As part of the Milan design week 2012 in April, SPD Scuola Politecnica di Design presented the exhibition 'OUT NOW. Stories of Ideas and Matter'.

The exhibition brought together different ideas and views on the subject of design and production, and intersected these with the work of eleven international designers trained in the school in recent years.
How can we interpret the role of designers? The exhibition allowed us to follow the paths of a young generation of designers who have left the classroom and experienced the possibilities of the field as creative apprentices.

'Voi' design by Kostantia Manthou and Manuel Torres, modular storage container, prototype Poliform, 2011
A small architecture that grows in space as it transforms. Voi reinterprets a classic Poliform piece of the late eighties, the IO wardrobe by Paolo Piva.

'Tab' design by Isaac Piñeiro, Nadadora Studio, collection of stools and coffee tables, production Sancal, 2011
Family of stools and low tables inspired by the beehives made from hollow logs, called trobos, very typical of northern Spain. All the pieces are hand made from a bent sheet of natural chestnut veneer.

'Mariù' design by Luis Arrivillaga, suspension lamp, production Made a Mano, 2012
Ceramic lamp with cold enamel coating. It creates an interplay between positive and negative surfaces which is more evident when illuminated. Mariù interprets the space according to a principle of creative disorder generated by the disk of the diffuser.

'Wired' design by Alessandro Stabile with Alessandro Gnocchi, stackable chair with tubular metal frame, production Belca, 2012  
The product doesn’t require any investment in industrial equipment and uses accessible technologies.

'Lateira' design by Rui Pereira, decorated clayware, production Show Me, 2011
An homage to the nearly extinct canned fish industry via another traditional Portuguese handicraft: decorated pottery. The sardine can is transformed into a proud, ready for serving delicacy: a manifesto of the craftsman/designer dichotomy.

'Scooby Doo' design by Giorgio Bonaguro, table lamp, production La Lampe, 2012
The piece chooses a classic language and a minimalistic architecture in tubular metal that supports the glass diffuser. A study in contrasts between the rich material palette and the simplicity of its lightweight structure.
'Tweety' design by Giorgio Bonaguro, table lamp, self production, 2011
A simple and intuitive design made up of two parts, the lampholder and an ecofriendly polycarbonate sheet bent into a loop. Without using screws or joints for easy assembly, the bulb is suspended, like a bird in a cage.

Gaëlle Gabillet and Stéphane Villard, from the French Studio GGSV based in Paris, are presenting their new lights at the Gallery Cat Berro.

Both pieces of furniture and display cases, these lights act as small curiosity cabinets highlighting the beauty and strangeness of their subjects.

When turned off, the bulb and socket disappear beneath an opaque black tinted glass. When lit, the bulb gradually reveals itself behind a soft veil, never dazzling. The base is made of blackened oak and the bell of blown glass.

The designers have chosen to present construction debris. Under these bells, they become specimens of a strange preciousness.

These lights question what is to be looked at: the object or its content? Where are we supposed to be focusing our attention in this day and age?

Photos © Félipe Ribon

In her latest book, Judith Gura, a specialist in the history of interiors and furnishings explains the important movements (Bauhaus, Postmodernism, High Tech, and Green Design), forms, and furnishings from the 1950s to the present. Design After Modernism captures the range of influences that have spurred new ideas in design and illustrates many of the most characteristic and most innovative objects in this diverse mix.

With the first decade of the twenty-first century behind us, it is time to reassess the concept of "modern," a term that dates to the Middle Ages, when it signified current or recent events. Not until the eighteenth century did it become a stylistic term; more recently it has generally referred to the aesthetic that evolved from the Bauhaus and flourished in the mid-twentieth century. Though proclaiming freedom from the limitations of style, it became as formulaic as most of its predecessors, as Modern architecture and furnishings conformed to prescribed specifications: geometric forms, industrially fabricated, unadorned, and studiously ahistorical. 

Curiosity Kitchen, Alexander Pelikan (Netherlands) 2010
Annie, Reestore (United Kingdom) 2001 Repurposed shopping cart

Those guidelines are no longer relevant. As Midcentury Modernism has receded into history, Modernism has been redefined, reenergized, and in the process transformed. Today it embraces a cornucopia of design in an almost limitless range of materials: design studios are laboratories for experimentation; design concepts can be as important as finished objects; and furniture has crossed barriers to become a new art form. Tools and technologies never before possible have provided new approaches to decoration, and may incorporate influences from the past. The design profession has broadened its horizons; interiors and furniture are being created by architects, interior designers, furniture makers, industrial designers, artisans, artists, and even fashion designers.

