In this live talk produced by Dezeen for Kvadrat, British graphic designer Peter Saville introduces his new Technicolour range of fabrics for the Danish textile brand. Watch live from 4:15pm Copenhagen time.
Saville, known as a prolific designer of record sleeves for acts like Joy Division and New Order, will speak to Dezeen's founder and editor-in-chief Marcus Fairs live from Kvadrat's flagship showroom in Copenhagen.
Also appearing on the panel are Kvadrat's vice president of design Stine Find Osther and Dienke Dekker, design manager for Kvadrat's rugs.
Peter Saville has created the Technicolour collection for Kvadrat
The talk coincides with the launch of Technicolour, Saville's first ever textile collection comprising an upholstery textile, two curtains and three rugs.
The talk is streamed from within an exhibition of the same name installed in the brand's Copenhagen showroom, which tells the story behind the collection and exhibits its various components.
According to Saville, the collection draws from the bold colours commonly used to mark flocks of sheep and is thematically concerned with the boundary between pastoral and industrial.
"I am excited by how the collection brings the industry of the land, in raw form, into the living environment," he explained. "The collection elements offer an experience of texture and colour, ranging from the expressionistic to the subliminal."
Saville will be on the panel
Born in Manchester in 1955, Saville studied graphic design at Manchester Polytechnic and made his name as co-founder and art director for Factory Records, where he began designing record sleeves.
He moved to London in 1979, where his design consultancy clients included department store Selfridges, record label EMI and fashion houses such as Jil Sander, John Galliano, Christian Dior, Stella McCartney and Burberry. He has been creative director of the City of Manchester since 2004 and was the winner of the London Design Medal in 2013.
As vice president of design at Kvadrat, Osther is responsible for the creative arm of the business. In her work with Kvadrat's collections, she collaborates with a wide range of external designers including Patricia Urquiola, Olafur Eliasson and the Bouroullec brothers.
Osther started working at Kvadrat in 2007 in the brand's product development team. She holds a masters degree in textile design from Kolding Designskole, Denmark.
Dienke Dekker will also be speaking
Based in Hamburg, Germany, Dekker is design manager of rugs at Kvadrat. She chose to specialise in textiles during her studies at Design Academy Eindhoven and founded her own studio in Rotterdam after graduating.
This is taking place on 16 September in Copenhagen, Denmark, as part of 3 Days of Design. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.
Amsterdam-based Studio Drift presented three drone shows at the Renegade Man festival in Nevada, which took place after the official Burning Man festival was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Studio Drift used hundreds of drones to create the playful light installations
Called Drone Stories, the studio hoped that the light installations would "create meaningful performances to connect people".
Each show saw hundreds of drones fly above thousands of spectators into formations known to be associated with past iterations of the official Burning Man festival.
"We thought: 'if no one is allowed to bring art then why not use our drones to create a collection of memories?'" Ralph Nauta and Lucas van Oostrum, the founders of Studio Drift told Dezeen.
The drones formed shapes associated with the Burning Man festival
To create each installation, the team sketched out ideas on paper and then translated them into the custom software needed for the drones. During the process, the designers also manipulated flight time, speed and light power.
"It's not every day you get to play with hundreds of drones able to create what you think of," the pair said. "We are using this technology to create artistic expressions and we want to push the boundaries of what is possible."
"Friday night we flew a homage to the artworks that have defined Burning Man for the last couple of years," explained Nauta and Van Oostrum.
Each formation was sketched onto paper before being programmed into the drones
While some formations are playful experimental 3D shapes, others such as the swarming Franchise Freedom, are designs that the studio has worked on for years and has presented at other events.
"Luckily we had some shapes pre-programmed such as Franchise Freedom which has taken years to create and would have been impossible to create on the spot," said the designers.
"It is a swarm algorithm symbolising the struggle of the individual towards the group," they said. "A fitting piece in covid time," they added.
The designers hope that the show demonstrates the possibilities of drone performance
Midway through, the swarm transformed into the shape of a man, in a nod towards the film Metropolis and the need for human interaction.
"The man raising its arms in joy ready to embrace its fellow humans is a symbol of reaching out to embrace one and another," said Nauta and Van Oostrum. "It's all about spreading the love we need so much," they continued.
Afterwards, the entire formation "burned" and crumbled back into the ground, echoing the way in which a burning figure is set alight each year to mark the end of the event.
British designer Tom Dixon explains how he worked with VitrA to create his first-ever bathroom collection in this video produced by Dezeen for the bathroom brand.
Dixon and VitrA collaborated to design Liquid, a range of fittings and furniture that encompasses all elements of the bathroom.
