Hasta La Ideas

Japanese designer Tokujin Yoshioka will present a table that’s almost invisible at the Salone Internazionale del Mobile in Milan next week.

Called Luminous, the solid glass table was designed for Italian brand Glas Italia.

Yoshioka specialises in transparent, barely-there design: see all our stories about his work here.

The Salone Internazionale del Mobile takes place from 17 to 22 April. See all our stories about Milan 2012 here.

Here’s some more information from Tokujin Yoshioka:

Glas Italia Luminous designed by Tokujin Yoshioka

In 2012, “LUMINOUS” will be presented at Glas Italia in Milan Salone del Mobile 2012.

Glas Italia is an Italian manufacturer of glass furniture who has a long history and tradition, and it is a first collaboration between GLAS ITALIA and Tokujin Yoshioka. “LUMINOUS” is the transparent glass table completed by the solid glass structure.

This table, given its birth by light itself, is as if it is freed from the material world, obtaining its appearance by the refraction of light and emits a mysterious presence.

Glas Italia: Hall 20 – Stand C 12

Eindhoven designers BCXSY worked with traditional Irish boat builders to develop this collection of stools, tables and bowls, which they’ll present at Spazio Rossana Orlandi in Milan next week.

Boaz Cohen and Sayaka Yamamoto were invited by the Sirius Arts Centre to undertake an artists’ residency at the Meitheal Mara boat-building culture and education centre in Cork.

Called Origin part III – Contrast, the pieces draw on steam-bending, joinery methods and clamps that the pair observed at the boat yard.

This is the third instalment in their Origin series of projects, working closely with skilled craftspeople to develop collections based on their techniques.

Last year they presented a collection of rugs woven by Bedouin women in Israel and in 2010 their first Origin project resulted in the acclaimed Join folding wooden screens made in collaboration with a Japanese joinery craftsman.

Read all our stories about BCXSY here.

The Salone Internazionale del Mobile takes place from 17 to 22 April. See all our stories about Milan 2012 here.

Here are some more details from BCXSY:

Origin part III: Contrast

Origin – our explorations into traditional crafts and techniques from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines.

Meitheal Mara – (translated from Irish roughly as, workers of the sea or sea community) is a charitable maritime cultural and educational centre based in Cork City in the south of Ireland, who’s main goal is to preserve the craftsmanship of traditional Irish boat building.

Contrast is the result of our collaboration with Meitheal Mara, and consists of a Side-Table, Stool, Fruit Bowl and Serving Tray.

The multidisciplinary arts organization, Sirius Art Centre, based in Cobh, County Cork, has commissioned us through their internationally recognized artist in residency program to collaborate with Meitheal Mara.

The boat-building techniques we have witnessed at Meitheal Mara were very different from the traditional artistry we have worked with in the past – they utilize rougher, unrefined and simple methods, while being strikingly efficient. Observing their work we were fascinated by how almost magically, in a matter of a few days, a vessel can be constructed which allows people to travel on the water.

Due to the fact that the work done by the participants at Meitheal Mara is specific and created to achieve a functional end-result, without involving much attention to cosmetic details, and that the artisans are comprised of people with a variety of backgrounds, skills levels and working schemes, the project has turned out to be particularly challenging.

Building or redesigning a boat was never our intention for this collaboration. Our goal was rather to employ the naturalness, efficiency and functionality of Meitheal Mara traditional working methods and distil various various elements involved in the boat-building process in order to create new objects that are aesthetically far away from what Meitheal Mara does in their day-to-day work, yet always remaining focused on maintaining the link to their inspirational-origin.

“Rule number one of a boatyard is that you never have enough clamps”. In times of need, improvised clamps are made of only two pieces plywood. These clever artefacts were our inspiration while developing the Side-Tables and Stools, by which the top plate is clamped between two vertical plates. The outer surfaces of the plywood are removed, revealing the less regularly placed wooden layers, making each and every piece unique.

Steaming and bending of long and narrow wooden planks are common during the boat-building process and mostly used for covering the outer surface or support the boat’s frame. For the Fruit Bowls we have used shorter and wider planks of freshly cut Ash. Two long cuts make it possible to bend and twist the surface until the final form is achieved and fixed by using copper nails and roves. The white painted parts are a reference to the water line painted on the boats.

A scarph joint is used for connecting two different pieces of timber and is commonly used when constructing a boat. A well-made joint gives the boat-builders a chance to demonstrate their skill.

The Serving Trays are constructed by two pieces of Sycamore. Once the joint is fixed, the top is painted, and then a part of the upper surface is routed, revealing the beauty of the light-coloured timber and the joint.

All timber used in the project is sourced from local, sustainable origins. All surface treatments are water-based and food safe.

