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The Danish Crafts show includes everything from textiles to chairs but the most interesting artifact is hidden away downstairs where participant’s processes and materials were explained in what was essentially a succinct three-dimensional infographic: Items involved in the creative and fabrication process are hung on cables stretching from floor to ceiling with one designer’s work per cable. One project includes two magnetized wooden tambourine-like forms that hold the two (physically) unconnected halves of the cable taut.
The Danish Crafts show includes everything from textiles to chairs but the most interesting artifact is hidden away downstairs where participant’s processes and materials were explained in what was essentially a succinct three-dimensional infographic: Items involved in the creative and fabrication process are hung on cables stretching from floor to ceiling with one designer’s work per cable. One project includes two magnetized wooden tambourine-like forms that hold the two (physically) unconnected halves of the cable taut.
Sander Mulder’s studio is showing a new bar pendant light that can be dimmed by touching a void at the midpoint of the light, turned off by folding the entire object downwards from the middle, and turned on by returning the two halves to alignment.
Sander Mulder’s studio is showing a new bar pendant light that can be dimmed by touching a void at the midpoint of the light, turned off by folding the entire object downwards from the middle, and turned on by returning the two halves to alignment.
The off position for Sander Mulder’s bar light.
The off position for Sander Mulder’s bar light.
Nendo has several shows at satellite events and the fairgrounds, but these tables, which look like metal pieces for outdoor use are actually made from bamboo.
Nendo has several shows at satellite events and the fairgrounds, but these tables, which look like metal pieces for outdoor use are actually made from bamboo.
In Ventura Lambrate at the Enrico Fornello Gallery, the Analogia Project by Andrea Mancuso and Emilia Serra consisted of a cozy interior "sketched" in three dimensions using wires and wool.
In Ventura Lambrate at the Enrico Fornello Gallery, the Analogia Project by Andrea Mancuso and Emilia Serra consisted of a cozy interior "sketched" in three dimensions using wires and wool.
Christian Zuzunaga has taken his exquisite pixelated color field patterns from upholstery and fabric into carpets and now scarves, blankets. In the midst of his display, a craftsman worked a pedal loom showing how Zuzunaga’s colorful pieces are woven.
Christian Zuzunaga has taken his exquisite pixelated color field patterns from upholstery and fabric into carpets and now scarves, blankets. In the midst of his display, a craftsman worked a pedal loom showing how Zuzunaga’s colorful pieces are woven.
Inside one building, Royal College of Art students present an exhibition entitled Paradise, featuring rooms paneled with huge sheets of colored acetate and displays assembled from silvered or transparent rolls of thick mylar that they belted with Velcro strips. The exhibition marks the school’s 175th anniversary and featured work by over 90 students and recent grads from multiple disciplines.
Inside one building, Royal College of Art students present an exhibition entitled Paradise, featuring rooms paneled with huge sheets of colored acetate and displays assembled from silvered or transparent rolls of thick mylar that they belted with Velcro strips. The exhibition marks the school’s 175th anniversary and featured work by over 90 students and recent grads from multiple disciplines.
Students demonstrated how they had make soft cotton candy-like tufts called PolyFlos from upcycled plastic products that they then mold into various new objects, including colorful--and tactile--vases and bowls.
Students demonstrated how they had make soft cotton candy-like tufts called PolyFlos from upcycled plastic products that they then mold into various new objects, including colorful--and tactile--vases and bowls.
This simple wooden chair by Brazil-born, Italian designer Antonio Aricò features a seat that fits onto the diminutive arms like a piece of a jigsaw puzzle.
This simple wooden chair by Brazil-born, Italian designer Antonio Aricò features a seat that fits onto the diminutive arms like a piece of a jigsaw puzzle.
For the Lebanese Carwan Gallery, New York-based Lindsey Adams Adelman worked with craftsman Blatt Chaya to create the exquisite geometric pattern of the Refraction Tiles using marble and concrete powder in a limited edition of nine tile designs—which will expire within one year.
For the Lebanese Carwan Gallery, New York-based Lindsey Adams Adelman worked with craftsman Blatt Chaya to create the exquisite geometric pattern of the Refraction Tiles using marble and concrete powder in a limited edition of nine tile designs—which will expire within one year.
Upstairs are stations for block and screen printing that are separated by “festoons,” swagging ribbons of printed paper drying on T-shaped hangers that reach nearly from ceiling and floor. These kinds of printing are precise processes completed by extremely skilled and experienced hands.
Upstairs are stations for block and screen printing that are separated by “festoons,” swagging ribbons of printed paper drying on T-shaped hangers that reach nearly from ceiling and floor. These kinds of printing are precise processes completed by extremely skilled and experienced hands.
