laureates team up with fashion and textile designer, NOBELini is its little sister.

Kicked off with blind dating between scientists and designers (ma and phd level) a series of 'partners' were created. Each pair then put together a brief which was submitted to a panel of experts. Of 20, a final 3 were chosen and there work has culminated in a series of interesting, thoughtful and diverse explorations.

Inspired by 'Negative Data' - The good the bad and the Negative by Berit Greinke (designer) and Jay Stone (scientist), celebrates laboratory disasters. ‘living’ textiles, created from a series of experiments probing Lama hair as a substrate for bacterial growth, question the nature of success and failure. The resulting works were beautiful, thought provoking and rely on bacteria as a future material. (something I am spending a lot of time looking into at the moment).

Suggesting that bacteria can grow themselves to create a textile they hypothesized that certain bacteria would need to be modified to suit all the requirements such as not heat reactive, growth control or just simply for the sustenance they would require to function.

This was seen as negative data in scientific terms- Berit explored beautiful textile solutions suggesting how such negativity could be an advantage such as a material that continually grows and morphs suggesting that a chair could grow itself and then grow into a sofa and then morph again and again.

For more information look to Fabrics of life

Last Tuesday society

I finally ventured into the curious shop 'The last tuesday society' last week having been passed numerous times, but not fully confident to enter on my own. Greeted by various stuffed animals and exquisite framed butterflies I was immediately inspired.

As a 'shop front' to the long established 'Last tuesday society' it houses a small gallery, museum (and shop) of curiosities.

The Last Tuesday society is dedicated to 'exploring and further esoteric, literacy and artistic aspects of London life and beyond'.

The Salon holds regular seances as well as flamboyant dinners where guest eat and dress to impress - albeit not a new society (far from it - it started in 1873) it has been running in its modern day format for about 4 years, but its shop 'Little shop of horrors' on Mare street is a fairly new addition.

It is well worth a visit, and I defy anyone not to come out with some curious object from a finger pointer to a 2 headed teady bear, I infact came out with 12 butterflies that are supposed to be slipped into letters for good luck...better get letter writing!

There is also a gallery at the back of the shop which is showing an exhibition 'Strangeness and Charm' made up of unusual mixed media pieces, art and product.

Transnatural

This looks like a fantastic series of workshops, lectures and an exhibition considering the the relationship between technology and nature and the places where they cross and mutate - Looking at how our relationship to technology and nature has changed in the 21st century.

Re-evaluating how we use technology - not to protect ourselves from nature, but infact now to control it, the symposium sets about to consider art, design, technology, science, politics and nature.

From the 19th Feb to 19th March in Amsterdam, well worth a visit if you are passing.

Mulitplexart

Water falls

I love Julius Popp's machine called “bit.fall” – a machine that controls drops and streams of water to create words and images that are temporary and beautiful. It reminds me of the Water Logo by Hara Design Institute NDC and Atelier Omoya, shown during Dutch Design week at Senseware/Tokyo Fibre

They are both beautiful and ephemeral and open up thinking about water as a communication tool. Could be interesting for brands to think about using waste water for their company signage.

NOCC

I love the work of NOCC that was showcased at Maison&Objet last week in Paris. A design duo based in Paris NOCC have produced a range of objects whose forms are generated according to the shape of sound waves recorded when the products name is said.

The recorded sound wave for each product is then rotated to create a 3D form that is unique to the tone, sound and volume of the voice.

The final product is then made from rapid prototyping meaning that there is no mould so each product can be created individually resulting in totally unique products dictated by the voice used. It takes personalised design to an entirely new level.

You can watch a video of it here

They also showed their radiation collection of mutated furniture and objects. The idea behind the project was to imagine what would happen to various objects if they were exposed to radiation.

The results are both intriguing and practical in unexpected ways.

perfume food

Designers are always looking at ways to engage with our senses and seeing as food is of an interest of mine I was really pleased to see the work of Michele Gay.

A designer of flavours and scents Michele has created a new discipline: Culinary Perfume.

Playing with the materials, vocabulary and techniques from the perfume industry she has taken them into the kitchen. Taste and smell blend into her materials as one sense takes over the other.

