If we’re honest, for us  Breathe by Helen Kontouris is a bit like US government’s collection of crashed UFOs

It exists.

Just in great secrecy.

Were not sure if the Australian Secret Service is behind the project… but information obviously should not be made public.

Even the alleged producer do not mention it on their website; and that despite the fact Breath was supposed to be launched at Milan in 2009.

We can’t confirm if it actually was.

After a couple of failed starts as an interior designer, Helen Kontouris switched to Industrial Design in 2002 with the establishment of her Melbourne based agency Helen Kontouris Design.  Since then Kontouris has worked with companies as varied as WMF, Coffex and Sunweave and won numerous awards – including the 2009 IDEA  “Product of the Year” award for the Breathe Collection.

It goes without saying however that no text exists from the IDEA Awards.

And that despite the fact that Helen Kontouris also won the “Designer of the Year Award”

What we do know about the Breathe collection is that it is composed of a sofa an armchair and quite possibly a table.

That it is constructed from hand-woven polyethylene strips fixed to an aluminium frame – and that it is top secret.

We’re not at all convinced by Breathe. Not at all. We can well imagine what others find attractive and innovative, but for us it just looks tired and forced.
Or put another way we cannot follow the process that lead to the creation of the collection.

The “mission statement” of Helen Kontouris Design  includes the sentence: “We believe ecology in design today, rests on the role of the designer as cultural architect, creating products with clear purpose, intelligent material appropriateness & function that arrest you with their beauty & promote a movement ‘against throwawayism’.

And we simply don’t see that in Breathe.

All of which probably means that it has good chances of winning the Brit Insurance Design Award.

Assuming any one dares submit any information to the judges.

Breathe Furniture by Helen Kontouris

Chances of winning the 2010 Brit Insurance Design Award: good to middling

Breathe Sofa by Helen Kontouris

Breathe arm chairs by Helen Kontouris

Grassworks by Jair Straschnow is a range of product created from bamboo laminate.

Israeli born Straschnow, moved to Holland in 1999 to undertake a post-graduate course at the Applied Arts Department of the Sandberg Institute. Following his graduation he established himself as  a professional designer based in Amsterdam who specialises in public installations as well as series’ of furniture pieces.

Originally displayed at the Aram Gallery in Drury Lane, London – as with Extrusions as part of  the London Design festival – Grassworks is a series of production ready prototypes.
And so again as with Thomas Heatherwicks Extrusion, is a sort of  “work in progress”
(Which does of course raise the question if displaying prototypes at the London Design Festival is not in fact the best way to guarantee a nomination for the Brit Insurance Design Award )

Including, amongst other items, a picnic table and bench and a convertible easy/dining chair, Grassworks is designed to be as simple, space-saving and sustainable as possible.

For all the decision to use bamboo was made “…mainly because it is a truly green material“: As a fast growing grass, bamboo stocks can be quickly replenished without casing any impact on the local environment.

But is perhaps the simplicity of the design that really distinguishes the Grassworks range from other products. Using variations of the traditional dovetail joint,  the individual Grassworks elements simply slot together without the need for permanent fixings. Which of course means that they can also be just as easily taken apart again.

We particularly like the Eames-esque easy chair – not least because it flips over to form two different shaped chairs – and the extending trestle table. Both have a lovely flowing, natural form… which we like.
And we think the judges will also approve of both the mix of materials and traditional techniques in a wonderfully fresh collection.

Grassworks by Jair Straschnow

Chances of winning the 2010 Brit Insurance Design Award: very good

Grassworks by Jair Straschnow: Easy Chair

Grassworks by Jair Straschnow: Trestle Table

Grassworks by Jair Straschnow: Bookshelves

Without doubt the ugliest and least aesthetic nomination, Extrusions by  Thomas Heatherwick Studio should,  in our opinion, be considered more a “work in progress” than an actual product in its own right.

Born in London, Thomas Heatherwick studied at Manchester Polytechnic and the Royal College of Art in London before establishing his own studio in 1994. Based in Kings Cross, London Heatherwick Studio is a conglomeration of architects, designers and engineers who have worked on a range of architecture and public art projects.  Many of Heatherwick’s architectural works focus on finding new solutions to problems and experimenting with materials.

As wonderfully demonstrated by Extrusions.

Premiered at the Haunch of Venison Gallery during 2009 London Design Festival, Extrusions is the worlds first single component metal furniture piece extruded by machine.