Circus is part of an uncharacteristically geometric collection that Cole & Son is debuting this fall.
Circus is part of an uncharacteristically geometric collection that Cole & Son is debuting this fall.
Looking down on the street-level factory floor, new and very old printing machines sit side by side.
Looking down on the street-level factory floor, new and very old printing machines sit side by side.
One of the older machines on the factory floor.
One of the older machines on the factory floor.
Vast, 300-meter-long rolls are threaded into the machine to begin the printing process by applying a solid base coat.
Vast, 300-meter-long rolls are threaded into the machine to begin the printing process by applying a solid base coat.
Printer rolls are carved with a particular pattern and inked by being rolled against a woolly felt, rubber-backed pad that is constantly drenched with ink.
Printer rolls are carved with a particular pattern and inked by being rolled against a woolly felt, rubber-backed pad that is constantly drenched with ink.
Flocking is an extremely labor-intensive process. After receiving their base coat and moulding, papers are coated with a patterned adhesive and then flocked with a powdery rayon in a slough that resembles something a gold miner might have used. In the old days, sticks were used to agitate the tarpaulin beneath the paper to ensure proper coverage as the flock was shaken through a sieve above. It takes about two days for the glue to dry.
Flocking is an extremely labor-intensive process. After receiving their base coat and moulding, papers are coated with a patterned adhesive and then flocked with a powdery rayon in a slough that resembles something a gold miner might have used. In the old days, sticks were used to agitate the tarpaulin beneath the paper to ensure proper coverage as the flock was shaken through a sieve above. It takes about two days for the glue to dry.
Shelves hold rows and rows of print rollers. The wider the roller, the longer the repeat of the pattern will be; the narrower it is, the shorter the repeat. Repeats can range from about 10 cm to 75 cm or more.
Shelves hold rows and rows of print rollers. The wider the roller, the longer the repeat of the pattern will be; the narrower it is, the shorter the repeat. Repeats can range from about 10 cm to 75 cm or more.
In the paint mixing area, colors are concocted by eye, not by precise formulas. Their recipe depends in part on the climate of the day.
In the paint mixing area, colors are concocted by eye, not by precise formulas. Their recipe depends in part on the climate of the day.
Like a wine cave or a vintage humidor, this archive contains about 3,000 numbered, carved pearwood pattern blocks used for block printing by hand. Some, despite the company’s relative youth, are over 300 years old because the founder, John Perry, acquired patterns from older companies.
Like a wine cave or a vintage humidor, this archive contains about 3,000 numbered, carved pearwood pattern blocks used for block printing by hand. Some, despite the company’s relative youth, are over 300 years old because the founder, John Perry, acquired patterns from older companies.
Each patterned wood block costs between 3-5,000 pounds sterling to replace. To prolong the life of a block, it may be soaked in water in order to swell the wood and thereby diminish cracks.
Each patterned wood block costs between 3-5,000 pounds sterling to replace. To prolong the life of a block, it may be soaked in water in order to swell the wood and thereby diminish cracks.
The archive also contains some print rollers, as well.
The archive also contains some print rollers, as well.
During screenprinting, ink is applied over a gauze-y screen patterned with very fine holes and then forced through the screen with a wide squeegee-like device that is pulled across its surface.
During screenprinting, ink is applied over a gauze-y screen patterned with very fine holes and then forced through the screen with a wide squeegee-like device that is pulled across its surface.
During block printing, color is applied under the pattern. The carved wooden block patterns are inked by pitching and rolling them against a thick wool-felt pad and then pressed (using pressure from both the hand and foot, by standing on a wooden pedal) against the paper. An extremely skilled printer can turn out about 25 10-meter rolls per day.
During block printing, color is applied under the pattern. The carved wooden block patterns are inked by pitching and rolling them against a thick wool-felt pad and then pressed (using pressure from both the hand and foot, by standing on a wooden pedal) against the paper. An extremely skilled printer can turn out about 25 10-meter rolls per day.
A gorgeously cluttered archive of rolls and remnants can be used by designers or to match old patterns that clients would like to replace. In the factory’s previous location in north London, an arsonist was responsible for the destruction of part of this library although the tightness with which they were wound saved many of the rolls. Don't miss a word of Dwell! Download our FREE app from iTunes, friend us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter!
A gorgeously cluttered archive of rolls and remnants can be used by designers or to match old patterns that clients would like to replace. In the factory’s previous location in north London, an arsonist was responsible for the destruction of part of this library although the tightness with which they were wound saved many of the rolls. Don't miss a word of Dwell! Download our FREE app from iTunes, friend us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter!
