Hidden Art Presents Design London, Superstudio 13, Milan 2005

Hidden Art in association with Creative London presented Design London 2005, a showcase of more than 70 exciting new and established London-based designers and furniture companies during the world famous Milan Furniture Fair in April 2005.

 Design London built on its successful debut at Milan 2004, providing a consistent international platform for London’s designer-maker community. The stand will occupied about 700 sqm in Superstudio 13, in the popular Zona Tortona area – a long established focal point of the Milan fair.

Design London creates a regional pavilion that provides a taster of what the capital has to offer the international design community. It is a platform to show the fruits of the collaboration between London’s network of designers, manufacturers, retailers, membership organisations and business support initiatives.

 The exhibition design by Frank and Multistorey was based on a UK electrical switchboard. The interconnecting circuit acted as a visual metaphor for the network of partners and the uniquely British three-point plug represented the originality of UK design.

List of all exhibitors and areas at Design London exhibition in Superstudio13, Milan 2005.

Design London 2005 consisted of five areas:

 1) Hidden Art Prototypes – prototypes selected by an industry panel for their originality and innovative use of materials

2) Hidden Art In Production – companies with products ready to sell, selected by an industry panel for their design quality

3) The Isos Collection – contemporary furniture collection presented by Furniture Works and Furniture Link

 4) All Zones – product range inspired by London Transport’s design heritage

5) DesignUK – showcase of British designers

 Address:             Superstudio 13, via Forcella, 13, Milano 20144

Dates:                 13 – 18 April 2005   10am-9pm

Press preview:    Tuesday 12 April, 3-7pm

Opening party:    Tuesday 12 April, 7-10pm

View of Design London exhibition in Superstudio 13, Milan 2005

DESIGN LONDON, presented by Hidden Art in association with Creative London, made a dramatic impact in Milan with its second outing during the city’s world famous Furniture Fair in April 2005.

 Design London 2005 was twice the size of its predecessor, occupying 700 sqm in Superstudio 13 in the popular Zona Tortona area, with a visitor count exceeding 33,000, all toting their Design London shopping bags on their shoulders.

 Word spread of the head-turning exhibition design by Frank (stand design) and Multistorey (promotional material and signage), based on a UK electrical switchboard, showcasing more than 70 new and established London-based designers and furniture companies. The space was dominated by the spectacular information wall graphic, towering above visitor’s heads at over 4m tall.

View of DesignLondon show at Superstudio 13, Milan 2005

 For the first time, Design London brought together four exhibiting partners: Hidden Art, the Isos Collection, All Zones and DesignUK, creating a platform to show the fruits of the collaboration between London’s network of designers, manufacturers, retailers, membership organisations and business support initiatives.

 The Italians and international design crowd were charmed by All Zones, a collection inspired by the design heritage of Transport for London, displayed in the iconic red double-decker bus. The bus stopped traffic on its arrival in the narrow streets of the Zona Tortona, and was a clear crowd-pleaser.

Transport for London bus and exhibits at the Hidden Art Design London stand, Superstudio 13 in Milan 2005

Images – clockwise from top left: the Design London information wall, a view of the exhibition, signage of the central information hub, the AllZones bus causes traffic in the narrow streets of Milan, Julian Mayor displays his General Dynamic chair as a hat, Dan Black demonstrates the usefulness of Black+Blum’s Lou Read, Jocelyn Warner hides from the big bad wolf in her wallpaper house, Anti-Quaint’s Alec Birkbeck play fighting with Lothair Hamman and Arturo Gonzalez Bravo of One Bravo.

Black & blum at Design UK exhibition at the Hidden Art Design London stand, Superstudio 13 in Milan 2005

Jocelyn Warner at the Hidden Art Design London stand, Superstudio 13 in Milan 2005

Overview of Design London show at Superstudio13, Milan 2005

 Hidden Art’s exhibitors in Milan

Hidden Art’s presence in Milan has grown from strength to strength since our Italian debut back in April 2002. In 2005, Hidden Art’s exhibition showcased the work of 23 members, selected by an industry panel including Tomoko Azumi, Sheridan Coakley (SCP), David Dewing (Geffrye Museum), Max Fraser (Design UK), and Lynda Relph-Knight (Editor, Design Week).

Hidden Art Protoypes was a collection of new prototypes of furniture, lighting and interior products, from a group of 17 London-based designer-makers, selected by an industry panel for the originality of their concept and innovative use of materials.

Exhibitors:- ade a studio, Andrew Davies, Asaru, Biscuit, Charles Trevelyan, Conscious Forms, Corinna Warm, Damdesign, Eriko Sukegawa, Gala Wright, Giuseppe Fasano, Hybrid7, Julian Mayor, Magnus Long, Michelle Mason, Nebula Design, Susana Shaw

They exemplified London’s reputation for innovative style and design. Tomoko Azumi said of Susana Shaw’s Hover-Fork and Hover-Spoon: “It is great to see new cutlery and Shaw brings a good debate to tableware.”

Sheridan Coakley said Magnus Long’s standing hanger had the hallmarks of a design classic. “It is very clever, very suitable, and is a great British design.”

Julian Mayor exhibited his General Dynamic chair, following the success of his Contour Chair at Design London 2004.

 

Hidden Art In Production featured designers/manufacturers that had established their own product ranges ready to sell. Companies were selected for their design quality and use of materials.

Exhibitors:- Black + Blum, Design…irr (Anti-Quaint, Lothair Hamann, One Bravo), Jeremy Cole, Jocelyn Warner

Anti-Quaint and Black+Blum exhibited at Design London for the second time.

Anti-Quaint returned to build on the success of the Sling Seat, which received a huge level of interest at its debut at Design London 2004. “Milan allowed us to test market the direction for our products, to establish an appropriate retail price and market and give us the green light to manufacture them in quantity,” said Anti-Quaint’s Alec Birkbeck. They made manufacturing contacts in Italy, Brazil, Turkey and Japan, and found new customers in Europe and the USA.

Despite only launching six months ago, Jeremy Cole has enchanted the design world with his sculptural lighting inspired by the flora of his native New Zealand. 2005 saw him make his Milan debut with Hidden Art.

Jocelyn Warner’s distinctive wallpapers breathe new life into interiors, and she launched new colourways to her Leaf and Scribble wallpapers in Milan.

Design Brokerage Hidden Art Design London stand, Superstudio 13 in Milan 2005

Ghost by Gitta Gschwendter for CTO Lighting

The Hidden Art Design Brokerage also participated in Design London, showing lights manufactured by CTO Lighting, designed by Gitta Gschwendtner, Sam Johnson and Richard Shed.

The lights were developed using the Design Brokerage. The service aims to initiate new collaborations between designer-makers and clients, including retailers, manufacturers and companies that need various design services.