Archive for January 2010
Benjamin Kolstrup
Benjamin Kolstrup, 30, Denmark
School: Danmarks Designskole
Department: Furniture & Spatial Design
Specials: Furniture.
Design background
1 year at the School of Visuel Arts, 1996-1997 Valby – Cph. Denmark.
3 years doing various graphic odd jobs for Skibby Business Travel and Profil Business Travel 1997-2000.
BA in Design and 3 ½ years at Denmark design School, working primarily with furniture design.
Important lessons learned during your education
Believe in your original intention and idea.
Set your eye steadfast on your goal, but be willing to kill your darlings during the process!
Trust your instincts, work hard – nothing is impossible.
Learn from others and never be afraid to ask for help or advice.
Respect your fellow students and colleagues, no matter what their earlier design experience consists of – don’t be a smart ass, just be smart!
Did you do anything prior to your education to strengthen your skills and to get into your school?
Not really, besides a 2 years student course, this is always good to have I guess!
Took a chance and thankfully got in.
Project title
Chair Force One
Length of project
10 weeks
Inspiration
The construction and shape of the fighter planes from World War II, like the Submarine Spitfire and the Messerschmidt, but primarily the Spitfire, which I think is a beautiful aero plane.
I liked the thought of giving a lounge furniture an association to the shape and form of an airplane, so you could sit in your own private ‘Chair Force One’ and get flown away, while you relax.
Materials
Ash, Birch and pine wood.
Upholstery – cotton, foam and non woven fabric
Keywords for the visual design
The wing and back are meant to lean up against the earlier mentioned expression of an airplane. The wooden frame underneath the main body is inspired by old types of undercarriage on propeller aero planes, but also got inspired by some of Finn Juhl’s work with wooden frames on his chairs.
How is your work process when you design?
Very well structured in the initiating stages – I always do a really big bunch of research and sketching, but then my process very often turns into a totally confusing stage, caused by my craving need to reach very far.
But luckily, I’m a solid worker and a very stubborn striker – I love my profession very dearly!
Which part of the process is the hardest for you to work through?
The part of the process, where you have to make some very decisive decisions to continue the innovative development!
In your experience, are there specific skills that would be helpful to master?
Think it’s a huge strength to have good communicative skills, both verbally and visually, so your presentation of a developed design object becomes as informative, simple and interesting as possible.
Besides the above, learning tools and work methods, in order to strengthen your approach to the design process, so you can bring your product development up to a whole new tempo, quality and level.
What are your strengths?
Odd thinking and generating ideas, sketching on paper – I’m way better with a simple pen, creating form and expressions, than working with 3d drawing programs and it’s so much faster for me.
Stubbornness, passion for the trade, humility and respect for my mentors, fellow students and teachers.
What are your weaknesses?
Ohh…there’s many – you’re your own worst critic as known, but I really stink big time at the earlier mentioned 3d computer drawing programs. My patience regarding my own learning capabilities are really bad. Selling myself and my work at fairs – can do with the work of others, but my own…
Do you turn to specific areas for inspiration in general?
Mainly the design area, but besides that I’m trying to keep my channels for imprints open, in my everyday life.
Any designers you find inspirational?
Many – Georg Nakashima, Wegner and a lot of the other Old Danish masters like Wanscher, kjaerholm, Juhl and so on. Of the more modern designers – Jasper Morrison, Naoto Fukusawa, Patricia Urquiola, Konstantin Grcic, Nils Holger Moorman, Patrick Norguet, Ross Lovegrove and Stefan Sagmeister amongst others.
Other students you find inspirational?
Jenny palmborg, Erik Mattson, Jonas Lundby Jensen, Laura, Signe, Nina, Maria, Jose’, Martin, Sille, Lisa, Caroline, Mette, Hedvig and a lot other fellow students I see or meet during my day at Denmark Design School.
Is your work process based on a special approach towards design?
Even though the deep plate is invented, as our teachers always tell us, I’m continuously trying to create an original expression or story with my work.
Learning by doing!
Do you have a dream scenario for you and your design in the future?
