Egyptian Design

Thirteen Egyptian design studios were for the first time represented in New York as part of WantedDesign Manhattan last May in a pavilion curated by architect Mohamed El Shahed. His concept “(re)New (re)Work” aimed to reflect on the journeys of the designers featured and the stories behind their designs.

Read our Q&A with the designers and curator to learn more about the Egyptian contemporary design scene.

– How did WantedDesign visitors responded to the Egyptian Pavilion at WantedDesign?
Happily and proudly the response towards the Egyptian pavilion was super positive and encouraging taking into consideration that it was the first time for Egypt to participate in WantedDesign. Visitors were fascinated by the booth design, colors, narrative wall; they described the booth by “Fresh colorful – unusual Egyptian look” where the re:new – re:work concept was clearly demonstrated through different approaches like the narrative wall as well the tearaway cards that represented each of the 13 participating Egyptian designers along with the products’ selection, display and materials which showcased 13 Egyptian designs inspired by various visions and stimulations. The products’ ranged from lighting units, pottery tableware, wooden cabinet, tiles, kilim, glass, textile, metalwork…etc. Nagwa Hussien – Marketing Manager, IMC

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Young American Designer attended a Workshop at the Domaine de Boisbuchet, France

Domaine de Boisbuchet is a unique, off-the-wall design destination situated in the French countryside. For more than 20 years, Boisbuchet organizes a series of interdisciplinary summer workshops where students and professionals from all over the world come together for a week of experimental work with renowned designers, architects and artists. WantedDesign for the third year partnered with the organization and with the French Airline company XL Airways to offer the opportunity for US design students to take part in a Boisbuchet’s Summer Workshop.
Malia Thomas, Senior Student in Product Design at the University of Oregon, had a chance to participate last May at WantedDesign Brooklyn and was the winner of a one week workshop in Boisbuchet. Passionate about wood, she attended the workshop Mass Production Workshop conducted by designer Philippe Malouin.
Learn more about this talented and passionate young designer and her experience at Boisbuchet.

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Launched last May: the WantedDesign Best Design Student Projects Award

A Jury to award the best design student projects was led by Avinash Rajagopal, Metropolis magazine, and included Ayse Birsel, co-founder of Birsel + Seck, Andrea Lipps, Assistant Curator of Contemporary Design at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, Jonsara Ruth, co-founder and Design Director of Healthy Materials Lab at Parsons School of Design.

Five awards were given to:

Original Concept and Design: CASE-RPI , Chunks project.
Sustainable solution: École nationale supérieure des Arts Décoratifs (EnsAD), Gilles Baudoux, Zero Waste Jacket, 2019
Project with social impact: Swiss designer Iskander Guetta, graduate from ECAL, for his project Shelter Fallout.
Ready to be produced: School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Whatnot 2019 Collection: Obsolete Objects.
And the first Best Conscious Design project that met at least 3 of the 4 previous criteria was given to École nationale supérieure des Arts Décoratifs (EnsAD), Anna Saint Pierre, for her project Site Concretes.

We had a chance to catch up with the winners to learn more about their project, their interest and how the notion of “conscious design” is important for them.

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American Design in Paris

For Paris Design Week and in conjunction with the Rising Talent Awards at MAISON&OBJET
the American Design in Paris exhibition is co-presented by MAISON&OBJET, Triode and WantedDesign.

WantedDesign will present a selection of the French and American designers projects shown at WantedDesign Brooklyn in 2017, 2018 and 2019. The duos all worked on new and uniques pieces that have never been exhibited in France. The highlight will be on all the glass projects previously presented in NYC part of Oui Design and The Transatlantic Creative Exchange.
Featured projects and designers:
Francois Azambourg (Paris) + CIAV Meisenthal (France) + Brooklyn Glass (New York)
Elise Graham  (Los Angeles) + CIAV Meisenthal (France)
Steven Haulenbeek (Chicago) + CIAV Meisenthal (France)
Jonah Takagi (Washington) + CIRVA Marseille (France)
Pauline Deltour (Paris) + Corning Museum of Glass (Corning)
Philippe Nigro (Paris) + Corning Museum of Glass (Corning)

Francois Azambourg (Paris) + CIAV Meisenthal (France) + Brooklyn Glass (New York)

The exhibition will include a lighting installation from American designers presented by Triode: Allied Maker, David Weeks, Gabriel Scott, Jason Miller, Roll & Hill, John Hogan, John Pomp, Lindsey Adelman, Ocrùm. triodedesign.com

Branching Bubble, Lindsey Adelman

The exhibit will also feature pieces from the six designers selected for the Rising Talent Awards.
Introduced in 1995, the Rising Talent Awards celebrate emerging designers from different parts of the world, who are selected by a local jury of renowned industry leaders.
MAISON&OBJET, the international trade fair for design, decoration and lifestyle, held every September and January in Paris, will shine a spotlight on the United States this year by honoring up-and-coming American designers with its Rising Talent Awards.
WantedDesign was part of the Jury who selected the US Talents: Alex Brokamp, Bailey Fontaine, Green River Project, Harold, Kin & Company, and Rosie Li.

