Claesson Koivisto Rune have developed two products made from DuraPulp, a mixture of pulp and PLA, (an oil-free plastic based maize starch) developed by Sodra. First came Parupu, a bright fun eco chair for children. Designed for the heavy wear and tear that a child’s chair is put through, its sturdy and yet extremely light and water resistent. Once finished with the chair is completely compostable; DuraPulp is a naturally derived material.

Next as a contrast to the chunky chair, they have designed a sleek  light for Wästberg, launched at Stockholm Furniture Fair. The aesthetic difference as well the technical application demonstrate the breadth of potential in DuraPulp and shows that pulp doesn’t have to be grey.

Pulp 2.0 Post Consumer Vessels and Furniture by Jo MeestersThis work is a further development on his TESTLAB project that has been running since 2008. The original Pulp vessels were created using a mixture of newspaper and glue applied  to a vessel that acts as a mould. The new vessel is built up in layers before drying and finally being cut away. The cut pieces are joined with more pulp then the inside is treated with an epoxy resin to create a strong water tight product.

This formed the basis of the Pulp 2.0 furniture collection where the potential for upcycling cardboard panels and newspapers to create paper furniture has been explored. Water resistant properties have been added to the paper waste to create a collection that doesn’t hide its origin; the collection retains the colour of the pulped paper. The collection consists of a table, chair, four pendant lamps and a cabinet.

Mathieu Lehanneur has designed a meeting room for advertising agency JWT turning it into a creative cavern with walls totally produced from paper fibres. The cavern is a visual reminder of just how much paper can be eaten up in every day work and how in the move to digital we can consume less.“It has literally sucked up and recycled the available paper in the agency, an archaic and useless support that JWT France eventually envisages totally eliminating.’”.  The pulp also provides excellent soundproofing, and is usually used for thermal insulating in eco buildings. Here it has been exposed rather than hidden to create a cave like space; a contrast to the sleek white interior.

Trash Me Lamp by Victor Vetterlein The body of the lamp is made from the pulp of just four egg cartons mixed with water and poured into a mould. The intention behind the project was to create a product from waste, that could then be recycled at the end of its useful life.

Metro Cabinate by Will Shannon was created as part of Will’s graduation work for the Royal College of Art. For  his Design Products Collection he explored the notion of what is a factory and how we create products. Metro is a result of found objects and a mix of skills. The main body of the piece is made from paper pulp that was moulded inside a found suitcase and the legs are traditionally turned pieces of wood.

“My ambition is to develop an informal factory whose disparate employees – professionals as well as enthusiastic amateurs – are spread throughout the city, at work in their own cabinet making production facilities: turning wood in the shed in Bermondsey, or making papier maché in the kitchen in Dalston.”

Although not quite pulp I think Jens Praet’s Shredded Collection  is worth a mention.  Skippings the pulping process and using shredded copies of Frame magazine its a great reuse of a wonderful if heavy magazine. Incidentally I’ve switched my subscription to the digital version and saved a fortune as well as a tree! But I just wonder that with the transfer away from printed paper to ebooks;  pulp will become a rare commodity before we have developed a way to reuse it en mass.

There was a time when you either used synthetic materials or natural and which ever path you followed the two should never be mixed.  The idea that something natural should be tainted by dare I say it….plastic! No no no…..But why? We don’t have to be so polarised in our treatment of materials. And well; plastic in its various forms isn’t a new material is it?  It’s moving into the realms of collectible antiques and with that we are also becoming well aware of its durability. Apparently there is huge mass of plastic floating in the Pacific stubbornly refusing to decompose. Perhaps one day this floating mass rubbish will be recycled, up cycled and converted back into something useful again. I like to think that its become home to a whole range of sea creatures evolving in their own weird way but in the mean time here are some designers who have more logical thought process as regards mixing natural with synthetic.

Pictured above and seen here is  Rawtation by Adi Zaffran Weisler

“As I was learning the industrial process of plastic rotational molding I discovered the potential for combining raw organic elements in the process. I tried creating a method where the meeting point between the organic and the synthetic is made by the rotational molding process without the need for cold joints or complex adjustments. The manufacturing process uses pruned branches, trunks and foliage combined with plastic which creates the joints.”

TransPlastic by the Campanas’ brothers are pieces that use a combination of plastic and a Brazilian fibre called apui. Left unchecked apui wraps around and slowly suffocates the trees on which it grows. An so with a clever bit of irony and handicraft the fibre is reworked in wicker to “suffocate” the plastic chair. The Campanas’ brothers have continued to work with this fibre combining it with glass for their exhibition with Venini at Waddesdon Manor this year

Its that time of year when a fresh batch of graduates leap out into the real world. After years of focusing on the final degree show; that’s it. Its over.  Done. Time to figure out what the heck to do next. Do you set up on your own or will you be plucked from the thousands of other graduates for a dream job. New Designers held at the Business Design Centre in Islington North London is a showcase for this years graduates from colleges across the UK. Its great opportunity for this years batch of graduates to showcase their work; make new contacts and find out from last years graduates, over in the One Year On section, just how hard it is out there in the big wide world.

Week 1 focuses on Textiles, Fashion & Accessories, Ceramics & Glass Contemporary Applied Arts.

Week 2 its over to Product & Furniture Design Visual Communications ans Spatial Design.

I can’t honestly say I looked at every aspect – its just too vast; but here is a taste of what caught my eye.

Eva Joly’s Textile designs transform mundane household items into amusing contemporary patterns (1st image and below).  Using a dolls house scale to present the images of domesticity added to the sense of fun her design have. But aside from the fun;  its a commercially viable design and I’d love to see her work in various textile and paper forms.