Get to know a lot of interesting people. Keep on learning, developing and getting better to perform my trade and hopefully live of my work one day, very soon.
Has it always been a dream to work with design?
Noooo! Originally, I thought that I want to be a professional football player and all, then an art painter – that was too depressing and boring though. Then it was a human bowling ball and a chef, but then I realized that the design trade was my call and I bloody love it!
Why did you choose this specific specialization?
It felt natural.
Do you have any other projects you would like to highlight?
I’ve just finished a very cool lounge furniture that can be seen at this year’s Stockholm Furniture Fair, called “Chair Force One” which I’m very proud of.
Soon, I’m finishing a brand new dining room chair inspired by Wegner’s round chair.
Contact info
Benjaminkolstrup@live.dk/bekol@student.dkds.dk
Mobile. +4526393526
Christina Liljenberg Halstrøm
Name: Christina Liljenberg Halstrøm, 32, Denmark
School: Graduated The Danish Design School 2007
Department: Furniture and Spatial Design
Specials: Furniture
Design background
After graduating The Danish Design School in 2007 I have participated in numerous exhibitions, lately The Cabinetmakers Autumn Exhibition in Glyptoteket. I also work as a lecturer at PBA Design and Business, Copenhagen school of Design and Technology (Københavns Erhvervsakademi)
Important lessons learned during your education
That litterature is an constant source of inspiration, that trying out all the workshops and learning how to express my ideas in a interesting way.
Did you do anything prior to your education to strengthen your skills and to get into your school?
I was living in Stockholm before I started my education at DKDS. There I went to the Stockholm school of Art and to Nyckelvikskolan. I also worked for one year at a design-studio.
Project title
Mediator
Length of project
2 months approximately
Concept
Two chairs tied together by a piece of textile reminding disagreeing parties to collaborate rather than counteracting. In a case of negotiation, opinions can be very black and white. To reach agreement you have to dare meet your opponent and go into the grey zone.
Inspiration
Dialogue and negotiation
Materials
Steel chairs, organic wool
Keywords for the visual design
The chairs are simple almost pictogrammic so they don´t blur the overall perception of the piece
How is your work process when you design?
I usually start my process by writing and reading a lot, then I start sketching both on paper and 3D.
Which part of the process is the hardest for you to work through?
Probably when I think I am almost there, then I get insanely selfcritic and wonder what the hell I am doing. Then a few days passes with a bad mood and suddenly I find what is missing and I can go on.
In your experience, are there specific skills that would be helpful to master?
I would love to be better at anything that has to do with computers. And practising talking about my ideas and works so that other people find them interesting
What are your strengths?
Working hands-on with many different materials
What are your weaknesses?
Forever computer
Do you turn to specific areas for inspiration in general?
I quite like the french philosopher Gilles Deleuze, who has written some pretty crazy things, but litterature in general is very inspirational. I also like observing how everyday things influence my everyday life and try to work out what to do with that.
Any designers you find inspirational?
I love Henrik Vibskovs weird universe
Other students you find inspirational?
I share my studio with fashion and textile designer Andrea Lehmann Sivertsen, whom I went to school with. We have kind of the same approach to design but we make very different things even though we steal ideas from each other all the time.
Is your work process based on a special approach towards design?
I always have Haptic approach when I design. How materials feel and the way they are connected
Do you have a dream scenario for you and your design in the future?
I would love to go on as I do right now, but with a bit more money involved. And time is also something I lack
Has it always been a dream to work with design?
When I was little I thought I was going to be a fashion designer, then I wanted to be a painter, but I ended up with furniture.
Why did you choose this specific specialization?
I used to carv wood a lot as a child and somehow I remembered that when I got older. I also find working with objects that connects so much to our everyday life very interesting.
Were can we find more information about you?