Extrusion is, basically, forcing material through a pre-formed cross section “die” – think of it as a mould through which the raw material is pushed, and you won’t be that far away.

Macaroni, for example,  is produced by extrusion.

Heatherwick’s benches were, however, produced on the worlds largest extrusion machine – a machine normally used for producing components for aircraft – and represent the first prototypes of a 100m long bench that should be finished in the course of 201o.
And they look like it. A sort of Ron Arard meets Frank Gehry meets a case of very agreeable  St Emillion.

But that is not the point.

The point is that metal extrusion offers a new method for furniture production; and for all furniture production wth materials that would normally be too brittle to work.

And that is the strength of the project. It pushes the borders of what is possible and forces new ways of considering how one constructs furniture

In years to come the first benches will be worth more money than an average aluminium miner earns in a lifetime; but they may just be the first step to developing furniture that he can afford.

Extrusions, Thomas Heatherwick Studio

Chances of winning the 2010 Brit Insurance Design Award: very good

Thomas Heatherwick Studio Extrusions

Several Extrusion examples from Thomas Heatherwick Studio

“I wanted to make a chair that was lighter than Gio Ponti’s Superleggera, so light a child could pick it up with just his little finger”.

So describes Japanese architect Shigeru Ban the motivation behind his Carbon Fibre Chair.

Born in Tokyo in 1957 Shigeru Ban initially studied at the Southern California Institute of Architecture and subsequently at the Cooper Union School of Architecture where he completed his  Bachelor in 1984. Following his  return to Japan he established his own practice. Although much of Ban’s work has unmistakable overtones of two of his favourite architects, Mires van der Rohe and Alvar Aalto, it is his experimentation with “non-traditional” materials that sets Shigeru Ban apart from his contemporaries. Best known for his work with cardboard tubes and paper Ban has created buildings as varied as Issey Miyake’s Design Studio Gallery in Tokyo, the Japanese Pavillion at Expo 2000 in Hannover and refugee shelters for the UNHCD.

“I was interested in weak materials,” Ban told time.com “Whenever we invent a new material or new structural system, a new architecture comes out of it.”

So with his carbon fibre chair

Weighing in at just 500 grams, carbon fibre chair is constructed as a “sandwich” featuring an aluminium skeleton surrounded by two 0,25mm layers of the carbon fibre TENAX – a product commonly used in aircraft wings, satellite antennas and fishing rods.

So stable, yet light.

Carbon fibre chair originally formed part of the “Tokyo Fibre 2009″ exhibition: essentially a PR event for the Japanese synthetic fibres industry.

In many ways it is only upon seeing carbon fibre chair in profile that one realises the true aesthetic value of the chair. It may resemble Maarten van Severens .03, however not only is the silhouette much finer and more filigree; but just as the true magic in .03 lies in the feather spring structure in the back rest, so is carbon fibre chair more about the construction and the material than the sitting comfort per se.

Although that is apparently also quite high.

And the technological features could just swing it for Shigeru Ban…if the judges go for two similar decisions back-to-back.

Carbon Fibre Chair by Shigeru Ban

Chances of winning the 2010 Brit Insurance Design Award: good to middling.

Carbon Fibre Chair by Shigeru Ban shortlisted in the Brits Insurance Design Award

Although born in Munich Konstantin Grcic is in many ways an English trained designer. Following a carpentry apprenticeship at the renowned Parnham College, he undertook an MA in Industrial Design at the Royal College of Art in London. After graduating in 1990, Grcic spent a year working for Jasper Morrison before returning to Munich to establish KGID Office (Konstantin Grcic Industrial Design)

Often considered one of the modern masters of minimalism, Konstantin Grcic’s work is typified by its simple, clear, uncluttered form.

Among Grcic’s best known works are his Mayday lamp for flos, the ES shelf for Moormann and his Chair One for Magis.

Konstantin Grcic won the Brit Insurance Design Award 2009 with his MYTO Chair for plank.

But we can’t believe he will do it again, principally because  360° Work Chair is in many ways simply a modern reinvention of George Nelson’s 1964 Nelson Perch.

And so in that sense falls short of the Design Museum’s own claim that the Design Awards are an “annual exploration of the most innovative, interesting and forward-looking new work in design of all kinds”

Reworking George Nelson aint innovative. Or forward looking.

And whereas Grcic’s 2009 winning MYTO Chair could lay claim to being based on an innovative new plastic;  360° Work Chair is a combination of epoxy resin and aluminium. So nothing especially new there then

Conceived as a chair for short burst of work rather than for 8 hours at a desk, 360° Work Chair is a neat idea, nicely executed and is certainly a product for which there is a demand.

