Basé à Londres, l’architecte et designer Ron Arad a toujours aimé manipuler le métal. Sa série « In Reverse » rassemble entre autres des carcasses de coccinelles Fiat écrasées contre un mur ou contre le sol. Des sculptures à découvrir en photo par Marco Gallo de Feel Desain dans la suite de l’article.
Exposition jusqu’au 30 mars 2014 à la Pinacoteca Agnelli, à Turin.
Designer Ron Arad compares the overuse of 3D printing today to how musicians “abused” synthesisers in this movie made by Alice Masters for London’s Design Museum.
Ron Arad was interviewed about his use of rapid-prototyping technology to coincide with the Design Museum‘s The Future is Here exhibition, currently displaying some of his pioneering and more recent 3D-printed work.
“I discovered [3D printing] when it was called rapid prototyping… and I thought ‘here’s another way of making things’,” he says. “Things are very fast, you can draw something in the morning and print it in the evening.”
Currently exhibited at the museum, Arad’s Not Made by Hand, Not Made in China collection of spiralling, flexible 3D-printed designs was launched during Milan design week in 2000.
“I remember showing it to [designer] Achille Castiglioni when he came to see it,” says Arad. “I remember taking the time and explaining to him what it is, and I thought ‘this is great, I have something new to teach one of my heroes’.”
He reminisces about how exciting it was to experiment with the new materials and machinery, but says over time it was overused just as synthesisers were in music.
“The technology completely took over the studio and it was the most interesting thing we were dealing with, and predictably it became commonplace,” he remembers. “Synthesisers were abused completely and so is this technology we’re talking about.”
In the movie he also talks about his range of glasses made entirely from selective laser sintered (SLS) nylon powder, launched in Milan earlier this year and also part of the exhibit.
“Usually when you make eyewear it has a lot of components and a lot of tedious work with little things, screws, hinges,” he says. “We have the whole collection that is monolithic, just one material.”
Finally, he ponders everyday uses for the technology in the future: “Maybe in the future the plumber will have a machine in his van that will just print the S-pipe according to his needs in the van.”
Dezeen also interviewed Arad about his 3D-printed eyewear as part of our Dezeen and MINI World Tour coverage of this year’s Milan design week.
The Future is Here continues at London’s Design Museum until 29 October 2013.
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– Ron Arad appeared first on Dezeen.
Product news: London designer Ron Arad has designed a wavy plastic bench shaped liked the infinity symbol, with curving backrests stretching upwards at each end.
Called Folly, the rust-coloured bench designed for Italian furniture brand Magis by industrial designer Ron Arad is made from rotational-moulded polyethylene and is suitable for indoor and outdoor use.
On display at Salone Internazionale del Mobile in Milan earlier this year, the Folly bench is 950 milimetres wide and 1100 milimetres high and suitable for up to 10 people to sit on.
“Ron Arad’s creations, whether functional or purely aesthetic, are characterised by motion, by soft lines that give all his works a highly dynamic orientation despite their primitive, simple forms,” said Magis.
Other new products designed for Magis include a set of minimal dials to monitor air temperature, pressure and humidity, and an update to their Steelwood chair by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec.
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Photography is from Magis.
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for Magis appeared first on Dezeen.
Dezeen and MINI World Tour: designer Ron Arad launched a range of 3D printed eyewear in Milan earlier this month. In this movie he discusses his pioneering 3D printing experiments in 1999 and his views on the technology today.
The glasses feature one-piece frames of printed polyamide with flexible joints instead of hinges. “It’s the first pair of glasses that I know about that is one component,” says Arad. “It’s monolithic.”
The frames are the latest concept designed by Arad for new brand pq eyewear, of which he is co-founder. Yet he says the fact that they’re printed is uninteresting: “Who cares?” he says. “What we care about is does it work well? Does [printing] give you freedom to do things you can’t in other techniques? Not the fact that it’s printed.”
Arad was an early pioneer of 3D printing as a way of making finished products rather than prototypes. His 1999 show Not Made by Hand, Not Made in China, which featured lights, jewellery and vases, was several years ahead of other designers’ experiments in with a technology that at the time was called “rapid prototyping”.
“There was a lot of excitement in the technology,” says Arad. “It was obvious that it would be embraced by lots of people, and then that technology would be less exciting. You could do more exciting things but the technology would be, and should be, taken for granted.”
Arad compares the one-piece construction of the printed eyewear with the multi-component, hand-assembled A-Frame glasses he recently designed for pq.
“If you ask my studio to send you a movie of how say [the A-Frame] glasses are made you’ll see there’s so much manual work around it and so much fiddling,” says Arad, explaining that the glasses require a skilled workforce to assemble. “I don’t want to take the jobs from these people, but [printing] is a different way of doing something.”
