Stuart Haygarth collects, categorizes and gives new meanings and significance to everyday objects.

“The original Tide chandelier is part of a larger body of work based on the collection of ‘ man made’ debris washed up on a specific stretch of Kent coastline. I have been collecting material over many years and the work is still in progress. The material collected is sorted and categorized and several individual pieces of work were produced. The Tide chandelier is created from clear and translucent objects, primarily made of plastic. Each object is different in shape and form, yet they come together to produce one sphere. The sphere is an analogy for the moon which effects the tides which in turn wash up the debris .”

“Is it possible to let a first sketch become an object, to design directly onto space?

The four FRONT members have developed a method to materialise free hand sketches. They make it possible by using a unique method where two advanced techniques are combined. Pen strokes made in the air are recorded with Motion Capture and become 3D digital files; these are then materialised through Rapid Prototyping into real pieces of furniture.”

I think the technology and process is an extremely interesting experiment, the only question I have is whether firts sketches should be considered finished objects of design?

philippine designer kenneth coponpue winner of numerous design awards is giving a new contemporary face to traditional materials to produce furniture which is highly original, and sensual. he studied at the pratt institute in new york and “Upon his return to the philippines he discovered that modern design could have a new face using natural fibers and materials as the medium. integrating locally sourced organic materials with innovative hand-made production techniques offered an alternative to the western defination of modern design”

since philippe starck premiered his gun collection for Flos at Milan’s Salone de Mobile, the reaction has been split between those who found the 18-karat gold replicas a brilliant statement about war and greed, and those who dismissed them as a publicity stunt.

So why did Starck create a line of lamps that glorify guns?

“The first thing for us to remember is that creativity has a duty of political action, And now we have forgotten that, and young designers just think about being a star and making money. They forget their duty to society. Everything you do must be in relation to your civilization, your society, yourself, your life: without that the objects you make are just objects. That’s why I try to wake people up a little and say everything you do is a political vote. The lamps are a “memorial” for those killed in the name of political progress.” via metropoismag

the mikado lamp designed by Miguel herranz. “two stamped wooden veneer sheets mounted to a pattern which lends them to torsion and dynamism, make up the shade of the mikado lamp. the stamped wooden strips design in the air a shape charged with sensuality, as well as adding an overall lightness to the piece and creating interesting plays of light and shadow. the strips give the shade a volumetric richness that change according to the viewing angle.”

it has recently been awarded the prestigious Design Plus award by the the German Design Council in collaboration with the Messe Frankfurt, which rewards the most innovative and outstanding design.

flexilight designed by jos kranen and available through fleek is an “ultra-flat-ready-to-use solution, so you can define your own routes of electricity through your house, using a decorative system to lay out your own ‘underground map’ of electricity.”

Julian Mayor’s chairs are a bold interpretation of the interface between human and technological visual forms. This is a theme which dominates his design and artistic work. His philosophy has grown out of a desire to sample the recurring structural elements within organic shapes and draws attention to the simplicity and geometry within nature. Most importantly this translates into beautiful and practical products. Impression chair shown above, reflects the recess of a human shapes created from a 3D map of a a person’s seat, then digitised on computer.

“FutureFactories is about the digital generation of one-off products. It explores some nether ground between the hand crafted (digitally) and the industrially produced. In Holy Ghost Lionel has taken Philippe Stark’s iconic Louis Ghost chair and fitted an alternative back and arms, “I’m not suggesting that the design needs improving” states Dean, “I am pointing out the creative possibilities for adaptation and personalisation that digital technologies offer”. The starting point for each new back is a virtual design template that is constantly rebuilding itself in real-time. No two iterations are the same and every hybrid chair manufactured is unique. The chair back, resembling an alien, organic, button-leather, acts like a sprung mattress with an interconnect network of nylon springs. Two chairs have been commissioned by Fast-UK and Folly for the exhibition ‘Perimeters, Boundaries, and Borders’. Produced in partnership with 3T RPD Ltd, their manufacture demanded some of the largest machines laser sintering available.”

voido is a rocking chair designed by ron arad. the original prototype had to be redesigned and resolved, and now produced by magis, it is made by rotational moulding, and suitable for outdoor use.