London Design Festival 2008 other lighting inspirations

www.4design.co.uk Birch ply ,laser cut floor lamps based on the pattern on the trunks of silver birch trees . They also supply pendant lamps and are designed and made by Michael Radford in Derbyshire.














Jericho Hands lighting



A refreshing change from the slick corporate stalls was a wonderful Bedouin inspired tent by Jericho Hands with a range of lights using culled squirrels and pigeons (created with the help of a taxidermist) sounds awful and was beautiful.




A single pigeon costs £300 a flock is negotiable!

Other inspirations were a cross-stitch embroidered perspex screen.
In retrospect this was an interesting concept and would perhaps work well in a hospital setting or an office block entrance but it is not a material I would want to use for my own work.

London Design Festival 2008

London Design Festival 13th to 23rd September
A visit ( for a 3 days )to the Festival included the Design Museum where I saw Jethro’s wall of collections , the Oxo Tower to see textile designers , TENT and 100% Design which revealed these inspirational lighting solutions.



























Poster Lamp by Rachel Hevicon
The Poster Lamp is a campaign poster, designed for Energy saving Day, in a bid to encourage people to switch to energy saving light bulbs. By following the instructions and folding it in to shape, the poster is transformed into a heat reactive lampshade. The heat emitted by an incandescent light bulb will cause the pattern to gradually fade away and disappear, whereas those who choose to use an energy saving bulb will be rewarded with a lasting decorative pattern.
New for 100 % Design a light by Susan Bradley of “Outdoor wallpaper “ fame again in birch ply but this time horizontal rather than vertical.
Susan had her own stand and then this light in the Lighten Up stand.



Cascade by Michelle Brand
(Made from the bottoms of plastic bottles .)
Michelle was on the Setting Up Scheme with me in Manchester and has been pushing her li the last 5 years and is now finally getting feedback and recognition. A reality check on how long it takes and how determined you have to be
In the design world. I love her Cascade design and it was great to catch up and talk design.


Buttoned up by Kate Goldsworthy
All of these and more were being promoted by (re)design.
Lighten Up is an illuminating exploration of 64 switched-on domestic lighting solutions from the UK.
The quest for sustainability is driving the evolution of new technologies, aesthetics, materials and interactions. Shedding light on the stories behind the products, Lighten Up offers insight and inspiration for the next generation of lighting.by [re]design
www.redesigndesign.org who organized this event and are looking for people to join them. A good way to expose my lighting design next year perhaps.

Reflections on the Exhibiton

Feedback on the exhibition as a whole was very positive with strong bodies of work from all !
For myself the pieces I most enjoyed doing and intended as a "product" at the end of the MA had
little interest from the public as far as I know i.e. the window blinds. The printed fabric devore and discharge hangings were well received ,they were originally made to be cut up to make cushions and I will do this .
The most impact was the routed screen and the digitally printed drawing which I have since sold unframed . Digitally printing my drawing onto canvas is definitely something to pursue as is continuing to look at different products such as table linen and ceramics which would be more easily produced .
Many comments were made about the overall feel of the collection as a woodland atmosphere which was the aim .
The light was well received in spite of its work in progress state and I feel would be worth pursuing as a product . I will need to address the materials and the structure of the lamp base .
Also the size and therefore the packaging should it become a product at the moment this is very bulky . A comment was made by a tutor that it was nothing she hadn't seen before but having tested the lamp at home it does cast shadows and light that were not as atmospheric at the exhibition due to the time of day and the rest of the lighting in the room a point to remember when thinking about next years exhibition.
Similarly with the screen as you can see from the images above (these were taken in strong early morning sunlight) there is going to be an impact that changes depending on the lighting and time of day. I now have this at home screening my double doors and at night it casts patterns onto the windows as well. It is very heavy to move so that is an issue that needs to be addressed as is the back of the screen and the hinges which need to be double sided to enable folding flat.
There is mileage in developing more designs based on different trees to create a collection.

The 8 of us

The 8 of us
Images of the opening night of the MA Show 2008.

Exhibition Pieces

Images from the 2008
MA Show of my work
in progress.

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THE 8 OF US

Statement for MA Show

MA Textile Design (part-time),

rowenaardern@googlemail.com

This exhibition marks the halfway point in my MA Textile Design, showcasing samples and prototypes of my work in progress.

What is your project?

My work aims to reconnect people to the beauty of nature by creating textiles window pieces and screens that bring the outside inside whilst investigating ethical design routes,

Why have you chosen this particular focus?

I want to raise awareness of our responsibility to support and maintain this beautiful planet that has fed and nurtured us physically and spiritually for thousands of years. In the fast paced world of contemporary living our senses are bombarded by images and ideas, I aim to recreate an intimacy and a sense of peace through my designs.

What processes have you involved in the production of your final Designs?

Subject matter initially arose from walks in local woodland taking photographs and drawings, which were developed into designs using Photoshop and Illustrator, alongside sampling textile print, embroidery using a variety of fabrics and materials .I used the laser cutter and the router to develop the screen design. I also researched artists and designers who reference nature whilst reading around trees in fact and fiction including tree symbolism.

Do you aim to develop these ideas further?
I intend to continue developing my screens and window pieces incorporating the investigation of the 3D and engraving possibilities of the router and transferring designs to the Jacquard.


What element or aspect of the design(s) would you want people to notice?

Beauty and simplicity.


What one word would summarise you as a designer?

Inquisitive