Offering 'perfumed' tasters at Maison & Objet the flavour was overtaken by the perfume, making one realise quite how much scent plays in our like and dislike of certain foods.

Sublime couture 2

Here are a few of my favorite pieces from the recent spring summer 2010 couture collections. I love the use of the hollographic and high sheen fabrics as well as the walking bubble from Giorgio Armani Privee.

Sublime couture

Couture is always about sumptuous fabrics and exquisite cutting, but this season seems to have taken a different turn in the tradition of couture.

With younger designers and a more laid back approach to design, the garments are beautiful, wearable (in most cases) and have resulted in a bit of buy back into the belief of what couture should be - incredible garments not walking art.

My overall favorite is Anne Valerie Hash who's collection is exquisite in its slouch sex appeal but with the most wonderfully decadent fabrics, but for a modern woman with metal and silk combinations giving off sci fi sheen and hollographic colour.

Frozen in time

I just love these beautiful objects that have been coated in a UV responsive resin. Coated in the dark, when exposed to light the resin hardens and captures in time the contents. Being shown at Galerie Kreo in Paris later on this week as part of an exhibition of new work by Dutch designers Studio Wieki Somer. They are beautiful in a some what erie way.

Being in love with all things bug related at the moment I also love their website which sets butterflies flying as you navigate around their homepage! Ah love the Dutch!

Bubble Jewellery

I was mesmerised by the work of David Roux Fouillet at the recent Royal College of art work in progress show. The simple beauty of the bubbles and the construction of the bubble machine that he made from old cheese packaging and rubber bands is beautiful. It really taps into the idea of future storytelling and narrative. Bringing together the past and science and technology of the future he has created something beautiful, simple and charming that is a mix of multilayered references to create something new.

I also love the ephemeral idea of the bubbles - something that is so precious, but wont last. It makes us rethink about our perspective on precious things.

Not making a statement about his jewellery design, but more about his sensibilities Roux Fouillet has simplified down to the essential qualities.

Wonder of the Wunderkammer 2

It must be something about the turning of the century that makes people feel the need to document and curate artifacts. Considering preservation and protection, textile designer Larke Hooge Andersen has curated a series of found, made, designed and manipulated objects and textiles in her own version of the modern day wunderakmmer. Curious in her exploration about 'how the phenomenon of a cabinet of curiosity can inform future mapping through textiles' she has created an interesting collection offering up a mix of textures, colours, materials and proportions that entice the viewer to engage. Each piece comes with it's own record card for future reference and many are wrapped or encapsulated in vacuum or air packed packaging to suggest preservation.

Capturing movement

Winnie Wong another student at Central St Martins textile futures has been inspired by low tech thinking for her research project. Considering Kinesthetic Textiles she is inspired by muscle memory and has tried to capture movement in her textiles.

Using blue and black carbon paper and sand paper she has embellished the textiles through simple movements such as using a hoola hoop's or two people dancing together. The resulting textiles are beautiful and charmingly simple

A little fragile

Textile designer and soon to be graduate from the textile futures course at Central St Martins, Yuan Shen, has created a beautiful and thought provoking collection of 'things' to make us question our perception of fragility. Posing the research question 'can fragility lead to a new consciousness in the way we interact with objects and spaces?' she has created a series of material based explorations. Using glass wax, sugar and rice paper she has created beautiful and of course, fragile objects. A plate and a knife and fork are made from sugar whilst egg shells are displayed like beautiful flowers and viewers are asked to break them to release the scent.

What is really interesting about this project is our responses to the moment that we touch the objects, we are drawn to them because of their known materials and forms, but something happens in the moment that we touch them and we realise just how fragile they are.

Her rice paper letters and stamps are a statement for us to consider that we don't take time to do simple things these days such as send letters as technology takes over our lives. Yuan Shen's project honors the fact that some things do, and should take time and that life is fragile.

Popables

Paper based electronics are revolutionising paper such as those demonstrated by the research at XS labs with their paper electronics, but taking a much more poetic approach are Jie Qi from Columbia University and Leah Buechley (lilly pad arduino fame!) and Ashen Chew from the Media Lab at MIT. Using paper based electronics and lights they have created electronic popables.

