'Korea Design' is an exhibition showcasing the best in contemporary Korean furniture, lighting, product and textile design through the work of fifteen companies and designers.

Stool for Child by Kyunglae KIM 
The Stool for Child is designed using natural materials. The legs are made of natural oak or hard maple with a seat in sustainable anti-bacterial coconut foam.

In the past, Korean design has too often been associated with electronic goods, TV's, mobile phones and other ephemeral consumer products, but is now starting to gain international recognition for a booming design and craft sector.

Lion Penseur lamp by i-Clue Design  
The Lion Penseur lamp was designed as an accent light to provide light against a wall or
ceiling. This type of indirect lighting tends to be hidden away out of sight, but the Lion Penseur is specifically designed to turn the lighting fixture into a design statement.
Lion Penseur is made of leather.

The exhibition, which includes product, furniture, lighting and textile design, gives insight into what Korean design means today. Whilst countries like Sweden, Spain, Italy etc have well established design scenes of global repute, other countries, like Korea, are proving to have vibrant creative industries that are starting to reach international audiences.

Crack Bowl Pendant Lamp by Jaemin KWON    
Jaemin Kwon was trained as a fine artist. His Crack Bowl Pendant Lamp uses unprocessed elm which is dried and split, showing off the natural characteristics of the wood.

Looking through the work of these different companies, one can identify a number of common themes, the most prevalent of which is the driving force that design isn't just about aesthetics, it's about a desire to re-evaluate the role it plays in our lives and to create products that are sustainable, skilful, beautiful and individual.

Tension Bentwood Chair by Dohoon KIM   
The Tension Bentwood Chair is made using wood's inherent tension and features a series of curvilinear shapes. Made of ash, the chair is available in three different designs, including a side chair, wing chair or with a wide back as shown above.

Ta-rae Lighting by Design Virus
Ta-rae Lighting is inspired by the spool of threads on industrial sewing machines.The lamps can be clustered in groups to create a bold statement.

Hanji-plastic Chair by Design Taiho SHIN  
The Hanji-plastic Chair is made of 'Hanji' paper, a traditional Korean paper made from mulberry tree fibres that have a lifespan of over 1000 years. As the co-founder of Design Studio Maezm, he collaborated with artisans to produce this new material to replace toxic plastics in furniture manufacturing. The paper gives the chair its structure while a carbon fibre surface gives it its 'skin'.

Antler Stool by Minho LEE
The Antler Stool is part of the Antler Series, a range of furniture that explores the habits we display in everyday life, like throwing a jacket on the back of a chair. Each work in the series combines two functions in one product.


Exhibition 'Korea Design'
From September 22 to 25 2011
100% Design - London - Stand B60

ModulA.R.T. has launched its new blog: Art-Rethought where Donald Rattner will explore and illustrate how digital innovations in manufacturing are impacting art and design.

“Four Leaf Clover”. Leather carpet formed from clover-shaped modules. Produced by Mia Cullin. Photo by Mathias Nero.

Their first post is about Swedish designer and interior architect Mia Cullin. She designs what might be described as modular textile systems in traditional and modern materials. Her palette includes felt, Tyvek (a modern synthetic often used as a wrap in building construction), leather and wool. Cullin’s modules have the appearance of multi-lobed geometric figures suggesting flowers, snowflakes and other centralized figures drawn from organic nature.

“Flake”. Star-shaped Tyvek modules joined together to form drapery and screens. Produced by Woodnotes. Photos by Sameli Rantanen.

The undercutting of the shapes forming the perimeter allows the textile units to be joined together by folding and interlocking adjacent lobes. Together they weave a tapestry of repetitive forms whose uniformity is relieved by the play of light and shadow among the variously raised pieces of fabric. The natural wave of the assembled pieces, a judicious use of cut-out figures within some of the modular designs, and the natural surface texture of the materials adds to the visual play.

“Lily”. Carpet formed from star-shaped leather modules. Produced by Mia Cullin. Photo by Mathias Nero.