The pieces, which include furniture alongside sanitaryware, taps, tiles, shower systems and accessories, are designed to work together or as stand-alone pieces.
Tom Dixon has designed his first ever range of bathroom products for VitrA
The collection is characterised by a minimal approach to design, with chunky forms and soft lines. According to Dixon, these forms arose from a desire to create a stripped-back collection designed for intuitive use.
"What I'm trying to get to is almost an expressive minimalism, where what you're trying to do is have a very visible functionality and reduce visual noise," Dixon told Dezeen in the exclusive video interview.
"If they've got personality and they feel almost like a comic book representation of the artefact, I think that's a good thing," he continued. "There's something fun about a soft, fat edge."
The minimal collection is called liquid
Amongst the pieces in the collection is a cylindrical white ceramic stool with rounded edges.
"I wanted an object that kind of combines my everyday world of product, furniture and lighting design with a completely different bathroom world, and the stool seemed to be the kind of overlapping item," said Dixon.
"It's an iconic design, but also it gives the option to sit comfortably in the bathroom," added Erdem Akan, VitrA's design director, who was also interviewed for the video.
The collection includes furniture alongside sanitaryware, taps, tiles, shower systems and accessories
Also featured in the collection are a range of minimal taps and shower fixtures that come in a striking gloss black finish.
"In the tap world, you're able to do these super high tech finishes called PVD," explained Dixon. "We tested out a few things, the obvious golds and coppers, but the black works quite well as a monster contrast."
The components of Liquid were designed to be durable as well as minimal.
"The inspirations were really from Victorian roll top baths and fonts in churches – things that are visibly long-lasting," said Dixon.
The designer went on to explain the importance of creating pieces that are built to last.
"The important thing for me right now is really to design for long life, to make things really solid and make them long-lasting," he said.
"You've got to be really careful when you're designing not to make something too fashionable, which will go out of fashion, so trying to find the archetype of something that will last a really long time."
The launch of the collection coincides with the recent opening of VitrA London, which was designed by architecture studio TP Bennett to act as a showroom for the brand as well as a creative hub for architects and designers.
"London is a significant location for VitrA," said Akan. "We have been working in the UK market for the past 25 years and we were waiting for the right time to launch this showroom."
"It's a space for events, it's a space for collaboration, it's a space for co-creation and working together."
Partnership content
This video was produced by Dezeen for VitrA as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen's partnership content here.
Taha's studio Groupwork has been included in this year's six-strong Stirling Prize shortlist despite not being one of this year's RIBA National Award winners, which normally make up the prize's longlist.
The building's inclusion on the shortlist this year, therefore, came as a complete surprise to the architect.
Amin Taha (above) said he was "speechless" to learn that 15 Clerkenwell Close (top) has been shortlisted for the Stirling Prize 2021
"I was a bit speechless and confused until they explained it had been under consideration three years ago, but set aside for the planning appeal to be resolved," Taha told Dezeen.
"We aren't made aware whether a building is in final consideration until the shortlist is announced."
Groupwork's 15 Clerkenwell Close was shortlist three years after winning a RIBA National Award
"Winning the appeal on hearing the enforcement officer concede no demolition order would have been issued had he not removed all references to our stone design was vindication," said Taha.
"As RIBA jurors had already told us during their Regional and National Awards visits how much they appreciated the design and its investigation, being shortlisted for the Stirling Prize is simply a pleasure."
"RIBA does have to set aside controversies"
Although Taha was surprised to learn the building was removed from consideration in 2018, he understands the reasons why RIBA made the decision.
"The RIBA does have to set aside controversies that would otherwise take attention away from the Stirling Prize itself," he said.
The building contains Groupwork's studio
The 15 Clerkenwell Close building was designed by Groupwork to demonstrate the possibilities of using stone as a building's structure. The six-storey building has a structural stone frame.
"We aimed to question what a building is made of," said Taha. "Could it be lighter/greener, surprise us."
"The design team, from engineer to quantity surveyor, hadn't built in loadbearing stone before," he continued. "We found it quicker, cheaper and found beautiful fossils."
"That the final investigation turned out to have a 92 per cent saving on embodied CO2 compared to a steel frame clad in stone was unexpected and encouraged the team to take those lessons and substitute as much conventional building materials with stone and timber."
The six-strong shortlist includes a bridge in Cornwall, a mosque and a housing development in Cambridge, a university building in Kingston and a museum in the Lake District – all projects that won RIBA National Awards this year.
These projects are joined by the 15 Clerkenwell Close housing development designed by Taha's studio Groupwork, which won a RIBA National Award in 2018.