Vienna-based designer Thomas Feichtner exhibited work that's formally experimental, but refined for a larger market by producers.
Vienna-based designer Thomas Feichtner exhibited work that's formally experimental, but refined for a larger market by producers.
Feichtner's angular teapot, bracelet, and cutlery design called "Cutt." Don't miss a word of Dwell! Download our FREE app from iTunes, friend us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter!
Feichtner's angular teapot, bracelet, and cutlery design called "Cutt." Don't miss a word of Dwell! Download our FREE app from iTunes, friend us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter!
Feichtner's dishware features narrow, seemingly unstable bottoms but actually are quite stable.
Feichtner's dishware features narrow, seemingly unstable bottoms but actually are quite stable.
At Tramshed, spearheaded by Luis de Oliveira of the increasingly progressive Portuguese furniture label De La Espada, Søren Rose Studio showed off a bristly chandelier that is a good example of a species of pendant light that a number of designers have been experimenting with lately.
At Tramshed, spearheaded by Luis de Oliveira of the increasingly progressive Portuguese furniture label De La Espada, Søren Rose Studio showed off a bristly chandelier that is a good example of a species of pendant light that a number of designers have been experimenting with lately.
The streets of London, itself, provided wall space for those who didn’t want to hire a booth at Earls Court. This jocular example was on a street off Brick Lane in Hackney, East London.
The streets of London, itself, provided wall space for those who didn’t want to hire a booth at Earls Court. This jocular example was on a street off Brick Lane in Hackney, East London.
With Sam James and Doug Inge, Jake Dyson (James Dyson fils, and the inventiveness shows) has created a dimmable LED task lamp that resembles an architectural ruler and gives a warm white light that will last more than 37 years. A visually graceful blend of its inspirations (a construction crane and a drawing board), CSYS moves like butter from front to back, up and down and rotates on its axis while its intensity can be adjusted via an unobtrusive touch-sensitive button.
With Sam James and Doug Inge, Jake Dyson (James Dyson fils, and the inventiveness shows) has created a dimmable LED task lamp that resembles an architectural ruler and gives a warm white light that will last more than 37 years. A visually graceful blend of its inspirations (a construction crane and a drawing board), CSYS moves like butter from front to back, up and down and rotates on its axis while its intensity can be adjusted via an unobtrusive touch-sensitive button.
Clerkenwell-based Jake Dyson’s CSYS task light boasts heat pipe technology developed for use in satellites that distributes heat away from the LEDs, saving energy and prolonging life. With 100,000+ hours of use, it could become a legacy for your grandchildren.
Clerkenwell-based Jake Dyson’s CSYS task light boasts heat pipe technology developed for use in satellites that distributes heat away from the LEDs, saving energy and prolonging life. With 100,000+ hours of use, it could become a legacy for your grandchildren.
For Established & Sons’s Shoreditch offices and its My London-themed events celebrating the origins of the brand, Nendo printed multiple city maps on heavy trace paper, cut them into squares and feathered the walls with them to mimic London’s legendary fog—of which there was, thankfully, none during the festival.
For Established & Sons’s Shoreditch offices and its My London-themed events celebrating the origins of the brand, Nendo printed multiple city maps on heavy trace paper, cut them into squares and feathered the walls with them to mimic London’s legendary fog—of which there was, thankfully, none during the festival.
Tom Dixon hosted events at and near his offices at The Dock, a year-round restaurant situated along a narrow canal in West Kensington. The stand-out product, however, was a flatpack boat by two 2011 RCA graduates, Max Frommeld (pictured here) and Amo Mathies [Max is pictured in the boat in one of the photos] who milled a high-density polyethylene plastic to create “live hinges” that can be folded over and over again a minimum of 6000 times. It will retail for only 800 pounds (about $1,250) in a package that includes oars, watertight cushions and a safety device.
Tom Dixon hosted events at and near his offices at The Dock, a year-round restaurant situated along a narrow canal in West Kensington. The stand-out product, however, was a flatpack boat by two 2011 RCA graduates, Max Frommeld (pictured here) and Amo Mathies [Max is pictured in the boat in one of the photos] who milled a high-density polyethylene plastic to create “live hinges” that can be folded over and over again a minimum of 6000 times. It will retail for only 800 pounds (about $1,250) in a package that includes oars, watertight cushions and a safety device.
Leipzig-born ceramicist Johannes Nagel showed conspicuously hand-formed and hand-painted pieces in the basement of the limited-edition design gallery, FUMI.
Leipzig-born ceramicist Johannes Nagel showed conspicuously hand-formed and hand-painted pieces in the basement of the limited-edition design gallery, FUMI.
Another work by Nagel.
Another work by Nagel.

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