Updating the humble favorite children's pop up book they have created an all singing, moving and magically sparkling book using conductive ink and OLED's combined with capacative and pressure sensors as well as switches. The results are both beautiful and engaging.

Beautiful Bacteria

Whilst researching a report on bacteria for one of my clients I came across these beautiful bacteria pictures called Microbal Art. A collection of truly unique artwork they are made from living bacteria and fungi. Sitting somewhere between art and science they show a beautiful world of things that we perhaps don't see on an every day basis or are normally revolted by.

Pop up lace

While I am on the topic of paper I just love friend and colleague, Carole Collet's pop up paper lace that was exhibited as part of the Warp Factor 09 exhibition. Carole's work always has a playful humour which I love (See Toile de Hackney!), but I especially love the idea that the lace woven from paper pops up from your table cloth to become your tea cup or you sugar bowl. Made from paper yarn, starch and nylon she collaborated with Sakae Lace in Japan to create this playful and beautiful fabric. To have a look at more of Carole's work go to her website here.

Paper

With the rise of digital technologies and products such as the Kindle as well as e mail taking over from the written word is paper extinct in its traditional sense?

During Dutch design week one of the many exhibitions was Paper Zoo where international artists were asked to create animals that were extinct, mutated or from their own fantasy out of paper or card. In addition to this the Paper, Fabric and plastic exhibition also explored how paper is used as a design medium.

There have also been a flurry of paper related book releases in recent years with the beautiful UnFolded Paper in design, art, architecture and Industry as well as Paper: Tear, fold, rip, crease, cut. Paper related exhibitions have been aplenty too with Paper: Pressed, Stained, Slashed and Folded in New york in early 2009 exploring the inherent qualities of paper as well as RRRiPP!!! Paper Fashion in Athens which was an exploration of paper clothing.

Over the past few years designers, engineers, artists and architects have been working hard to show the possibilities of paper. Rapid Prototyped into a cover for an I Phone by freedom of creation to a paper radio by OTO, the possibilities are endless and paper is far from extinct!

Plastic Luxe

“Plastic is a celebrative material as it has provided a vision of an exciting future since its discovery and we would not have same affluent life without it,” Hiroko Shiratori.

With the growing use of rapid prototyping and 3d printing we are beginning to see plastic having a new aesthetic revolution. Having been considered as cheap and bad for the environment its place in our thinking is shifting as it takes on new forms, textures and appeal.

Offered up as a provocation from an environmental position in 2008 designer Hiroko Shiratori created his future fossil making us rethink our relationship with plastic, but currently plastic and plastic based materials are beginning to take on a new beauty.

Danish artist and jewellery designer Alidra Alic's latest collection titled 'Alice in wonderland' is both surreal and unique. Inspired by the flora and fauna from the original Lewis Carol story she has created her own technique of playing with plastic combined with precious metals and stones. Her jewellery expemplifies the beauty that plastic can afford.

Rapid prototyping and 3D printing are also growing in importance and revolutionising the way that we will design in the future and also the materials of choice. The work of Marloes Ten Bohmer and her Rotationalmouldedshoe is a perfect example of where perceived cheap materials equal a new level of luxe. Plastic and plastic based products are taking on a new level of luxury and consequently will make us re consider our opinion of plastic.

Audacious fabrics

Having always loved the work of Christo and Jeanne-Claude I am very happy to see there will be an exhibition of their work Life=works=projects at Tokyo's 2121 design sight in February which will be made up of a series of wrappings and sketches.

I am just sad on two points, one of the sad death of Christo late last year and the fact that I wont be able to get to see the exhibition myself.

A fantastic space to showcase an exhibition of their work - and one that has the audacity of curation to do it justice.

Dust

With Roger Hiorns' 'everything turns to dust' atomized jet plane and lamps made from dust showcased during dutch design week, dust is being viewed with a new perspective. A friend sent me this skate video by Salzar which is just beautiful and puts a new perspective on our view of dust.