Kin & Company


 

American Design in Paris exhibit. Galerie Joseph, Espace Froissart, 7 rue Froissart 75003 Paris
From September 4-11, 11am-7pm 
Cocktails,  Saturday September 7, 7-9pm (by invitation)

The exhibit is presented in collaboration with Triode, Paris Design Week and MAISON&OBJET, and supported by Industry City and Oui design.

Launched in 2016, Oui Design is a program developed by the Cultural Services of the French Embassy and its partner foundation FACE, in order to foster creative exchange in design between France and the U.S.

 

Rising Talent Awards: USA

MAISON&OBJET, the international trade fair for design, decoration and lifestyle, held every September and January in Paris, will shine a spotlight on the United States by honoring up-and-coming American designers with its Rising Talent Awards. 

An exhibition of products by this group will be a highlight of the next edition of the fair, which is scheduled for Sept. 6-10, 2019. 

Introduced in 1995, the Rising Talent Awards celebrate emerging designers from different parts of the world, who are selected by a local jury of renowned industry leaders. The most recent program, in January, honored six Chinese designers representing a new generation of creative excellence. The work of the honorees was prominently displayed at MAISON&OBJET in the exhibition center at Paris Nord Villepinte, and the young designers were feted at a celebration attended by design luminaries, dignitaries and the international press. 

Previous editions of the fair have focused on Rising Talents from the United Kingdom, Italy and Lebanon. Like their predecessors, the U.S. Rising Talents will have an unparalleled opportunity to meet and share their ideas with the many manufacturers, interior designers, stylists, buyers, hoteliers, restaurateurs, journalists and trend hunters who attend MAISON&OBJET. 

“After concentrating on Europe, the Middle East and Asia these last few years, we wanted to turn to another great nation of design,” says Philippe Brocart, Managing Director of SAFI, the company that organizes MAISON&OBJET. “The size and cultural diversity of the United States give rise to impressive design achievements, and we are excited to discover the next generation of designers and their influences.” 

THE JURY

Seven eminent design professionals based in the United States applied their far-reaching perspectives in choosing these Rising Talents. Rafael de Cárdenas heads the NewYork-based multidisciplinary practice Architecture at Large, whose clients include Baccarat, Cartier, Christie’s, Dornbracht and the Swatch Group. Odile Hainaut and Claire Pijoulat gave a welcome jolt to the New York design scene eight years ago with the first edition of WantedDesign, their annual trade show that brings international products, exhibitions and presentations to sites in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Jerry Helling is the president and creative director of Bernhardt Design in North Carolina and the force behind ICFF Studio, an annual showcase of furniture by emerging American designers. Nasir Kassamali shaped American tastes with his modern design store, Luminaire, which he and his wife, Nargis, started in South Florida in 1974 and later expanded to Chicago. In Novem-ber, Luminaire opened its latest showroom in Los Angeles. David Rockwell, the leader of Rockwell Group in NewYork, has been honored repeatedly for his lively designs of offices, residences, hotels, restaurants and Broadway stage sets, for which he has been nominated for six Tony Awards, winning one. Rosanne Somerson, a renowned furniture designer who became president of Rhode Island School of Design in 2015. Through her leadership and in her writings she has emphasized critical making, or the use of hands-on craft as a tool for reflection and problem solving in our technology dominated culture.

THE TALENTS

It is typical of young American designers to flock to geographical centers like Los Angeles, Chicago or Seattle, where they establish creative communities, share resources and trade influences. But if anyone place can be declared the design capital of the United States, it is Brooklyn, NewYork. Among the six Rising American Talents, five are based there.(The sixth, Alex Brokamp, currently lives in Southern California.)
This concentration reflects the individuality of jury choices the jurors recommended award winners based on excellence, not location, and there was no point at which they conferred as a group.

And the winners are…

Alex Brocamp – alexbrocamp.com

Bailey Fontaine – baileyfontaine.com

Green River Project – greenriverprojectllc.com

Harold – haroldharold.com

Kin & Company – kinandcompany.com

Rosie Li – rosiely.com


 

Join WantedDesign team in September for MAISON&OBJET and Paris Design Week.
Designers, buyers, architects, contact us if you’d like to organize your visit to Paris and join WantedDesign VIP tour.