Manchester School of Art Excels at New Designers
It is hard to miss the current excitement around New Designers 2017 and yesterday our Design Insider team visited Part Two, in our fist post we showcased out top picks, you can see the post here. However, the innovation at Manchester School of Art was so engaging we felt that they deserved their own post!
Manchester School of Art 3D Design graduate Sam Lander’s work intrigued us, his display drew us in and we had no choice but to find out more! After looking at how architecture utilises concrete as a building material Sam questioned how concrete could be used within design, experimenting with incorporating expandable foam and resin in order to elevate the brutalist material and create a tactile composite. Sam also considered the weight of concrete, understanding that in it’s architectural form concrete furniture would be impractically heavy. By developing his own concrete spinning machine, Whiligig, and considering how traditional ceramics are made, Sam was able to build a machine which uses centrifugal force to create a lighter weight composite concrete form. By including dye Sam was able to manipulate the colour of the forms. Sam chose to exhibit lampshades created through his unique method at New Designers, however he now hopes to expand his collection by experimenting with designing stools and other furniture items. It was wonderful to be able to see Sam collect the New Designers Material Lab Award, congratulations Sam!
Working collaboratively Joseph Hillary & Jahday Ford combined their skills to create Breath. Glass blower Jahday, approached Joseph with a wish to make an impossible form through the use of a mould and in need of Josephs digital skills. Together the pair researched the technique of forming glass with wooden moulds and discovered that when you create a glass form with a mould you take away the artists hand and the crafted nature of the material. They became determined to re-embody the craftsman in their objects, to do this they decided to take the sound wave of Jahday blowing down the iron as a visual stimulus which Joseph then digitally revolved into a 3 dimensional form. From there the sold beech mould was created, allowing the pair to work in glass and create their pieces. This has been a fruitful collaboration with Jahday and Joseph winning an exhibition in February 2018 at the Design Centre in Manchester, as well as funding to invest in new moulds and develop the scale or colour pallet of their pieces.
Sustainability is not a new buzz word, but rather an established consideration for any designer. 3D Design graduate Joseph Hillary decided to tackle how increased product longevity can be one solution for a sustainable future. Miss Marble is a collection of tables which have instilled value through the inclusion of marble printing, a skilled and unique process. This collection aims to move away from the culture of a throwaway society.
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We would love to see the designers who you felt excelled at New Designers, tweet us @DesignInsider1 or leave your comment below.