One of the most prestigious British designers of our time and one of the leading industrial designers, Tom Dixon presented a retrospective for the twentieth anniversary of his eponymous design studio at Milan Design Week just past. Kick off. The retrospective, titled "Twenty", will travel from Milan to London via New York. A total of 20 works is displayed in the exhibition, including some classic works from his early years, some new products that recreate old works, and some experimental sustainable new material works.
The "Lava Lamp" (Melt), like the crowded soap bubbles, should be Dixon's most well-known work. In the updated version of the Lava Lamp, a new dichroic filter is used in the filtering technology of the light, which works in conjunction with the powerful LED function to provide additional color to the already extremely rich internal reflection, and the radiant metal The surface feels like a mysterious and beautiful giant sea creature suspended in the air, and it also glows with a fantastic space-age beauty.
The material of a "Bird Eel Chair" is full of natural and simple atmosphere. A seagrass algae native to Jutland, once used by islanders for roofing, is now used by Dixon to replace the original petrochemical material in bird chairs. This renewable seagrass resource has excellent characteristics such as mildew resistance, toughness and fire resistance, and has a strong carbon sequestration function, which can become an excellent ocean carbon sink. The use of this natural material by humans has been wiped out by a massive fungal infection, but modern industry has found new uses for them in areas such as soundproofing, homes, and more. Dixon sees his design as an experimental platform to test the comfort and functionality of various new materials such as kelp algae as home furnishing materials.
The "Mycelium Tower", which is made of mycelium growing on molds and frames, expands the home experience to multiple senses. In addition to its mild and natural feel, the combination of mycelium and hemp plants makes it an excellent diffuser material. Dixon's two brand-new plant-based fragrances, "Root" and "Underground", impregnate the aromas of the two plant rhizomes, turmeric and ginger into the dense mycelium network, and then slowly diffuse into people's living space. It brings a different living experience about nature, soil and earth. It has always been difficult for humans to find materials that can completely replace synthetic foams. In recent years, the research on plant and fungal materials seems to have brought new hope to this field.
"There are many experiments and explorations of new materials in progress, but not many have reached a stage of maturity enough to replace the old materials that have been mass-produced for a long time," Dixon said in an interview. "But That's changing."
"What's really interesting is that many old materials are being put into new ways of use. For example, mycelium materials are not new." Dixon said that the inspiration for the use of mycelium materials came from the well-known mycelium packaging. Material innovation.
The natural atmosphere created by the sense of smell in the mycelium tower, the exploration of sustainable new materials, and the pursuit of design innovation have continued into Dixon's latest work "Cork". The cork collection has a fluid, sculptural appearance, including a chaise longue, mirrors and side tables, with dark, finely textured surfaces that not only convey Dixon's aesthetic language, but also exude a strong cork scent, and the noise-cancelling properties of the material itself make it a stand-out furniture choice in a home environment with acoustic requirements.
And this work called "Accretion" is the most amazing work in this exhibition. Sediment is a series of metal chairs designed to "grow" on the seabed. Under the influence of micro-current, the metal frame gradually grows a limestone shell on the seabed. During the three years of growth, the surface of the chairs is completely covered with rough white Covering, leaving only the shape of the frame still recognizable, is about to usher in a "ripening harvest". This wild idea came from scientist Wolf Hilbertz, who once proposed that a method called "biorock" could be used to speed up coral growth and achieve "planting" cities on the sea floor the goal of. Dixon said that underwater structures grown in this way have excellent sustainable prospects. These structures can not only slow down the speed of waves on the bottom of the sea, but also corals grown in this way grow three times faster than normal corals. will contribute to the return of coral reefs in the ocean.
Dixon's continuous exploration and pursuit of new materials and new methods of use are inseparable from the abundant vitality that digitalization brings to the design industry. Although Dixon has numerous classic works, the design industry is constantly changing, and his experimental designs still fascinate him.
“It’s interesting to see how digital has changed production and everyone is talking about rapid prototyping.” Dixon compared the change digital has brought to the design industry with the dramatic shift in the music production industry. “You can even use it at home. Laptops make an album... Similarly, designers have countless means of design production that they couldn't have before, you can start your own brand of products in your own bedroom, and then do it conveniently and cheaply Production." In such an environment, maintaining uniqueness becomes a task that requires extra effort from the designer, but at the same time, as if Dixon is still exploring the field of new materials, it is also the future of design opens up more creative possibilities and opens up a new development prospect.
Article Source:艺术与设计
版权声明：【除原创作品外，本平台所使用的文章、图片、视频及音乐属于原权利人所有，因客观原因，或会存在不当使用的情况，如，部分文章或文章部分引用内容未能及时与原作者取得联系，或作者名称及原始出处标注错误等情况，非恶意侵犯原权利人相关权益，敬请相关权利人谅解并与我们联系及时处理，共同维护良好的网络创作环境，联系邮箱：603971995@qq.com】