Clouds

It seems to be about clouds and fluff! Got a bit of a shock when I smelt chai Hae Jane kim's mothball and cotton cloud titled 'Uncomfortable zone' showcased at the Royal College of art work in progress, but am beginning to see a new trend!

On a huge scale and in typical Japanese style, Design Tide in the clouds is another great example of clouds.I especially love the idea that all the 'fluff' used for Design Tide in Tokyo will all be collected up and recycled to make suitcase wheels!

The clouds were designed by architect Makoto Tanijiri of Hiroshima architects. Of course one of my favourite artist Roger Hiorns also seems to be part of the trend. An old piece of work but showcased during Frieze this summer, as well as in lots of other galleries, his extruded foam generators are magical.

I also LOVE this from Alexander Calder.

Bio Couture

A big believer in super synthetics and bio technology I have obviously been keeping up with the brilliant work of Suzanne Lee (about 6 articles later for various clients I am really banging the drum!) and I love the latest developments she has taken with it.

A very hard subject to push forward - whilst being so hugely important I think that this really speaks for itself. Having been showcased in Tokyo in October, this is now being shown at Central St Martins so do go down and have a look. Doesn't matter whether you like it or not, thats really not the point, but it certainly will make you think about the future of fashion and textiles.

Dream Catcher

Another find at the Royal college of art work in progress show. I loved the glass work showcased by Louis Thompson who lovingly recreated Sigmund Freud's dream catching apparatus from 1910.

The glass bottles that have been designed to suggest captured dreams are just beautiful and the colours are sophisticated and offer up an ethereal beauty. Although using traditional materials and processes I love the clever and beautiful balance between tradition and material technology exemplified here.

Trash Mirror

I love the work of Daniel Rozin especially his Trash Mirror which I saw during Dutch Design week.

Using 500 pieces of variously coloured rubbish (or should I say trash!) from the streets of New York and artist pockets, he has created an interactive piece that suggests we are reflected in what we discard.

Using motors and a concealed video camera the 'trash' moves and responds to the presence of the viewer and by shifting the surface of the art work through use of the hidden motors the viewer becomes part of the artwork. What is also really lovely about this piece is the sound it makes as the viewer interacts with it.

(My shadow in the picture is only one handed as the other is holding my camera!)

Digital Ceramics

I have just been to the Royal College of Art WIP show. I love the possibilities afforded by ceramic and by the combining of a very traditional process and material with modern techniques and materials.

The outcome is creating some really interesting results at the moment, such as those showcased at the ceramics and architecture exhibition showcased during dutch design week but also the work of designers such as Zachary Eastwood-Bloom.

I love his use of rapid prototyping technologies and software such as Rhino to create templates for his ceramics. Exploring the place between opposites his work looks to the relationship we have with things as the digital age simplifies most things into 1's and 0's - a series of calculations that exist in a micro chip.

The wonder of the Wunderkammer

A place to curate and showcase a series of weird and wonderful things the Wunderkammer is a wonderful thing and I love the modern take on it from designer Min Jeong Song who is showing work at the RCA work in progress.

Examining the understanding of the relationship between pre conceived ideas and wonder through the process of mental classification of objects she has pushed the boundaries of material exploration and perceived beauty.

The resulting material experiments offer up objects that are viewed in a context of in-betweenness. Using glass as a material for its ambiguity of being neither a liquid or a solid and wood as inspiration the research asks viewers of the modern day Wunderkammer to determine what the materials are. Unclassifiable the objects are beautiful and ambiguous.

Unconformoty and Entropy

I am currently having a bit of a love affair with Anish Kapoor which I know I am not alone in. His exhibition at the Royal Academy is fantastic and is such an immersive experience and I love the thinking behind the Identity engine - but my biggest love is the book I picked up while I was there called 'Unconformoty and Entropy'.

Lovingly designed like a book from a long forgotten biblical archive showcasing Kapoor's work. Focusing in on his printed concrete forms, but also and more interestingly discussing the processes, thinking and intellectual inspiration behind them this book is just inspirational.