Arad helped come up with the pq logo and brand name, which refers to the spectacle-like forms of the letters p and q. “It’s a new brand that we started from the ground up,” Arad explains. “We had to invent a name for a brand of eyewear, we had to do the logo. [It’s called] pq because when you write p and q you draw glasses, and they are palindromic, so you can look at it from [the other side].”
The glasses are featured in Print Shift, our one-off, print-on-demand magazine about 3D printing.
The products were launched at luxury eyewear store Punto Ottico in Milan during Milan design week. We travelled to the opening in our MINI Cooper S Paceman. See more Dezeen and MINI World Tour reports from Milan.
The music featured is a track called Where are Your People? by We Have Band, a UK-based electronic act who played at the MINI Paceman Garage in Milan.
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that is one component” appeared first on Dezeen.
Milan 2013: pulses of electricity change the colour of this workstation unveiled by designer Ron Arad at Salone in Milan this week (+ movie).
No Bad Colours by Ron Arad is presented as part of Jean Nouvel’s Project: Office for Living installation in the SaloneUfficio space, which sets out the architect’s vision for offices of the future.
The workstation is a simple black box with a desk and shelves against a colour-changing wall, which uses a patented technology developed by UK materials firm Versatile Technologies.
The colour of the wall changes instantly or fades slowly as pulses of electricity are applied to a layer of fluid held between transparent sheets.
The user can change or programme the colours with Bluetooth technology using their desktop, laptop, tablet or smartphone application.
The wall doesn’t require artificial lighting and once a colour has been selected it needs no extra power to be maintained.
“We are talking about reflecting rather than transmitting colours, so we don’t require backlit panels and the surfaces enjoy rather than suffer from external light,” said Arad.
Yesterday we reported on Arad’s new range of 3D-printed spectacles and sunglasses for eyewear brand pq and Dezeen editor Rose Etherington posted a round-up of highlights from the Salone, including an aluminium sideboard by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec and monochrome pendant lamps by Zaha Hadid.
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Here’s some more information from Versatile Technologies:
In a blink, a beautiful block of green-veined marble is transformed into a rich shade of gold. At the touch of a button, a spectacular restaurant transitions from its winter theme to spring. The walls of a corporate office brighten to lift the spirits and productivity of employees near the end of the workday. And as caterers prepare for the arrival of guests, a family kitchen becomes the backdrop for a high-class cocktail party.
Introducing Active True Colour from Versatile Technologies, Ltd. — a dynamic surface material technology that enables infinite and instant changes in colour, design and pattern. Active True Colour is being introduced in Milan at Salone Internazionale del Mobile 2013. The revolutionary, patented Active True Colour technology enriches living spaces, workspaces and public spaces by dramatically expanding and enriching the way people experience colour and design. Using Active True Colour, surfaces are no longer static; they become adaptive and vital expressions of mood, tone, season and environment.
Ron Arad is presenting the first Active True Colour piece, an integrated colour-changing workstation containing a desk, shelves and wall, within his new project, No Bad Colours, as part of a Jean Nouvel-curated exhibition, Office For Living, taking place inside the Salone Ufficio Pavilion during the Salone del Mobile. This is the first outing of Arad’s ongoing development of products and projects incorporating Active True Colour in his role as lead designer and art director of the product.
“I was very excited to join this project as it offered a genuine new possibility to alter colours at will in both architectural spaces and small products,” said Mr. Arad. “The main ‘news’ here is that we are talking about reflecting rather than transmitting colours, so we don’t require backlit panels and the surfaces enjoy rather than suffer from external light. We immediately started work in a variety of scales and contexts. This is just the beginning.”
Active True Colour delivers a nearly endless spectrum of yet-to-be imagined original designs, natural colours, patterns, and architectural finishes that can be applied to virtually any surface (interior and exterior walls, floors, table/counter tops, furniture, etc.). Active True Colour delivers vivid and beautiful colours, reflecting the ambient light, just like natural colour. The technology is nothing like the harsh, intrusive and more energy intensive light-emitting design solutions offered through LED, LCD or Plasma.
“Active True Colour is the foundation of a game-changing surface material and there is no better place to introduce it to the design and architecture community than the Saloni 2013,” said Ran Poliakine, chairman, Versatile, Ltd. “The potential for incorporating Active True Colour into the design of all the places we live is as infinite as the boundaries of your imagination.”
“As Active True Colour becomes a new standard for innovative, adaptive surface materials, we’re no longer going to ask what colour an object is without adding the word ‘now,'” said Eyal Cohen, CEO, Versatile, Ltd. “We’re not going to choose colour when we buy, we’ll choose colour as we go. Active True Colour opens up a colourful new world of design possibilities that can evolve based on life’s ever-changing moments in time.”