Soon my website will be up and running again, www.under-opsyn.dk
Contact info
Christina Liljenberg Halstrøm
Marstalsgade 25, 3th
2100 Copenhagen O
chrisliljehal@gmail.com
Caroline Grebasch
Caroline Grebasch, 24, Germany
Exchange at DenmarksDesignSchool - Applied Arts School Schneeberg, Germany
Department: Textile Design
Specials: Printing, Knitting, Graphics
Design background
- 2 years vocational Training with certification as “Assistant for Design” Specialization Graphics
- 1 year internship at Moeve Textiles, Germany
- 1 year internship at Rug Star by J.Dahlmanns, Germany
- exchange semester at the Danish Design School Copenhagen, Denmark
- in February I will start my final semester at the Applied Arts School Schneeberg, Germany
Project title
Textiled Furniture/ Furniture Textiles
Length of project
10 weeks
Concept
I wanted to create a three-dimensional object out of a flat piece of foam by using an easy roll and pull-over principle.
Setting the focus on the foam as a representation of textiles and working after “Form follows Material”.
Inspiration
Formless Furniture made by e.g. Clas Oldenburg or Piero Gilardi and the look of oversized collars in fashion
Materials
Foam, plywood, bi-elastic fabric and rope
Keywords for the visual design
simple, clean, elegant
How is your work process when you design?
Hard, confusing, exciting and always also refreshing
Important lessons learned during your education
To believe in my ideas and actions as a designer.
Do you turn to specific areas for inspiration in general?
The world I’m living in….
Which part of the process is the hardest for you to work through?
To organize my thoughts and set my focus on the right points.
What are your strengths?
Working hard to reach my aims
What are your weaknesses?
Struggling sometimes by finding out what I really want
Any designers you find inspirational?
At the moment: Smeilinener, Germany
Other students you find inspirational?
It is always inspirational to see the work of others or, if it’s possible, to collaborate with fellow students and learn from them.
Is your work process based on a special approach towards design?
I don’t think I can generalize it. It’s different from project to project.
Has it always been a dream to work with design?
I wanted to become a princess when I was a child….
But seriously, yes it always was a dream!
Why did you choose this specific specialization?
I think as a textile designer you have the chance to work in many fields like furniture, fashion, graphic or even architecture…you’re not that fixed and that’s what I like.
Contact info
caro@grebasch.com
Maria Bruun
Maria Bruun, 25, Denmark
Danish Design School
Department: Design master
Specials: Spatial -& Furniture design
Design background
Krabbesholm Højskole, Product Design, s06
BA Danish Design School, s09
Maters Danish Design School, s11
Important lessons learned during your education
Trust your instincts. Do the projects that excites you.
Project title
Soft
Length of project
5 weeks
Concept
Working with the combination of textile and furniture design, creating new inspiring conceptual furniture with strengths from both worlds.
Inspiration
My inspiration was an article in Domus 927, September 09 “Textile is the logics of a soft space”, describing how architecture can advantage from morphing with textile. “Textile allows architecture to be defined along the curved geometries of its skin, going beyond the rectilinear logic of the soft set square” (domus 927). My inspiration became to morph the soft qualities from the textile with the constructive qualities of the furniture.
Materials
10mm steel, 200 m rope pollsterd in grey cotton jersey, with “ felt socks”.
Keywords for the visual design
Transparency….. monolith…..tactility…..movement.
How is your work process when you design?
Experimental. In this case the concept developed from free conceptual form to more functional ideas. I mainly experiment through creating 1:5 models, and determine qualities and weaknesses.
Which part of the process is the hardest for you to work through?
For me, the hardest part of the process is where I have to make the defining decisions about design and construction. Striving for a perfect result these decisions are crucial.
In your experience, are there specific skills that would be helpful to master?
Trust your instincts; learn to communicate your design through sketching and modeling.
What are your strengths?
Creating design concepts.
What are your weaknesses?
When I forget my “gut-feeling”.
Do you turn to specific areas for inspiration in general?
Right now new materials and skills are great inspiration in creating new concepts and shapes.
Any designers you find inspirational?
Cecilie Manz
Is your work process based on a special approach towards design?
I strive to focus on function, aesthetic and innovation.
Has it always been a dream to work with design?
Working creatively has always been a dream.
Why did you choose this specific specialization?
To create shape and function for human usage.
Were can we find more information about you?
mariabruun.com
Contact info
bruundesign@gmail.com