And while that may make it interesting for some. It’s just neither a new nor innovative design.

360° Work Chair by Konstantin Grcic

Chances of winning the 2010 Brit Insurance Design Award: very low

360 work chair by Konstantin Grcic shortlisted in the Brit Insurance Design Awards 2010

Nelson Perch by George Nelson ... compare and contrast

MYTO chair by Konstantin Grcic winner of the furniture category at the 2009 Brit Insurance Design Awards

A couple of weeks ago we posted the shortlist nominations for the furniture category at the 2010 Brit Insurance Design Awards.

On February 17th the Award Exhibition opens at the London Design Museum, and  in advance of that we have decided to take the opportunity to present each of the furniture nominations in a little more detail.

On the one hand a very lazy way to get a series of 12 posts; on the other a chance to give those of you who are unfamiliar with one or the other of the designs and/or designers some reference points and an independent assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the works.

(There should now be a picture with the logo of the Brit Insurance Design Awards – only they don’t appear to have one…. Which is kind of ironic if you think about it )

Although we still have a little bit of mileage left in our IMM/Designers Fair coverage … it is slowly time for something a little different .

And so it came as a real delight to receive a mesasge from Linda Brothwell concerning her nomination for the Brit Insurance Design Award 2010.

Cheers!

Linda’s project isn’t associated with Platform 21, but rather was part of the 2009 Experimenta Festival in Lisbon.

Invited by the British Council to participate in their “Timeless” contribution, Linda, along with her fellow particpants was asked to respond to the dual implications of the subject – urgency and the passing of time.

Linda’s response was to use traditional techniques – for all wood inlaying based on traditional portugese embroideray patterns – to repair damaged park and street benches in the Portugese capital.

A few impressions from http://lindabrothwell.com can be found below.

In the coming weeks we will “analyse” the majority of the Brit Insurance Design Award nominations – including Linda Brothwell – in a little more detail.

Until then, good to finally be up to speed with the project… and once again thanks for getting in touch.

Linda Brothwell, Repair, Lisbon

Linda Brothwell Repair Lisbon ... detail

The shortlists for the 2010 Brit Insurance Design Awards were announced in London today.

In the category furniture the contenders are:

360° Work Chair, Germany, Konstantin Grcic:

2010 Brit Insurance Design Awards Grcic 360

Breathe Furniture, Australia,  Helen Kontouris:

2010 Brit Insurance Design Awards Kontouris Breathe

Carbon Fibre Chair, Japan,  Shigeru Ban Architects:

2010 Brit Insurance Design Awards Shigeru Ban Carbon fibre chair

Extrusions, UK, Thomas Heatherwick Studio:

2010 Brit Insurance Design Awards Thomas Heatherwick extrusions

Grassworks, Netherlands, Jair Straschnow:

2010 Brit Insurance Design Jair Straschnow Grassworks

Houdini Armrest Chair, Germany, Stefan Diez:

2010 Brit Insurance Design Awards Stefan Diez Houdini Armrest Chair

Palindrome Series, UK, Peter Marigold:

2010 Brit Insurance Design Awards Peter Marigold Palindrome

Pallet Furniture, UK, Nina Tolstrup, Studiomama:

2010 Brit Insurance Design Awards Nina Tolstrup Pallet Furniture

PARCS, UK, PearsonLloyd:

2010 Brit Insurance Design Awards PearsonLloyd PARCS

Polytopia, Australia, Lucas Chirnside:

2010 Brit Insurance Design Awards Lucas Chirnside Polytopia

Repair Project, Lisbon, Portugal, Linda Brothwell:

Can’t find an image….but really hope its the Platform 21 project

Setu Office Chair, Germany, Studio 7.5:

2010 Brit Insurance Design Awards Studio 7 5 Setu Office Chair

Our thoughts and analysis shortly…

]]> http://loudreams.com/2008/12/09/designers-of-the-year-shortlist/ Tue, 09 Dec 2008 20:51:25 +0000 Joseph http://loudreams.com/2008/12/09/designers-of-the-year-shortlist/

The Design Museum in London has announced the shortlist for annual exhibition and awards program the Brit Insurance Design Awards.

Keep reading for more pictures and info:

Nearly 100 designs have been nominated by industry experts across seven categories: architecture, furniture, product, interactive, fashion, graphics and transport design.

Here are some:

for more pictures: Dezeen