Initially, Versatile Technologies, Ltd. will partner with a select group of the world’s top designers, architects and real estate developers. Subsequently, Versatile plans to offer an electronic catalogue of stock and original colourful designs and patterns to all architects and designers seeking to work and design with this new medium. Versatile will deliver an array of architectural finishes: stone (marble, granite, etc.), wood, fabric, metals, glass, leather, sand, stucco; plus original surfaces that spring from the imaginations of designers.
How Active True Colour Works: For the layman, the foundation of the revolutionary, patented Active True Colour technology is organic chemistry. Versatile, Ltd. has pioneered and developed a proprietary, very low power technology that can be used to indefinitely change surface colours. The coloured layer of Active True Colour consists of a fluid held between transparent sheets that can selectively reflect a range of colours. The colours can be easily changed – either instantly or by fading – by applying pulses of electricity to the fluid film, which reorients the molecules of the fluid to create other colours. Active True Colour does not require any artificial, projected backlighting. Once the colour is generated, no further power is required to maintain the natural colour. Dr. David Coates, chief technology officer and the creator of Active True Colour, has
published more than 80 articles and eight scientific textbook chapters, and is named as an inventor on over 200 patents.
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by Ron Arad appeared first on Dezeen.
Milan 2013: London designer Ron Arad has created a range of 3D-printed spectacles and sunglasses for eyewear brand pq.
Speaking to Dezeen yesterday at the launch in Milan, Ron Arad explained: “The brand wanted to advertise the fact that it’s printed but I said let’s not go on about it. But it’s printed. It’s the first pair of glasses that I know about that is one piece of material; it’s monolithic. It’s polyamide.”
The frames are built entirely from nylon powder using selective laser sintering (SLS) technology, with hinges made by scores in the material rather than from additional metal parts. “It has a stem that’s flexible one way and stops the other,” said Arad.
Above: Archway style from the Springs collection
Top: Angel style from the Springs collection
Each style is name after a station on the London Underground’s Northern line, including Old Street, Kentish Town and Golders Green. The Angel shades have droplet-shaped lenses, the Colindale models come with round lenses and the Highgate and Archway designs both feature an exaggerated bridge.
All frames are available in a selection of colours and the sunglasses some with tinted lenses in various shades. Arad has also designed a range of glasses that can be adjusted to fit any face for the same company.
Above: Balham style from the Springs collection
Arad was one of the first designers to work with 3D printing in 1999. “In 1999 we had our first outing with what in those days was called rapid prototyping,” he said. “We did vases, lights and jewellery. There was a lot of excitement in the technology then, it was obvious it was on the cards and would be embraced by lots of people.”
Other 3D-printed designs released in recent months include American football boot studs and a dress for Dita Von Teese, while a race to create the first 3D-printed house is on between a canal house in Amsterdam, a plastic dwelling to be assembled in three weeks and a home modelled on a Möbius strip.
See all our stories about designs by Ron Arad »
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Read on more more information from pq:
Pq eyewear designed by Ron Arad introduces Springs
Pq, the original eyewear brand designed by Ron Arad adds Springs, a new collection to the pq family this spring.
Springs are a one-piece, one-material, monolithic creature. The gill-like sides allow the arms to hinge inwards freely but restrict them from opening outwards beyond the perfect width and perfect pressure for the head. A progenitor to Angel, and Corbs, now they are just part of one growing Springs family.
Standing out from the crowd, they are as playful as they are individual. Seven new styles within the SPRINGS collection share the cleverly integrated vertebrae giving a fluid continuous line unbroken by hinges and extraneous details. These unique frames enjoy curvaceous shapes and volumes, and are lightweight yet highly durable.
Made in the UK, embracing technology to overcome the constraints of traditional production techniques, Springs are made using SLS (selective laser sintering), a technique pioneered by Ron since the early 1990’s.
Pq launched in 2012 as Arad asserted; ‘There are very few ideas in the world of glasses.’ Pq’s name emanates from two letters side by side in the alphabet which together resemble a pair of glasses.
Springs also includes the distinctive Corbs, the first in the family produced from solid and laminated acetate.
The post Springs 3D-printed glasses
by Ron Arad for pq appeared first on Dezeen.
Dezeen Screen: designer Ron Arad phoned Dezeen today to ask us to publish a movie of the bike he designed with sprung steel loops instead of spokes and tyres, to prove it works. Watch the movie »
Dezeen Wire: designer Ron Arad is awarded the London Design Medal 2011 at a ceremony at St Paul’s Cathedral tonight as part of the London Design festival. The medal is awarded annually for a lifetime’s contribution to design and the city. It was awarded last year to Thomas Heatherwick, who was included in the judging panel this year.
