Young designers’ update of glass design

 

Thirteen young designers have tackled values of “timeless design” and developed “timely design,” according to project leader Kazushi Nakadaof Aalto University School of Art and Design. The results were compiled into a touring exhibition, titled Glass Design Update, which debuted at Musashino Art University in autumn 2009 as part of Tokyo Designers Week. The exhibition was later shown at International Design Centre Nagoya in Japan, and the current show at Design Forum Finland, scheduled to coincide with Helsinki Design Week, is the third edition.

 

The items of Glass Design Update range from sophisticated tableware to artistic lighting systems. They reflect the designers other professional interests besides glass design including painting, architecture, furniture design and product design.

 

Nakada explains, “[The designers’] imagination covers a lot of creative ground… One piece was featured as a prototype ‘just before’ mass production. In another work, glass was used for only investigating a certain concept.

 

“The environment of design work or generating creative concepts changes continuously. We strongly hope to be able to influence the change rather than just follow and get carried away. In this project, it is our aim that the collaboration of the university, professional designers as well as companies may introduce new models of ‘cooperation for the future’ in glass design in Finland.”