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Orangebox have confirmed the launch date for my new modular soft-seating design - Cwtch. Weeks to go, not months...... so many units to build, so little time, so much passion, so much talent in the team!
All will be "Revealed" - 08.02.11
Orangebox Showroom, Clerkenwell, London
I love moments like this - when I see something so well designed, so simple that I wished I'd designed it myself........ it's a great source of inspiration!
Credit to Hong Kong based designer, Michael Young for his design - EOps NOISEZERO i+, the world's first cornstarch bio-plastic earphones where the bio plastic enhances even the mid tones in the acoustic chamber.
via Dezeen
The Cardiff Design Festival 2010 programme is expanding by the day - check out the event and awards submissions updated on the website. New fresh website and great homepage illustration by Cardiff graphic designer and illustrator Matt Joyce. The Design Festival runs from 1.10.10 to 15.10.10 with the awards and closing party on the last day. If you have an event or want to be involved in an event contact the Cardiff Design Festival team - details on the website.
Life is full of coincidences - we are producing some furniture for a private client who happens to collect Brynmawr furniture, so guess what I have in my sticky paws!?......
It was agreed that it would be a synergistic fit so it's great to be working with Orangebox as a design consultant with a very specific furniture system brief. My aim is to introduce a fresh aesthetic and develop a concept and family of products as a flexible functional and efficient solution opening up options and potential for Orangebox and their clients. First, I will do what I normally do and get the Orangebox brand under my skin!
Today I'm delving deeper into past social and economic experiment - the Brynmawr Furniture Makers Ltd of the 1920's and 30's...... a project that continues to inspire, intrigue and surprise me. It's also a sad stark reminder that once upon a time and not too long ago when I joined the Furniture industry in 1986 that not only did Wales have the biggest furniture manufacturer in the UK (Christie Tyler - & where I started) but it also this industry was one of the biggest employers in South Wales. Design can and must play a key role in the regeneration of this industry, its skill-base, it's out-put, its economic value and a sustainable manufacturing future for Wales...... I might well turn this into a 'provocation' when I give a talk at the ECONetwork event next week!
Julian & I are back in "the seed factory" factory today...... sifting, germinating and cultivating one big yield of crazy, creative, commercial ideas and ingredients from Monday's workshop with the Welsh Assembly, college and Uni Enterprise Champions and Educators..... So many seeds!
If the workshop participants think we're giving them breakfast then they are mistaken!
The flyer for the new creative-thinking workshop we have been designing and creating for The Welsh Assembly Government has has just been emailed to all the Enterprise Champions, Educators Lecturers in colleges and Uni's pan Wales. The workshop model called The Seed Factory will take place at Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff on the 26th April. Great response so far and they're still signing up!
Ta/Diolch for the flyer Julian!
Alice Rawthorn has written an article called Furniture Designers Are Shifting Focus for the New York Times focusing on the shift in design-thinking and approach to furniture design in the recession. She poses a simple question - "LONDON — There is one question that everyone should sensibly ask before designing or making something to show at the Milan Furniture Fair. Does the world need another chair?" It's a very interesting article and DO we need another chair? My answer is 'Yes' as long the solution is sustainable, functional/practical, commercially viable, innovative, unique and above all, is needed!
If we can tick all these boxes then let's play with the materials, the aesthetics, the emotional message, the products personality and engineer a distinctive new chair that makes a real positive difference!
This is Yokujin Yoshioka's (one designer I love to watch) design for Moroso called the "Memory Chair" made from aluminium which responds to emotional, sustainable, innovative and distinctive issues in design..... but....!
via New York Times
Here's Nomad's recent video of their MK1 wheelchair which highlights some of the great design detail, design-thinking and of the 'design in motion'. Great to see the 'Wear' soft-seat jacket blending with Marks suit jacket! Also in the video.... a few words from yours truly.
Unfortunately I couldn't make it to "Ideas Lounge" #3 but great to be back in the thick of the ECONetwork community again at "Ideas Lounge" #4 which set a theme for the afternoon titled 'Materials, design & sustainability. Speakers were Dr Mike Pitts of Chemistry Innovation who gave a very interesting talk on the connection between chemistry, materials and design application. Furniture and sustainable designer Jakki Dehn who is also Lecturer at Kingston Uni gave a presentation on the sustainable materials library she founded and set up. Our task in groups was to respond to a specific brief with around 20 minutes to come up with a solution. Our group were the Cradle to Cradle group which would inform our approach and solution. We chose to focus on a solution for temporary shelters for Haiti as one of the options. Ok it created a 'little' competition on the day..... & we still reckon we came up with the most effective well thought and presented solution!! Actually, so did Ecodesign Wales!
Team 'Cradle to Cradle'
Frank (Ecodesign Centre Wales) & Luke (Orangebox) pitch our Cradle to cradle solution
Jakki Dehn & Ideas Lounge #4 participants
Dr Mike Pitts - Chemistry Innovation
Out today this months copy of Architects Journal presents Cardiff's Chapter Arts Centre on the front cover with a great photo of the handsome 1970's interior treatment in the 'Cwtch' bar which was lovingly designed and created by Angela Gidden & Marc Rees under the Gidden+Rees collaboration.
AJ have featured the project and work by Ash Sakula architects. I [Angela] met with Robert Sakula and AJ's journalist Rory Olcayto to chat about the new Chapter space in all its dimensions and the relaxed collaborative style of working with Robert & Canny of Ash Sakula. Of course AJ predominantly talks about AshSaks' architectural approach to the redevelopment of Chapter but it's good to see that Rory has also highlighted Chapter's culture, it's purpose, it's roots and it's importance as an key arts and community destination. He's also 'ready to go back'!
Just back from the Eco Design Networks session run by Ecodesign Centre Wales with Speakers Dr Mike Pitts on Chemistry, Design & sustainability and Jakki Dehn on Design, Materials & sustainability.
So why don't more designers and more chemists talk to each other? When designers need to become more and more responsible for the material choices we make, understanding the chemistry behind those materials should also become more and more important. When approximately a third of the earths elements in the Periodic table are at risk of literally 'running out', exploring the options or their replacements and considering the alternatives in the design, development and manufacturing processes is crucial.
So Chemist's .... let's talk
Ok so I volunteered some months ago to talk at tonight's Ignite Cardiff #4 in the Wales Millenium Centre. Cardiff was the first U.K city to sign up thanks to Claire Scantlebury & Neil Cocker and tonight Cardiff will be one of a number of cities taking part today in the Global Ignite Week.
A great line-up of speakers..... pretty random but about as random as my talk - 'A Creative Industry Without Cats'! 20 slides, 15 secs per slide, 5 mins total.... it may well all be a jumble of words and facts! Hope to see you there.
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