Press release -
Formex proudly presents this spring’s Design Talents
The jury is in! Formex has selected 25 promising talents – Formex Design Talents – who will exhibit their creations during the Formex Interior Design Fair taking place January 15-18, 2019, at Stockholmsmässan.
Formex Design Talents celebrates and showcases unestablished young creators and designers. As always, a wide mix of design objects will be on display – from nature-inspired objects of art in stoneware to baby cradles made of ash wood and wool.
Here’s a brief look at three of this year’s 25 Formex Design Talents.
Kezia Pakalén, 28, lives in Jakobstad, Finland, where she completed her four-year design training at the Novia University of Applied Sciences in 2016 with a specialization in interior design. Kezia prefers to work in natural materials using simple, classic shapes with roots in the Scandinavian design tradition.
“I really enjoy designing things for children, like my Carry Me Cradle that I’m bringing to Formex,” says Kezia.
The idea behind the cradle, which is made of ash wood and a thick wool blanket, sprung from a visit she made to a museum in the Ostrobothnia region of Finland.
“In the past, a cradle could be found in every home and was passed on from generation to generation. I want to revive the classic cradle so it fits today’s homes. I’ve also made it more ergonomic and more practical than old-fashioned cradles.”
Kezia is in the midst of looking for a company to manufacture her cradle, and she is also planning new complementary products in the same style, such as a crib and changing table.
Isolina Fedel, 25, grew up in Malmö, Sweden, but has been living in Tribeca, New York, for two years. She is studying at Parsons School of Design, one of the world’s foremost design schools for art and fashion. Isolina creates paintings of buildings and landscapes using masking tape and acrylic paint, a very special technique that she developed herself and that has already seen great success.
“I was painting the walls of my apartment when I noticed how relaxed I felt pulling off the masking tape to reveal all those straight lines. It was my way of finding peace in a city like New York that never stops.”
She is bringing her latest project, Hotel Views, to Formex, in which she depicts her visits to famous hotels like Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes, the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles, the Bowery Hotel in New York and Hotel Diplomat here in Stockholm.
“I have a photographic memory, so I just need to drop by a place in order to capture it, and then I do it my own way.”
Johanna Grahn Hollström, 43, lives and works in Gustavsberg, a major center for ceramics in Sweden. When she moved to Gustavsberg a few years ago, she started taking a pottery course with a devoted group of potters to which she still belongs. Before that, Johanna studied art and crafts at the adult education center Edelviks Folkhögskola in Burträsk, where she discovered her interest in pottery.
Johanna also holds a degree in industrial design from the Umeå Institute of Design, and in addition to creating pottery she works as a freelance art director and graphic designer.
“The act of creation and the pottery-making process are my driving forces, my passion. It’s incredibly fun!”
At Formex, Johanna will show samples of her high-temperature stoneware objects that were created using different techniques.
“I get inspiration from nature, but I don’t want my work to be too figurative. I guess you could say that I abstract organic forms.”
Spring 2019 Formex Design Talents
Pictures can be found here:
http://bildbank.stockholmsmassan.se/search/event/design%20talents/274
Applications to Design Talents must include product images and a description of the artist’s design background. The products should be new on the market but ready for sale. A designer is allowed to exhibit three times, but must have new products to exhibit each time. When making its selection, the jury looks for factors like novelty value of the idea and form as well as product mix. Design Talents is being arranged for the 22nd time at Formex in January.
For more information, visit www.formex.se or contact:
Christina Olsson, Project Area Manager, +46 8 749 44 28 christina.olsson@stockholmsmassan.se
Carolina Ekman, Press Officer, +46 70 789 41 35
carolina.ekman@stockholmsmassan.se
Pär Jonasson, Press Officer, +46 70 486 90 34
par.jonasson@stockholmsmassan.se
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