CH+UK - SWISS DESIGN FOCUS | MEDIA NEWS - Volume 2
PRESS RELEASE - London, August 2016
Pro Helvetia, the Embassy of Switzerland and Design Prize Switzerland are delighted to announce a Swiss design focus in London throughout the month of September, as part of ‘CH+UK – Swiss Culture in the UK’. CH+UK is an ongoing initiative by the Embassy of Switzerland promoting Swiss artists and culture across all creative fields in all areas of the UK.
For the first time, Switzerland will be taking part in two of the main highlights of the London design season, the London Design Biennale (7-27 September) and the London Design Festival (22-25 September) - a meeting place for Swiss innovation excellence alongside British design heritage.
LONDON DESIGN BIENNALE, 7-27 September
The Swiss Contribution - ‘In-Between: The Utopia of the Neutral’
HYPER MODULAR by Dimitri Baehler in collaboration with Mathieu Rivier
Presented under the Swiss Pavilion, the light installation ‘Hyper Modular’ helps the viewer to contemplate a future where everyday objects will be participative, upgradable, partly designed and partly assembled with finished or semi-finished components.
Designer Dimitri Baehler, in collaboration with developer Mathieu Rivier, explores an idea of utopia that moves between dematerialisation, intuition and a symbiosis between technology and nature. Hyper Modular is a luminous profile pushing the limits of assemblage technology of carbon, LED and micro mechanics. The minimal use of materials, combined with the light’s flexible qualities, goes beyond known codes of modularity, envisioning future behaviours of objects we interact with daily. The almost invisible, yet distinctive essence of light becomes an intuitive tool with which to design.
ABOUT THE LONDON DESIGN BIENNALE
For the first time in the British capital, 37 countries will be participating in the London Design Biennale, a global event hosted at the iconic Somerset House. Each country will showcase its best from the worlds of contemporary design, design-led innovation, creativity and research - all with submissions based on the theme of ‘Utopia’.
ABOUT THE SWISS ENTRY
The Swiss contribution’s curator, Giovanna Lisignoli, responded to the Biennale’s brief with ‘In-between: The Utopia of the Neutral’, taking inspiration from neutrality as a space where experimentation, debate and movement can take place freely - a fitting reference to Thomas Moore’s celebrated Utopia. Enlisting seven design studios to collaborate with seven niche manufacturers, all of which specialize in a different area of expertise, the various outcomes celebrate Swiss cultural identity, tradition and an exchange of knowledge in equal measure.
londondesignbiennale.com
#LDB16
PRESS INFORMATION AVAILABLE HERE
LONDON DESIGN FESTIVAL, 22-25 September
Design Prize Switzerland at London Design Fair
Focusing on sustainability, ecological materials and longevity of design, this year’s Design Prize Switzerland (DPS) entries cover the disciplines of product design, engineering and fashion to name a few - all a testament to responsible manufacturing for a modern society.
As well as showcasing examples of Swiss innovation, there will also be an exciting programme of talks to attend - both as part of Super Talks and at the Swiss stand. You can find the schedules and reserve your tickets here:
London Design Fair - Super Talks Programme
Friday 23 September at 9.30am - Radical Collaborations Leading to Otherness
Saturday 24 September at 11.00am - Revolutional Education
METAFLOP
Communication Prize
Metaflop is a new web application which allows the user to create their own digital fonts in a very short space of time. Designed to be user friendly, the typographical parameters of a Metaflop font can be modified either with slider bars or numerically, providing an automatic preview instantly. The fonts can then be installed on all current computer systems.
metaflop.com
LEGGERO (winner)
Product Consumer Goods Prize
Leggero is designed to be a multifunctional child's bicycle trailer, suitable for use either as a sports jogger or a pram. Helping families to stay mobile, attention was devoted to a well-thought out structure, resulting in the highest level of detail and outstanding product quality. Sophisticated mechanics make easy switching from pram to trailer as well as offering a collapsible luggage compartment for shopping.
tribecraft.ch | brueggli-industrie.ch
HUBER EGLOFF (winner)
Swiss Textiles Prize
A Swiss womenswear fashion label with a nod to the style-conscious, future-orientated woman, Huber Egloff's philosophy stands for the power of opposites. The brainchild of Andreas Huber and Raul Egloff, the collections are favoured for combining innovative creativity with wearability, whilst still retaining an unassuming simplicity and sophisticated attitude.
huberegloff.com
AMPOULES LMP (winner)
Sustainable Impact Prize
Finding the perfect marriage between the light source and luminaire body, the ‘Ampoules LMP’ is a genuine innovation. An LED based lighting device with a naturally long service life and energy efficiency, it involves variously shaped fluorescent screens made of compressed glass with an integrated LED module. As a result, like a traditional bulb, it can be screwed directly into a light fitting - fusing both practicality and design seamlessly.
renauddefrancesco.ch | ecal.ch
ABOUT LONDON DESIGN FAIR
Regarded as one of the highlights of the London Design Festival, the London Design Fair (including Tent London & Super Brands London) comprises the largest collection of designers, brands, country pavilions and galleries in one destination. A truly international event for both participants and attendees.
ABOUT DESIGN PRIZE SWITZERLAND
Showcasing the best of Swiss design on this global stage, the ‘Design Prize Switzerland’ (DPS) will be featuring a selection of 22 products and projects from designers, innovators and creative thinkers from a broad range of disciplines, such as BIG-GAME, USM and ECAL to name a few.
Now including acknowledgments that demonstrate the innovative strength and quality of the Swiss creative industry as a whole, DPS curator Michel Hueter has endeavoured to highlight the added value of holistic design solutions. Developed by applying integrated processes, DPS is able to demonstrate the high level of Switzerland’s cultural and economic impact on the international stage.
londondesignfair.co.uk
designpreis.ch
#LDF16
PRESS INFORMATION AVAILABLE HERE
For all press enquiries regarding Switzerland’s involvement in the London Design Biennale and the London Design Festival, please contact Romain Casella from MAY, via media@mayconcepts.com | +44(0)7515701819.
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