An aesthetic which crosses the line; rational, logical interpretation is replaced by instinctive perception. A process of conceptual reinvention, a curved wooden frame which would be impossible to produce if not through injection moulding. The seat heralds a new form, nature is altered, with a moulded plastic product displaying all the visual and tactile characteristics of wood. An extreme investigation into some of the intrinsic opportunities of industrial design to produce a new, stylish, lightweight form.
Designer
by Nipa Doshi & Jonathan Levien, 2012
Nipa Doshi was born in 1971 into a Gujarati family of Mumbai. She graduated from the Royal College of Art, London, in 1997 but she soon returned to India to worll with local craftspeople. After a short stay she went back to London where she met Jonathan Levien, a Scot who had recently finished his master’s in furniture design at the Royal College. The synergy between Nipa and Jonathan clicked immediately; in fact they set up Doshi Levien in 2000 and got married. The combination of the two cultures and creativities generated a very special, innovative design concept. Nipa’s is heavily influenced by the visual culture and materials of India. Jonathan’s is rooted in industrial design. Together, their work celebrates cultural hybrydism and explores a combination of technology, narration and industrial and craft design.