Another textile designer whose work I admired was Anna Jensen from Bath Spa University. I’m afraid I can’t show you any images of her work they’ve been bought up- she’s done so well she won the Harlequin award which means they now own her work. A version of her work shown at New Designers will be produced but….  Well, hopefully it will see the light of day and not get chewed up and spat out in some watered down version.  That is the thing about graduate shows you just worry for them – or I do.

Bulrushi Ercol Marita Szkutnik is a rather happy result of a project set between Ercol and Bucks New University. Marita’s wooden bench has wood dowels with flocked “bulrush” tops that can act as a coat stand. They don’t look sturdy but are surprisingly strong and when you brush your hand across them they wave about in a very pleasing natural way.  I think ; actually I know this was my favourite of the two shows. The picture doesn’t do it justice, but then it is a tactile piece. Marita is off to Rotterdam next, on a work placement – which is fantastic, shame I can’t remember with whom!

The stand (pictured above) for the Northumbria University 3 Dimensional Design was incredibly impressive. I guess I was stuck by the graphic on the back wall and overall presentation of the stand. Any manufacturer would be proud of it never mind a University on a budget. But it was not only the presentation that was outstanding, it was the quality and craftsmanship of the work. It was all really beautifully made.

I particularly liked the work of Ellen Thomas (above),she showed her MILK stools, created as a response to a brief on value and what makes things valuable. Her response it a humourous mix of traditional craft techniques and contemporary aesthetics. Each piece has a etched pattern on the underside and one leg harks back to more humble milking stools.

Over on the Brighton University stand the work of Adi Chambers from caught my eye.  I loved her beautiful Chippendale cabinet made from laser cut cardboard. Just as in the 18th Century apprentices made samples in minature, this piece was the same – but you could see exactly how it could be impressively transformed to life sized.

She also showed and inventive piece using discarded draws mounted onto a metal frame.

This sample of New Designers is just a snippet of what was on show; and strangely I’ve selected an all female cast of high lights. This is in no means deliberate. But I would like to think that; particularly in 3D design where there has been a traditional male dominance; this is a thing of the past and we’re looking at an area of equality now.

There was so much more to explore at New Designers do take a look over on their website  http://www.newdesignersonline.co.uk/

Illustration on paper products and t-shirts we’re used to, doodling on pieces in your home  is something we expect from a naughty toddler, but despite this association a number of women artists and designers have created a series of products and interiors that are beautiful and inspirational.

Danish designer Louise Campbell had the challenge to create a temporary meeting room for G1 Strand and came up with this rather witty response. The room is within a listed 1750’s building so Louise has created a series of Blah posters that line the walls but can be removed. The tables, chairs,  light fittings and decorations have also had the blah treatment.  Keeping it simple in black and white the room has a serenity that the introduction of colour just wouldn’t achieve – and in a meeting room with the potential for many a verbal battle it has a calming effect.  ”It is the sports arena of verbal power struggles, where words are hurled back and forth across the table and bounce off the walls as everyone strives to take the upper hand – or upper word so to speak”  

Blah Blah Blah by Louise Campbell  http://www.louisecampbell.com/  

 Artist Anna James reworked antique furniture using images of graffiti taken from an archway in Verona. The graffiti is little messages of love left by those visiting the supposed house of Juliet  of Romeo and Juliet fame. Anna has taken digital images that  have been transposed onto a variety of prepared period pieces. Each piece captures a moment in time – the wall constantly changes with new declarations added daily.

www.loveannajames.com

Artist Charlotte Mann originally worked in fashion design, styling and illustration before switching to over to focus on her artwork. From working on a hand draw back drop for fashion designer Peter Jensen shes has taken commissions for both private as well as commercial clients. Using marker pens she draws onto the prepared wall  incorporating objects the client has chosen to create a personal and unique work.

www.charlottemann.co.uk

 Esther Coombs works with vintage ceramics that shes found in flea markets, charity shops and carboot fairs. Working with the aesthetics of the piece she hand draws images of the urban environment creating unique works from what are essentially unloved mass produced pots of yesteryear. She reinvents and gives new life to items that are other peoples cast off. I love the juxtapositions between the dainty flowers and the and the tower blocks. I guess the irony is that many of the ceramics would have come from homes such as these, and there is the romance of the work, its rather fun to imagine their previous homes. For more examples  http://www.esthercoombs.com/

 Prosthes Coat Rack by Form Us With Love. Use a broom handle, a few sticks, anything a bit pointy to slot into the connecting joint and create your own Coat Rack

http://www.formuswithlove.se/flash.php

Clamped Table by Ryan Sorrell. Exhibited at this years New Designerss 09 the Kingston University graduate has designed a set of table legs that can be clamped to anything flat to form a table. Pictured here with a nice new bit of board you could easily follow the theme of th RCO chair and recycle anything to hand.  The legs can accommodate boards of varying thickness and are designed for creating temporary or seasonal or emergency furniture. They can easily be deconstructed and stacked away when not in use.

RCO Chair (Re-use Component Optimizer Chair) by Niklas Madsen & Per Eriksson.  “We though of creating one component that can be the main structure for putting old chairs or just junk together into a new chair. RCO are made out of steel welded together into a solid structure. The user will find parts that will make-up a new chair (a new product).
The RCO component will help people to think, recycle and to re-invent new products in the same time. So it’s a tool that will help the human race to save the planet in style!”

Pictured here at Milan 09 they’ve used a combination of found chair legs and a bike seat, you could go for a more comfortable option, the bracket allows you to screw a more conventional seat to the base. For more ideas and options to go their website.

http://www.mentaldesign.se/page.php?rt=page/sve/content