(Photos courtesy Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec)

It wouldn’t be the Milan International Furniture Fair without a slew of smashing new creations from Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec. At this year’s mega-show, which kicks off next week with an eye-watering 1,400 exhibitors, the designing brothers will debut their glossy storage nooks for Vitra, a textured textile/shelving system hybrid created for Established & Sons, and assorted objects for Magis and Mattiazzi. Those who can’t make it to Milano can get their Bouroullec fix in the pages of Works, out next month from Phaidon. “Works is a comprehensive monograph featuring a wealth of images of our projects, models, drawings—that is to say all visual material we found interesting to dig out from the archives of our workshop,” said the brothers in an e-mail. “It documents what we do by proposing an intuitive understanding, a flowing journey from one project to another.” Organized thematically and designed by Sonia Dyakova, the book spotlights the Bouroullecs’ greatest hits—including collaborations with Vitra (Algue makes the cover), Flos, Alessi, Cappellini, and Kvadrat—and reveals previously unpublished images and drawings alongside text by Abitare alum Anniina Koivu. Also weighing in on the designers’ first dozen years of projects, which are all doumented in a catalogue section, are the likes of design critic Alice Rawsthorn, Vitra CEO Rolf Fehlbaum, and Didier Krzentowski of Galerie Kreo.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

This school table by industrial design students Arthur Brutter and Ido Bruno is specifically designed to form a safe shelter for pupils during earthquakes.

It’s common practice for school children to hide under their desks when an earthquake strikes but standard tables are not built for the purpose and can trap those sheltering underneath if they collapse in the wrong way.

The students considered different collapse scenarios and the need to maintain an escape route, as well as the day-to day requirements of teaching and cleaning.

The table will be presented at Ventura Lambrate design district in Milan this month as part of a showcase of work by students from Jerusalem’s Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, entitled Design Bonanza Bezalel.

Above: detail of a crush zone element, photograph by Ido Bruno

It’s also been nominated for the Design Museum’s design of the year award, due to be announced on 23 April.

Above: 1000 kg steel and concrete block at moment of impact, photograph by Ido Bruno

Dezeen are media partners for Ventura Lambrate, which takes place from 17 to 22 April. Download a map and guide to Ventura Lambrate here and see all our stories about Milan 2012 here.

Above: 1000 kg impact test, photograph by Ido Bruno

Studio photographs are by Tzur Kotzer.

Above: Arthur Brutter demonstrating rescue tunnel, photograph by Ido Bruno

Here are some more details from the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design:

At any given time, more than 300,000,000 pupils worldwide are facing impending danger because their schools are not built to withstand an earthquake. While it is common to instruct pupils to crawl under tables in case of an earthquake, existing classroom tables often turn into lethal traps for those taking refuge.

Above: table after 1000 kg sack impact test, photograph by Ido Bruno

This table is designed for a range of collapse scenarios. It provides a comprehensive solution by creating both covering, protection and a passageway for rescue team accessibility.

Above: standard school table impact test, photograph by Ivan Bianchini.

To date, the patent-pending design has successfully withstood a series of rigorous vertical impact tests and is currently awaiting official approval of the world-leading Structural Engineering department of Padua University, Italy.

Above: 500 kg impact test,photograph by Ivan Bianchini.

Earthquake table is light enough for two children to lift and move, as well as adapted to classroom cleaning and other routine, non-emergency needs.

Above: 800 kg sack impact test, photograph by Ivan Bianchini.

Design Bonanza Bezalel at Ventura Lambrate
Via Massimiano 6,
20134 Milan
Tuesday 17 – Sunday 22 April, 10:00 – 20:00

Above: 1000 kg impact test, photograph by Ivan Bianchini.

London designer Benjamin Hubert will present an upholstered version of his Maritime chair plus a coordinating dining table called Pontoon for Italian brand Casamania at the Salone Internazionale del Mobile next week.

The original Maritime S was launched this time last year and this new iteration is available with leather or Kvadrat textile seat pads.

The oak table has a slender frame with a central bar, stabilised by the distance between the rounded table top and under-frame.

See all our stories about Benjamin Hubert here.

The Salone Internazionale del Mobile takes place from 17 to 22 April. See all our stories about Milan 2012 here.

Here’s some more information from Benjamin Hubert:

Benjamin Hubert x Casamania

Pontoon is an oak dining table designed to work with the award winning Maritime dining chair. The table utilises the geometry and design language of the chair to create a simple and graphic table structure.

The table surface with generous corner radius is supported by slender legs connected together via a central beam. The legs taper to give an elegant silhouette made possible by the height positioning of the central structure to stabilise the slim profile. Pontoon is the second collaboration between Casamania and Benjamin Hubert launched at Salone Del Mobile in April 2012.

Materials:
Oak, natural oil
Dimensions
W750mm x H730mm x L1800mm W750mm x H730mm x L2500mm

Maritime S

Martime S is an extension of the timber Maritime chair Launched in 2011. The new version offers soft upholstered panels inserted into the distinctive timber framework.

The padded areas are available in both textile and leather options and can be simply interchanged or reupholstered as they are connected to the structure via velcro panels.

Materials:
Oak, natural oil, stain Kvadrat Divina MD, Leather
Dimensions W450mm x H730mm