Flowing; RADO STAR PRIZE ‘Design Meets Time’

Design-led Swiss watch brand Rado announces the shortlist for the inaugural edition of the Rado Star Prize UK. Young designers across the country submitted a variety of innovative projects from the interior, industrial and technology design mediums for the inaugural edition of the Rado Star Prize. The theme this year was ‘Design Meets Time’ and projects ranged from physical products, to digital concepts, including glassware and lighting. The sustainable materials used, the longevity of the products, and the conceptual ideas, entirely brought to life this years theme.

Judges this year included key individuals in the world of art and design, industrial designer, Konstantin Grcic, design junction event director, Will Sorrell, design journalist, Katrina Burroughs, vice president of product management at Rado, Hakim El Kadiri and design journalist, Corinne Julius.

Hakim El Kadiri, Vice-President of Product Management of Rado, said:

“This was our first Rado Star Prize UK, and we were blown away by the quality of the entries. It was no small task to choose the finalists from such an interesting and eclectic range of projects.”

The incredible turn out meant judges found it undeniably difficult to select ten finalists, as the standard of entries were extreamly high. The finalists chosen will exhibit their creative concepts in The Crossing at design junction from the 21st-24th of September, 2017. The winner will be announced at design junction and will be rewarded a £5000 cash prize, as well as a Rado Ceramica; a classic timepiece which was recently relaunched last year, with a brand new look in collaboration with renowned industrial designer, and judge at the event, Konstantin Grcic. In order to interact with visitors, design junction will allow you to nominate your favourite project amongst the finalists, during their shows; and the winner of the public vote will also be rewarded with a Rado Ceramica.

Will Sorrell, Event Director at designjunction, commented:

“We had a high number of entries from a range of institutions across the UK, which enabled us to pick a strong shortlist. I’m looking forward to seeing the designs come to life in Rado’s exhibition at designjunction this September.”

The finalists shortlisted for the event have created incredible pieces of art, and we want to celebrate these.

0.6 Chair- Joachim Froment

This chair is long lasting and designed in the style of a cafe chair, with its simple and efficient production process. The process is new, laminating wood, with wood veneer and carbon fibre in order to reduce the thickness of the chair to 0.6cm. The process in which it is manufactured, in two parts, means that the manufacturing time is reduced, as is the material required.

180 Lamp- Frederic Ratsch

The lamp is designed as a way of signalling time, and it is called ‘The 180⁰ Lamp’. This light is made from anodised aluminium, semi-transparent silicone and LED, with the purpose of embracing the classic hourglass gesture, the lamp, when turned at 180 degrees, the light will gradually dim, and eventually turn off after 45 minutes. The aim was to encourage a better night’s sleep for children, suggesting a better time to read before sleeping.

Apollo Tripod- Connor Holland

This masterpiece was inspired by the moon landing missions, ‘the Apollo Tripod’ was designed to suit every environment, with its wide feet and tripod design, it embodies stability even on uneven ground, attempting to highlight the importance of the tripod she in classical architecture. It is has a layered finish of epoxy resin, metallised with a water-based chemical and plated with silver, dyed to colour and finishing with aerospace grade lacquer. The longevity is protected by the products elements.

Connor commented: ”Being chosen as a finalist in the inaugural Rado Star Prize UK is an honour, which will be invaluable in helping to promote my work to a wide audience and potential clients. I am very grateful to Rado and design junction for supporting young designers, and providing the opportunity to be part of such a prestigious event within the design community.”

Breathe- Jahday Ford

Breathe is the concept that a blown glass piece is the ‘first breath’. The idea is that the glass vessel has been created using the craftsman’s first breath, and interpreted into a 3D mould using a CNC router. Jahday Ford has attempted to freeze a moment in time, whilst incorporating the craftsman and making them part of the project. This product merges the digital process and craft together to create this undeniable masterpiece.

Pinhole Camera- James Bentham

This project is an updated interpretation of the practice of pinhole photography, it invites people to reconnect with their surroundings through this product that transforms images from instant and ordinary to physical and evocative. The standard 35mm film allows ultimate shots, and a shutter mechanism with durable housing.

”It was an unexpected but welcome surprise to get the call about being the selected. Im looking forward to seeing what the other finalists have made at the show in September.” – James Bentham.

The Moravian Collection- Jasmine Craven Huffer

This project attempts to challenge the way society has a adopted a ‘throw away’ habit. The Moravian collection attempts to involve an aspect of design that should be made to last a lifetime. The product itself is inspired by the basic stool designed in the 15th century by the Moravian Church, which is functional and long lasting. This collection includes Moravian sliding dovetail rails which use the natural movement of wood in order to strengthen and sustain the piece.

Kintsugi Ceremony Kit- Alida Sielaff

This piece is an attempt to combine the German wedding tradition Polterabend, where dishes are smashes, and Kintsugi, a Japanese tradition of joining broken ceramics with gold. This product is given as a wedding present and used as part of a ceremony, the couple smash the plate and then together they will reassemble it using the kit, creating an unusual product with a special meaning and longevity.

Tate-Ium- Mark Mitchell

This project incorporates the science and mathematics behind design, this ‘Tate-ium’ chair uses the phase changing material Sodium Acetate in order for the product to mould around its user. It has removable sections, which allows the shape of the chair to be altered for personal preference. The warmth of the pads can also attend to aching muscles.

TRID – Taisei Mishima

TRID is an innovative chair that is designed to be used from birth to adulthood, which is why it is created to be sustainable. It is a transformable chair, which can function as a cradle, bouncer and chair. TRID is a chair that attempts to grow with you, meaning the product does not need to be replaced. It has a fast manufacturing process and flat-packed delivery, whilst the Birch plywood material is intended to age with the child.

Topped – William Huggons

Topped is a take on the classic, iconic, spinning top. It is inspired by Charles and Ray Eames’ belief in the powerful notion of play. The spin of a top is a measurement of time, which draws and captures your attention, the top can also stand alone or sit as a lid of a ceramic vessel.

Thursday 21 September – Sunday 24 September 2017

For more information visit www.thedesignjunction.co.uk