Nomos Dining Table, Norman Foster (United Kingdom) 1989
Lounge Chair, Fabio Lenci (Italy) 1970

Design After Modernism offers an overview of developments in design over the past four decades-some evolutionary, some expected, and some extraordinary. It identifies the diverse influences that have generated new directions in design and illustrates many of the most characteristic, most noteworthy, and most innovative objects in this rich and variegated mix. All are representative of their time, and many of the earlier designs have already gained iconic status. Of the more recent ones, whether or not they will be admired in decades to come is something that only time will tell.

Hanging Lamp, Model SP1, Verner Panton (Denmark) 1969
Sushi III Chair, Fernando and Humberto Campana (Brazil) 2002

Book: Design After Modernism: Furniture and Interiors 1970-2010
Author : Judith Gura
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

In the collection designed especially for Galerie Gosserez, Piergil Fourquié explores the concept of balance, applied to the design of everyday objects. Through about ten objects, Piergil demonstrates: cantilever balance through the ‘Big Boss’ desk - dynamic balance with the ‘Partition’ shelf  - group balance through the infinite number of ‘Totems’ compositions - balance of the suspended membrane in the ‘Bulles’ collection, etc.

‘Partition’ shelf
This shelf looks like a musical score; the lacquered metal crosspieces punctuate and give rhythm to the entire piece of furniture, graphically and sculpturally. The way to fix it provides great flexibility and gives each user the possibility of forming their own score depending on the interior dimensions and the objects that are to be put on it. The light oak shelves are superimposed one above the other and give the impression of levitating, an effect accentuated by the contrast of the delicate and multiple bars. Materials: oak and metal

Les Bulles (Bubbles)
Suspended glass balls weighted with marble ballast, this individual case will form a precious and transparent cocoon for personal objects. It can also be changed rapidly into an original and very elegant vase. ‘Les Bulles’ collection drew inspiration from laboratory glassware. They also explore the themes of landscape and micro-architecture, around the notions of balance, stability and space. Combining simple volumes, they stage fascinating microcosms which play on the contrasts between glass and stone. Materials: blown glass and Carrara marble.

‘Totem’ hall elements
Totem is a series of six objects that are usually found in the hall: a mirror, a set of occasional tables, a flower pot holder and a coat stand. This set welcomes visitors to a simple and refined environment, punctuated by the solid cast concrete pedestals which support very fine structures. The concrete base is the weight which holds each of the totems in equilibrium at different heights. Materials: oak and concrete.

The ‘Big Boss’ Desk
Drawing inspiration from architectural constructions using the cantilever principal, the lacquered metal skirt gives a solid volume on which the entire desk depends. This support contrasts with the light oak suspended top which juts out over an empty space. The choice of material is a metaphor for a ‘sports coupe’ car: the metallic exterior reflects the immediate environment and hides the user’s legs. The refined topstitched leather interior creates a warm protective cocoon. The elegance of the lines hides all that is to be hidden: computer cables, electric wires, drawer. Materials: oak; topstitched leather and metal.

Photos credit Maxime Champion

Exhibition: "Equilibres" by Piergil Fourquié
From April 28 to June 4 2011
Galerie Gosserez
Paris, France

Cambridge Consultants announced the launch of the ‘Syreen’ syringe, a new concept that demonstrates the cost benefit and supply chain disruptions made possible by sustainable product design.

Instead of glass, Syreen syringes are made with COP (cyclic olefin polymer) plastic, which has enabled Cambridge Consultants to shed the need for secondary packaging altogether, a first in this medical device arena.
 
The United States alone produces 6,600 tons of medical waste per day, equaling well over two million tons per year—approximately 85 percent of which goes to landfills throughout the country. The Syreen eliminates the need for wasteful fillers such as cardboard and styrofoam, reducing the packaging weight by 30 percent and volume by 50 percent from today’s standard packaging. After delivery, with a simple snap, the user ejects the needle into the sharps bin allowing the user to potentially recycle the plastic capsule.