Watch a series of interviews with Ron Arad on Dezeen Screen and see all our stories about his work here.
Ron Arad‘s cylindrical cinema screen made of 5600 silicon rods opens at the Roundhouse in London today. Watch a time-lapse movie of the installation’s construction on Dezeen Screen.
Visitors step inside the shifting screen to find themselves immersed in video and sound, including a nightmarish tropical rainforest by Mat Collishaw and a grumpy naked man trudging round the circle, drawn by David Shrigley.
Called Curtain Call, the 18 metre-wide ring plays host to films, live performances and interactive installations until 29 August.
The Roundhouse was built in 1846 and housed a turntable for steam engines. Its circular main hall was converted into a performance venue in the 1960s.
Read more information about Curtain Call in our earlier Dezeen Wire story and see all our stories about Ron Arad here.
Dezeen filmed a series of interviews with Ron Arad last year to coincide with an exhibition of his work at the Barbican – watch the series on Dezeen Screen.
Here are some more details from the Roundhouse:
As part of Bloomberg Summer at the Roundhouse, internationally renowned artist, architect and designer Ron Arad has created a unique installation for the iconic London building – Curtain Call.
Arad has responded to the Roundhouse’s spectacular Main Space by creating a curtain made of 5,600 silicon rods, suspended from an 18 metre diameter ring – a canvas for films, live performance and audience interaction.
He has invited his favourite artists, musicians and friends to create unique work for the 360° interactive installation. Each day visitors will be able to see work by Babis Alexiadis, Hussein Chalayan, Mat Collishaw, Ori Gersht, Greenaway & Greenaway, Christian Marclay, Javier Mariscal, SDNA, David Shrigley, and students from the Royal College of Art as part of the piece.
Ron Arad says of Curtain Call: “Walk in, penetrate, cross the moving images to get inside the cylinder. You’ll be engulfed by images – a captive, but also a creator. It’s amazing what exciting things happen on both sides of the curtain. I can’t wait.”
Marcus Davey, Roundhouse Artistic Director and Chief Executive: “The Roundhouse Main Space has been the setting for all sorts of brave, influential work over the years. But this is the first time that an installation of such physical scale and creative scope has been staged. Ron’s remarkable project marries experimental design with live performance. It looks set to be an unforgettable experience.”
Bloomberg: “We’re delighted that our collaboration with the Roundhouse and Ron Arad will inspire artists and audiences to engage in new ways through exciting new technology. We’re proud to be part of such a unique and extraordinary event.”
A number of special events will be staged throughout the run, for which tickets range from £12-25, including: acclaimed cellist Steven Isserlis with a performance of solo suites by Bach and Britten (17 Aug); Berlin-based electronic music label Innervisions with an evening featuring a screening of 1920s classic, The Cabinet of Dr Caligari, accompanied by a live score (19 Aug); and London Contemporary Orchestra performing Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis and other modern pieces on ancient themes (23 Aug).
There will also be free events, including a rude oracle delivered by award-winning American author Jonathan Safran Foer, singer/ songwriter Lail Arad, multi-instrumental duo Cat’s Eyes and Call to Create – a chance for emerging artists to collaborate with AV collective, EYESONTHEWALL. Designer Paul Cocksedge will be heating and moulding old LPs to give them new life as vinyl speakers, which amplify music from smartphones.
Ron Arad’s constant experimentation with materials and his radical approach to form and structure have put him at the forefront of contemporary design. In 1994 he unveiled the Bookworm bookshelf, and in 2005 he designed a chandelier for the Swarovski crystal company, which uses LEDs to display scrolling text messages sent from mobile phones. He was Head of the Design Products Department at the Royal College of Art from 1997 to 2009. Ron Arad Architects designed the Design Museum Holon, which opened in 2010. Recent major shows include the Centre Pompidou, Paris, MoMA in New York and the Barbican in London.
Venue Roundhouse, Chalk Farm Road, London NW1 8EH
Dates 9-29 August
Opening hours Mon-Wed & Fri 12pm-7pm (except 17, 19, 23 & 24)
Thu 12pm-10pm; Sat-Sun 10am-7pm
Tickets Pay what you can: there’s no fixed price
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| Interviews with Arad on Dezeen Screen | This project on Dezeen Screen | More about Arad on Dezeen |
In our fourth and final movie made to coincide with the Ron Arad: Restless exhibition at the Barbican in London, Arad describes how he tailored the exhibition to the gallery space. (more…)
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