Ohio Design

Much lauded and rightly so for his undulating interpretation of traditional boat building techniques, Matthias Pliessnig is bringing a fresh perspective to craft in the early part of our 21st century. The work represents hundreds if not thousands of hours of hand crafted labor and is a physical rendition of what current computer aided design and specifically parametric modeling brings about in minutes. This shows a vision of 21st century craft as a merging of technology and the hand which is counter and altogether more compelling

(More after the jump)

Mischer Traxler augments the ordinary with his series Relumine by creating a sort of notional narrative between a series of incandescent table light fixtures and pairing them through the medium of fluorescent tubes. It’s almost a type of gene splicing of old technology, bringing new form to that which is soon to be seen as obsolescent.

Dan Koeppel explains in his recent article for Wired, “Abandoning incandescent bulbs means abandoning fire as our primary light source for the first time in human history.” L.E.D. also means that the bulb and shade relationship that has dictated lighting to such a degree from the first Edison lamp is no longer going to be the ruling form factor of lighting. Surfaces, edges even whole objects can themselves become light emitting with no fear of being burnt from the source.

The future is, as they say, bright.

(More after the jump)

The deconstructing and reassembly of his countries cultural past through the medium of furniture is exquisitely executed by Shao Fan. Shao Fan studied wood carving and porcelain at the art and craft research institute in beijing,  his series of chairs are re-appropriated pieces derived from classical ming style furniture, merged with a contemporary aesthetic of clean, geometric lines. some of which integrate heavy, black, angular shapes which in a way mimic chinese ideograms – ‘it is the fundamental harmony and equality between humanity and nature’ that are aspired here.

(More after the jump)

The Metal Office Furniture Company founded in 1912 is celebrating its centenary this year, now named Steelcase it is one of the largest design led manufacturers of contract furniture in the world. Below is an image of one of it’s founding products, a steel waste bin named “The Victor” which was designed to solve the problem of wastepaper bins catching alight due to carelessly extinguished cigarettes. The affordable metal bin was their solution available in four finishes, including Walnut, Oak, Mahogany and olive green, it put them on the path to being where they are today, a global player in the office furniture world. 

(More after the jump)

The observation of beauty in the everyday has long been a preoccupation of photography and photographers, in many ways the image is a physical manifestation of how they view the world. The Brooklyn based photographer John Cyr and his work are no exception to this rule and his series of photographic development trays are proof that he is an expert in the field. For those of you old enough to remember these artifacts there will be memories of fumbling in the dark, the hue of red light and smell of developer and fixer wafting through your mind right now. For those of you from the digital age, these trays would hold the developing fluid which the photographic paper would be submerged into, magically revealing the image exposed (look it up, or try it at home)

(More after the jump)

Form Us With Love, or as the website playfully suggests each time you visit or refresh provides a constant rearranging of their name -Love Us With Form -  or my favorite With Us Love Form. The Swedish based design studio recently launched their Plug Lamp for Ateljé Lyktan. The product has been going the rounds on the blogs and I think it deserves the attention it’s getting, although this is a rather simple proposition in a growing field of product hybridization that is seeing the need for multiple and augmented functionality from our domestic and interior products. Whether it be the almost tiresome—and seeming never to catch on— networked refrigerator that Philips Whirlpool, LG et al role out each year ,or the more eminently practical new usb lights from Pablo (which I can’t seem to find a link for), our mobile lifestyles are demanding power to be provided from more than just our wall outlets.

(More after the jump)

Recent work by Hannah Plumb and James Russell who go by the eponymously titled James Plumb, is a series of seemingly discarded period furniture frames that have had the negative seating space imposed by a carefully cast concrete alternative. Beautifully presented within their show in Geneva at Blancpain Art Contemporain gallery.

The forming of negative space and domestic furniture is nothing new to the art world with such world renowned artists as Rachel Whiteread and Doris Salcedo making their careers from such explorations. The furniture world to a great extent has overlooked such moves, although there have been some notable exceptions including one of my favorite from Gitta Gschwendtner.

(More after the jump)

The work of Inga Sempé was recently evident at Stockholms design week with two exhibitions. As well as being guest of honor at the trade fair—which forms the heart of the design week—where she installed a 200 square meter lounge for attendees showcasing her work, there was also opportunity to view an exhibition of sketches and models off site at the local ice skating pavilion (interesting choice of venue).

Sempés work at first glance may seem standard European designer fare and her choice of product typology would support that initial judgment with the range of home furnishings, but look more closely and you’ll find much more at play. The w103c lamp for Wästberg is a good example of her sensibility, the initial premiss of upturning the clamp that holds the light to the desk allows a level of engaged interaction with the light that brings both a clear understanding of its mechanism butalso a kind of tautology in basic physics. Another example of an intention to create discovery through whimsy is the series of cabinets for Edra titled Brosseliterally Brush, which curtains a series of shelving with long nylon brushes obscuring the storage and creating a kind of angular and well groomed beast that sits guarding your valuables.

(More after the jump)

Last week I had the pleasure of meeting Galen Cranz for some early dinner and then attending a presentation she was giving on seating and posture. I’d read her seminal book—The Chair: Rethinking Culture, Body and Design—many years ago and was taken by the depth and breadth of the scholarly research and insight, but also the accessibility of the book. On meeting Galen and getting to know her a little I realize that the book reflects her generosity of spirit and passion for the subject.

A key point of the book is it’s observation of the way sitting is damaging our bodies due to the unnatural position we are forced to take by the chairs that are designed. This controversial point has recently come to the forefront of some scientific debate and the book and her thinking are been discussed again in new light. Travis Saunders recent article “Can Sitting Too Much Kill You?” in Scientific American proposes that the sedentary life is killing us and that it is actually more harmful than smoking or obesity. Also ecent articles in other publications including The New York Times are calling for alternate ways of working.

(More after the jump)