Its unfortunate, the arch itself is visually pleasing, but set against the architecture and scale of the v&a, its is underwhelming. Its a shame that a designer can get scale so wrong, often an offshoot of designing solely on computers, or perhaps in this case limitations in budget.

The original arch which inspired this miniature attempt was created in High Wycombe in 1877 to mark the visit of Queen Victoria, from an era when arches where used to celebrate special occasions.

The original antique arch being grander in scale, and more ad-hoc in finish and nature, with the largest chair arch containing 400 chairs, this latest version around 80. Over 100 years later, and 1/4 of the scale, progress.

Text: Ian Atkins
Image: Duncan Riches @ Alex Hellum’s studio

10 Minutes
If you haven’t already seen… from UCA the home made rotational moulding machine, a reaction to the way in which materials and processes are taught by two recent graduates, Andrew Duffy and Craig Tyler. Powered by a power drill, it’s a nod to the Heath Robinson types amongst us. Already exhibited earlier this year at new designers they are ‘on tour’ shortly exhibiting in both Birmingham and Newcastle. Watch this space…

7 Minutes
Give new materials a squeeze and Chris Lefteri’s 100% Materials stand. My favourites are #1123, #1002, #92. 150 new materials on show without the hard sell.

5 Minutes
On the way out pop into ‘Ten’, a group of 10 designers who annually exhibit at 100%. This year they tackle the ‘sustainability issue’, using digital processes to re invent used materials. The results are eclectic but considerate. Not a whiff of shabby chic!

…Home time.

Text: Laura Hasting

Here is my selection of stuff from Tent.

OLD FURNITURE STILL BETTER THAN NEW

Tent once again puts vintage furniture alongside new stuff, design clash, but again the old furntiure comes out on top, especially in comparison with the Mona Lisa chair by Korean designer Kwang Hoo Lee, Retranslation of Readymade.

www.hoosdesign.com

LOTS OF OLD CLOCKS BUT STILL NEED A WATCH

A whole wall of old clocks, lovely of course but not in a semi trade show context.
“BACKS ARE BAD NEWS IN A NEWSPAPER”

Barbara Chandler shares a little nugget from her years of experience in the publishing industry as she tells me about her lovely images from Poland. It was good to see photography in a design event, it gave the other work in the exhibition some background and context.

VISIONS OF POLAND
An exhibition of photographs by Barbara Chandler
www.barbarachandler.co.uk

TENT DIGITAL DARK

MAX FRASER INTERN BORED AND NEEDS A WEE

“he went out for lunch two hours ago and still hasn’t come back”

SELLING LOADS OF PLASTIC CUPS TO SAVE THE WORLD

Australian company Keep Cup fills a table with plastic cups and watches them sell like cakes hotter than hot cakes, it’s amazing what people buy. Perhaps Tent had weakened everyones defence and they felt like they had to consume something more rewarding, achieved by buying something physical. Apparently 1.8 billion paper cups are disposed of every year in the UK to quote Mr Stuart Forsyth, the persistent salesman behind the table. If you want to be sustainable then let’s just produce nothing apart from events and occasions the excite and inspire. Or just stay at home, how negative.

www.keepcup.com

Text & Images : Edward Vince

Image By David Wilson

The Bromton Bicycle Tour starts outside Earl’s Court 2, and is a free tour of galleries along the design trail and around the Brompton area. Several Brompton bicycles are provided for anyone who wishes to take part and after a brief demonstration of how to fold/unfold the contraptions we are away. Designed by Andrew Ritchie in 1979 the design has changed a little, but not by much. If you haven’t ridden one before, the bike itself requires some time to adjust to, but once you acclimatize they are surprisingly enjoyable to use.

The first stop was the Rabih Hague shop where we were kindly given an Orangina each and shown some lovely furniture true to Rabih’s beautifully subdued tone. Back on our bikes again and Skandium is our next stop, and after a short stroll around we head off to the V&A to see the Chair Arch, constructed specifically for Design Week. After two further stops and an hour or so on the tour Richard takes us back to Earl’s Court to conclude the tour.
I must say this has been one of my favourite Design Festival surprises this year. This is exactly what the festival needs in London, more immersive events which broaden the experience of design and the format in which it is presented. We’re in a great city which doesn’t feel as though it’s being used to it’s full potential. Much credit to Richard who managed to sustain a high level of enthusiasm for the project despite having been cycling non-stop for the past week. With no accidents yet I hope the bike tour will return again next year for people to enjoy, and that organizers can take inspiration from looking at design curation and presentation and how broad the possibilities are in this city.

Thanks to Richard for taking us around and Charlie for looking after the bikes.

Text: David Wilson

Text: Lorna Robertson
Image: Catriona Robertson

“The V&A Symposium left a deep impression in my mind with regards to this whole sustainability issue. I actually wanted to do a written piece but I couldn’t put the time together and the illustrations articulate some of my thoughts/observations in a faster and more light-hearted way.”

By: Oliva Lee

Daily events include a biodiversity work shop run by Will Carey and Nicholas Myes, demonstrating Myer’s interactive game “Transgenic Bestiary”; where digital barcodes representing animal DNA can be scanned to created hybrid creatures on a digital screen. Myer’s explains; “The information is accurate, what you create is fantasy”. ‘Secret Agent Man’ Tommaso Lanza’s has a collection of “Toys” offering a glimpse into an inner corporate world including a pair of stilettos updated with a retractable electronic key hidden in a removable heel.

Thomas Thwaites’ “The Toaster Project” is an installation documenting his nine month attempt to replicate a £5 Argos toaster by hand. Beginning with the raw materials buried in the ground Thwaites consulted a 15th Century history book on refining iron in order to create the inner mechanism of the toaster. Among the remnants on display is ceramic pot combined with three hairdryers from the “first attempt at smelting”. The more successful second attempt happened in his mum’s back garden and involved two microwaves. The final toaster in its full glory is also on display.

Nelly Ben Hayoun’s “The Soyuz Chair” is a domestic armchair with built in technology to simulate the feeling of the Soyuz rocket launching. Working in collaboration with the astronaut Jean-Pierre Haignere, the chair erupts with vibration and noise as the participant is blasted out of their living room, the work is easy to find, you can not miss the sound it makes. Yesterday afternoon a meeting of two chairs took place; dressed in her white astronaut suit Nelly Ben Hayoun visited KithKin and took her turn on Tomomi Sayunda’s “i-bum” chair (a fully upholstered arm chair which photocopies your bottom) producing the brightest glowing bum photo of the show.

Text: Lorna Robertson

The Soyuz Chair by Nelly Ben Hayoun

i-Bum by Tomomi Sayuda

http://www.disruptivethinking.org/

http://www.kith-kin.co.uk/presents/

Ben Hugh’s “Claystation” workshop is back again, this year inviting you to design your own chair and win the opportunity to have it made into a full size version. Designers, students, children and families are making their way over, given an A3 paper template of a mini “Onepiece Chair” and invited to decorate it however they choose and then fold their design into the chair . Over then week the stand has built up a colourful array of mini “Onepiece Chairs”, alongside the full sized version. Paper for the project has been supplied by Whitelines.