The surprise addition to the shortlist occurred due to a long-running planning dispute about the 15 Clerkenwell Close project that threatened it with demolition. This meant that it was not considered for the Stirling Prize in the year it won a National Award.
Above and top: 15 Clerkenwell Close has been shortlisted for the Stirling Prize three years after it won a RIBA Award. Photo is by Tim Soar
"The 2021 RIBA Stirling Prize shortlist demonstrates the innovation and ambition that lies at the heart of exceptional architecture," said RIBA president Simon Alford.
"From a busy city mosque in Cambridge to a remote coastal bridge in Cornwall, the six projects vary tremendously in their location and use – but they are united in their ingenuity and creativity, their consideration of their local environment and historical context, and their use of high-quality materials," he continued.
"In their architects' attention to detail, and their clients' tenacity and commitment, these six projects set themselves apart."
RIBA's Stirling Prize has been awarded annually, with the exception of last year, since 1996 to buildings deemed to have made the most significant impact on British architecture. This year's winner will be announced on 14 October.
Read on for edited citations from the Stirling Prize jury:
"15 Clerkenwell Close's non-descriptive title belies the astonishing architectural triumph that dwells at the simple address, occupying a plot of land a stone's throw from Clerkenwell Green.
" It is clear hearing the architect talk about the project, including a lengthy analysis of the history of the site dating back to a C11th Norman Abbey, that the thoroughness and care that has gone into every thought and every inch of the project, crossed the border of obsession very early in the process.
"The result is a truly bespoke, handcrafted work of art, but one that has a grace and balance suggesting that the obsession was harnessed rather than letting the madness in. "
"The urban intervention of inserting a mosque capable of welcoming 1,000 worshipers within a low rise, residential neighbourhood, without dominating it, is masterful.
"Central Cambridge mosque is a demonstration of how architecture can embody religious and cultural philosophy and traditions while utilising sustainable and contemporary materials.
"It is a building of evident programmatic clarity and function, where one of those essential functions is religious contemplation and delight. It has created a new, 21st century, non-denominational British mosque that is both specific to its place and time and which resonates with wider Islamic and religious buildings.
"To have achieved this in Cambridge, with its world-famous tradition of structural expression in religious architecture yet without contrivance is a remarkable achievement."
"This new bridge is beautifully executed at all scales, from the way it respects the silhouette of the landforms it abuts, down to the tactile detail of its path, made from slate on edge.
"Retracing the approximate width and length of the natural land-bridge and castle structures that have long since fallen into the water, the bridge notionally links past with present and physically connects two stranded sections of the castle precinct.
"With its highly ceremonial presence, articulated in every piece of finely crafted stainless steel, it also allows contemporary visitors to retrace the steps of predecessors who would have passed through this section of the castle to gain entry to the grand hall on the island side.
"This is much more than a bridge. It is a connector, an enabler, an interpreter and a spectacle all within its own right."
"Conceptually, the building exploits two key devices: the colonnade and the courtyard. Wrapping the building in a tall colonnade gives it presence on the street, successfully balancing the need to make a landmark statement with the wider need to respond respectfully in size and scale to its context.
"This building is about high quality at every scale, from the choice of materials, to the more abstract characteristics of warmth and flow.
"The muted colour palette and detailing too is controlled and expertly executed: nothing is out of place, everything is considered, and the result is a rich, beautiful canvas against which to set young creative minds free."
"Nestling into the eastern shore of Lake Windermere, the Jetty Museum creates a compelling composition of vernacular forms which achieves an unusual reconciliation of the reassuringly familiar with the strikingly contemporary.
"When seen from the lake its dark shed-like buildings are embedded in the wooded hillside behind, but on arrival the museum exudes the confident identity of a major cultural institution.
"The unique setting demanded a scheme with a clear vision and of the highest quality. The resulting building has been handled with sensitivity and deftness. It has a restrained and simple beauty that is boldly confident in its design and delivery."
Photo is by Jack Hobhouse
Key Worker Housing, Eddington by Stanton Williams
"The scheme manages to feel as though it is part Cambridge college and part new piece of city.
"As such there is a slight ambiguity of what is truly public and what is private communal space for the residents, yet publicly accessible. This is deliberately employed in order to foster a communal sense within the development and an encouragement to use the space accordingly.
"Overall the sequence of buildings and spaces between them is a delightful example of how a rigorous approach to form, materials and details can create a harmonious environment and make a great place.
"Eddington is emerging as a fascinating example of place creation and urban planning and this Key Worker Housing scheme has helped to establish a high benchmark for forthcoming phases."