Following the thinking that process dictates form the book takes you on a journey of experiments and examples of entropy 'Like energy entropy is in the first instance a measure of something that happens when one state is transformed into another' P.W Bridgman. I particularly love the Apophenic Appendix showcasing some incredible surfaces and structures from both man and nature and where the two meet.

In Memorandum

I am intrigued about 'in memorandum' at the moment. There is a lot of design research considering cradle to cradle design literally - considering the waste of death as well as decomposition.

Pia Interlandi who is part of the team at Symbiotica in Australia is observing eco trends and considering trends in apparel and the funeral industries. Looking to composition, decomposition, dissolving and the potential of reincarnation she is creating a series of 'burial garments'. Asking the question what are we dressing for in death Pia highlights through her research that we are not dressing for our mind or our body and begins to consider what is involved in the fashioning of death.

Cabinets of curiosity

Another of my favorites from Dutch design week was the cabinets of curiosity by Commonplace design - not only because it housed bugs, but because I loved the simple use of technology in the form of QR code and a beautifully crafted object. The idea behind the cabinet is that it can house anything you want and that each drawer is digitally linked to a website containing information about its contents. Using the simplicity and the beautiful graphic of QR code laser etched into the back of the cabinet, it makes up a beautiful pattern as well as being functional.

Here is a little about how they describe the cabinet 'This project is an ongoing investigation based on the historical cabinets of the sixteenth and seventeenth century. Throughout the Renaissance, objects representative of god (naturalia) and man (artificialia) were displayed in cabinets as an index of their proprietors’ world view. This cabinet borrows the structure of the cabinets of the past, but instead frames a contemporary context. Since we are no longer concerned with the dichotomy of nature and art, but with the duality of the material and the virtual, this cabinet brings together both physical and digital space in one archival system.'

All that glitters

Have been meaning to post this for a while as I just love it! no need to say anything more!

Multiple layers of meaning

Some more inspiration from my recent trips. One is a bit old from Milan furniture fair, but I love the parallels drawn between both these designers with their use of materials and the objects as well as the combined interest in our perception of objects, memories and the mix of materials. showcased his 'multiple layers of meaning' at his graduation from the Eindhoven design academy and it immediately made me think of the fantastic work of Agnieszka Lasota who's work I fell in love with in Milan earlier this year.

Bugs

Back from Sweden - interesting trip. will update with some stuff at a later stage, but for now back to Eindhoven...Another favorite thing of mine is that it is 'all about bugs' at the moment.

The new Darwin centre in London (off to visit tomorrow!!) and so many bug related things around at the moment. I have lots of thoughts on how this is going to influence materials, but as am putting some stuff together for a client, better keep it to myself for now!

I especially loved the work of Sayaka Yamamoto and her little wonders project. She has replicated bugs using latex and printed them with flock and other prints. they are exquisite. She has also designed a range of kitchen utensils inspired by bugs - not so sure about them, but how beautiful her brooches are! also loved Cabinets of the material and virtual world from Jon Stam who uses QR code laser etched into the back of a cabinet to document what is in the drawers of their cabinet. Directly linked to an informative website about its treasures and yes of course its treasures were bugs!

Also love the work of Dutch design group EDHV with their debugged project. They have created over 300 posters, every one of them is unique and the graphics come from bugs. Some posters are made by woodlice, some of them by house crickets. Using tracking software and scripting to map the walking patterns of the creatures they created complex patterns from their movement leads to stunning results.

Digital food

Finally I begin my long awaited blog and with some fantastic stuff! I have just come back from Sunny Eindhoven for Dutch design week where there was a fantastic and inspirational range of work from the best of the dutch. Mostly alumni of the Design Academy Eindhoven. I have loads of stuff that I will post on here, but I thought I would start with my favorite bit - and a subject I think is of huge importance to material innovation at the moment - digital food by KNOL

Digital grapes is not something you see every day, until now and dancing carrots...powered up the carrots dance and react to varying stimulus around them. Pushing our thinking about the future of food, our consumption of it and our growing relationship with technology the team behind KNOL give a new lease of life to food. I especially loved paring of the grapes with the ceramic plates that power them up.