Adain Avion - a Cultural Olympiad 2012 project

Following a collaboration on the design of Chapter Arts interior between Angela Gidden and Marc Rees under their Gidden+Rees i.d the creative partnership, the creative duo are embarking on an exciting project bringing together two Welsh brands - Nomad & Nest and Adain Avion.

The latter is the brainchild of Marc Rees who was selected to represent Wales in the Cultural Olympiad 2012. His Adain Avion project is a site specific touring community based performance that takes place inside the fuselage of a DC-9 which is being brought over from Spain. The AA brand has been created by one of our design associates Dylan Griffith of Smorgasbord (Amsterdam & Cardiff Agency). The project also includes the design of the travel accessories and in-flight merchandise including flight bags - retro style of course. This is where Angela comes in....... along with Nomad & Nest as the design, manufacturing and retail 'wing'.... excuse the pun!

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Design Guild Mark Award 2011 - Angela Gidden & Cwtch

Angela Gidden has just been awarded the prestigious Design Guild Mark for Excellence in British Furniture Design 2011. Orangebox submitted the Cwtch which was presented to the judges as a full collection at the M&S Conference Centre last month.





The Design Guild Marks introduced by the Furniture Makers Company recognises and rewards excellence in the British design of furniture in volume production.

Press Release quotes -

Although there was a very extensive list of submissions the eminent judges only selected eleven products to receive a Design Guild Mark.
As explained by Jonathan Hindle, Chairman of the Design Guild Mark Judges: "The Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers introduced the Design Guild Mark to reward the work of the finest furniture designers working in volume production in Britain and the best of British furniture designers working abroad. The Mark is awarded for excellence in design, use of materials, manufacture and function".

Lee Cheong, BDP, Design Guild Mark Award judge commented:
"I thought it was really heartening to see the increased number of entrants this year and so many quality pieces, what was also interesting was that the judges were fairly unanimous on the passes and rejections."

The Design Guild Marks is one of the only award systems where all products meeting the criteria are called into a warehouse to enable the judges to assess them. By the ward of this Guild Mark for designs which met the Company's criteria, the designers received due recognition and the industry will be made more aware of the importance of investment in design.

-end-

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Anna Gravelle - a textile & furniture collaboration

I was asked many years ago this question - "When you design a piece of furniture is the form influenced by the fabric or does the form influence the selection of fabric?"
Many years on and the answer is either or. At the moment I'm inspired by the fantastic 'tufting work by contemporary textile designer Anna Gravelle. We are exploring the potential to collaborate where i'm in no doubt the fabric will definitely be influencing the form, style and detail of the furniture. One thing we have agreed on - we will introduce a sense and celebration of past design decades in the overall furniture design. Some exciting developments being explored already with some technical boundaries to be pushed!

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Cwtch For Orangebox is launched

An eight month design project and commission and the 'Cwtch soft seating system' is launched.

"Cwtch offers a fresh addition to Orangebox's soft seating landscape.
My design ethos was to complement the Orangebox portfolio with a product that timelessness and sophisticated form. The aim was to design a system that was elegant, yet simple, allowing specifiers to create diverse configurations within the space they require. An additional design dimension featured in the Cwtch design is a tailored, contemporary twist introducing a unique stitch and seam detail called the Reveal Seam - an up to the minute take on the past traditional contrast piping".

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Tokujin Yoshioska - a master!

A master of designing with materials and technology that perform and play with light.
Yoshioka has recently designed a mobile phone concept for KDDI iida, that presents a totally fresh approach to the technology within - exposed and not hidden.

This is what Yoshioka says about the design - XRAY:
"Apart from arranging visual appearance, I have pondered a design without a shape. This collaboration project started with an enthusiasm of designing a new mobile phone that infuses a fresh, striking idea into today’s diversified mobile designs. I came to reach an idea of “designing from inside.”
via Dezeen

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The deadline - 08.02.11

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

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World's First Cornstarch Earphones

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

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CARDIFF DESIGN FESTIVAL 2010

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.

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A SPECIAL CATALOGUE

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!?......

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A NEW DAY A NEW DESIGN BRIEF

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!

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A PAST EXPERIMENT

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!

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BACK IN THE SEED FACTORY

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!

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THE SEED FACTORY #1

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!

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FUTURE OF FURNITURE DESIGN?

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

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Nomad Wheelchair...in motion

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.

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ECONetwork "Ideas Lounge" #4

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

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Chapter - front page of AJ

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'!

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A Design Chemistry dialogue

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

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Ignite Cardiff #4

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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ACID - protecting our ideas

It's great to see ACID reporting on our client, Nomad and their recent success in the DME Awards 09. We get a little mention too - thanks Nomad, thanks ACID..... no one will get away with copying the MK1 - it's a one unique innovative design!

We've been long standing members of ACID (Anti-copying In Design) for many years because we believe in originality of ideas and we hate plagiarism with vengeance!

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