Antony Gormley (London, 1950) is widely acclaimed for his sculptures, installations and public artworks that investigate the relationship of the human body to space. His work has developed the potential opened up by sculpture since the 1960s through a critical engagement with both his own body and those of others in a way that confronts fundamental questions of where human being stands in relation to nature and the cosmos.
Gormley’s work has been widely exhibited throughout the UK and internationally and has also participated in major group shows such as the Venice Biennale and Documenta 8 among many others.
Sam Hecht is a British industrial designer born in 1969. Hecht studied industrial design at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design and received his degree in industrial design from the Royal College of Art in London. Hetch also worked for architect David Chipperfield and travelled in the US and Japan before becoming head of design at IDEO.
In 2002 Hecht founded Industrial Facility with designer Kim Colin. Some of their clients include Muji, Yamaha, LaCie, Epson, Magis, Lexon and Whirlpool.
Tom Dixon is a British design and manufacturing company of lighting and furniture. In 2004, Proventus the Swedish-based private investment company, teamed up with Tom Dixon and David Begg to establish Design Research Ltd, a design and product development holding company.
With a recognised commitment to innovation and a mission to revive the British furniture industry, the Tom Dixon brand is inspired by the unique heritage, the individualistic innovation and the robust, no nonsense engineering of these small islands.
Today the Tom Dixon portfolio consists of over 45 products of lighting and furniture. Product is sold through a large network of dealers in over 52 countries world-wide. The brand launches new collections annually at major international venues such as the Milan Furniture Fair, ICFF and 100% Design London. In 2005, Tom Dixon created a public installation of 80 meters of public seating based around a rubber theme to celebrate the launch of the London Design festival and in 2006 the seating theme was extended with the ‘Chair Grab’, 500 polystyrene chairs were given to the general public. In 2007, Tom Dixon organised the ‘Great Light Giveaway’ of 1000 lights with a low energy bulb to the general public, bringing further awareness to the use of CFL’s and sustainability within design.
The brothers Fernando (born 1961) and Humberto Campana (born 1953) are two of the most famous South American designers. Since 1983, Fernando, who graduated in architecture, and Humberto, who studied law, have worked together in the field of design, or better between art and design. in their joint studio, a sort of converted garage, in São Paulo, Brazil, they develop furniture which are often based on everyday, ready-made materials, waste products as well as industrial goods. Some of their designs are manufactured by Edra and Cappellini.
Ronan Bouroullec (born 1971) and Erwan Bouroullec (born 1976) have been working together for some ten years. Their collaboration is a permanent dialogue nourished by their differing personalities and shared perfectionism.
In 1997 they presented their “Disintegrated Kitchen” at the Salon du Meuble in Paris and were spotted by Giulio Cappellini, who gave them their first industrial design projects, notably the Lit Clos and Spring Chair. In 2000, Issey Miyake asked them to design a space for his new collection of A-Poc clothes in Paris. Then came the decisive meeting with Rolf Fehlbaum, chairman of Vitra, which resulted in their conception of a new kind of office system, Joyn, in 2002. This was the beginning of a special partnership which has borne fruit in numerous projects, including Algues, the Alcove Sofa, the Worknest and the Slow Chair. Since 2004, the Bouroullecs have also been working with Magis, for whom they have designed two complete furniture collections, Striped and Steelwood. Finally, they have worked on several types of textile wall systems, such as the North Tiles, in close collaboration with the Kvadrat brand, for whom they designed a new Stockholm showroom in 2006.
Today, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec design for numerous manufacturers, notably Vitra, Kvadrat, Magis, Kartell, Ligne Roset, Issey Miyake and Cappellini. At the same time, they maintain an experimental activity which is essential to the development of their work at Galerie Kreo, Paris, where four exhibitions of their designs have been held between 2001 and 2008. They also undertake the occasional architectural project, such as the Maison Flottante in 2006.
