Royal College of Art — London graduation show 2013

We have selected some of the students that participated in the Royal College of Art graduation show 2013 in the section Product Design.

The Royal College of Art announced the appointment of Dr Sharon Baurley as head of it’s Design Product programme, she will succeed Tord Boontje.

Pippa Murray

http://vimeo.com/68455244

I am a research- and materials-led designer who champions the necessity of grassroots industries in response to the challenge of a sustainable future and how we must change our everyday outlook towards design.

Objects have stories that have impact far beyond the end consumer, and it is with this consideration that my projects are developed. My work explores the potential of functioning solutions that harness ecological processes and materials without compromise.

British hardwoods have provided a diverse resource for industry through the ages. As a furniture maker I find British hardwood to be a constantly surprising and rewarding material to use in my designs. During this project I have enjoyed the opportunity to investigate possible applications for hardwood in today’s context starting at the beginning of the material’s story, the woodland.

‘Moulding our Woodlands’ uses wood shavings, an otherwise waste by-product from existing woodland practices and utilises the inherent properties of the material throughout the process, from its energy output to its self-bonding capability. By developing a method of moulding wood, this project demonstrates an achievable batch production for cost effective objects. By increasing the commercial potential of our unmanaged woodlands as a renewable resource, my project looks to bridge the gap between bespoke craft and the mass market.

Nicholas Gardner

I create functional products for the market. However, these works are created in a hyper-real space, a highly referential world where reproductions and iterations of classic typologies become far removed from their source material, rendering a new set of values that is arguably a much closer representation of our desires. These examples reveal truths, inconsistencies and functional rationalities about modern consumer tastes and culture. Drawing from (post-)internet, DIY and corporate culture my work often exists in a forceful intersection between cheaply produced readymades and components with a polished design sensibility.

Mauricio Affonso

Mauricio Affonso’s work celebrates the amalgamation between craft and tradition with design and technology. He is interested in designing with a deep understanding of the situations in which objects find themselves in the world, investigating the reciprocity between object and context. Working in the context of contemporary design culture he explores different materials and manufacturing processes to generate new means of expression and appease his quest for pushing the boundaries of experimentation and learning. He believes design impacts, changes and guides every part of human life. It has the power to bring communities together, integrating technology while satisfying the needs of individuals. Using art and design as a vehicle he hopes to inspire, educate and provide positive experiences to those who come in contact with his work.

Marc Miralda Besa

My project embraces the idea that the management of everyday objects and tasks in domestic spaces, rather than the size of the spaces, determines our efficiency and quality of life.

The objects that I have designed rethink and question everyday activities in order to help us work more efficiently in the home. They have been inspired by the limitations of minimal spaces such as bathrooms.