Takeo Paper Co., Japan
2004 (not in production)
In a response to a project conceived by Kenya Hara for the Takeo Paper Company, the subject of a paper cup was investigated. It signified more than mere disposability or mass production – by taking up a sensual and aesthetic position. It was dependant on its contents.
Even before the paper cup was picked up, something appeared very different. Its contents were visible but not defined. Milk appeared differently from orange juice, just as wine was distinct from beer. The cup allowed this difference to show through, the colour conveyed visually with a cup almost disappearing.
The material presented itself modestly, not as plastic, but more honestly as paper, a material closer to wood. People found themselves holding the cup differently, and there arouse a new tension between its fragility and the desire to quench a thirst.
For an object that has such a short life, it does not mean that we should sacrifice the quality of enjoyment that’s typically found in objects that stay around for much longer. Longevity of use should not determine duration of pleasure. The result is that, without trying very hard, new qualities present themselves that were always there - they are just made more visible.
Haptic, Spiral Gallery, Tokyo, 2004
Haptic, RIBA Gallery, London, 2006
Wine Opener and Peg
The Muji Wine Opener and Peg typifies Industrial Facility’s approach to standard, everyday products with a concern for matching basic needs with a comparitive degree of quality, design and price. The design used the concept of appropriation – simple acknowledgement of what is ‘close’ to the object, and appropriate in its dimension. The handle appropriates the diameter of the wine cork itself, and in so doing, becomes a comfortable place to store the foil cutter. This feature is not celebrated, merely hidden and suppressed, so as to not get in the way of its main job of removing corks.
The Wine Peg – produced a year later – adopts the same dimensions as the lower third of its brother the Wine Opener. The lever which is presented as a flat featureless bar that provides a satisfying surface for pressing.
Japan G-Mark Award, 2009
The Art Institute of Chicago (AIC)
Some Recent Projects, Design Museum London, 2008
Turn, Twist and Branch Off, Aram Store, London, 2011
Table Items, Art Institute of Chicago (AIC), 2012
Taylor's Eye Witness
2007 - 2009
In discussions with Alastair Fisher, director of Taylor's Eye Witness, the subject of low-cost cutlery sold in supermarkets was approached, which could best be described as poorly made pseudo-craft that uses mass-produced methods of production. The cheaper the cutlery, the more grandiose it tries to present itself. The conversation was extended with Muji Europe, who agreed to partner in the production of a low-cost everyday set of cutlery, similar in principle to the conditions of Mono Cutlery designed by Peter Raacke in Post War Germany, where resources were limited.
To do this, Industrial Facility set about looking into a very different direction – not to mimic quality, but to elevate the vernacular of disposable plastic cutlery.
The first experiment was to literally make a transfer of material in our workshop. The result of turning plastic cutlery into metal showed just how beautiful these unseen designs were. It was then a process of refining them, and editing the place setting down to four pieces – including a spork (a combination of a spoon and fork).
The Art Instutute of Chicago (AIC)
Design Museum London
Some Recent Projects, Design Museum London, 2008
Extraordinary Stories about Ordinary Things, Design Museum London, 2012
Jersey Pottery, Jersey
2007 — 2011
The thinking of this design went along the lines of a set of dishes that acted as a ‘meal for two’. Starters, a main dish and dessert. The dishes nestled within the largest one, so making it very compact for storing. Each dish was made from hard paste porcelain and could withstand high and low temperatures. They could move directly from the freezer to the oven, and then to the dishwasher. In 2009, Jersey Pottery commissioned a graphical interpretation of their uses, with ‘Sweet’ and ‘Savoury’ versions being created.
Best Kitchen Product, Elle Decoration, 2008
Eurocuccina, Milan, 2007
Taylor's Eye Witness, UK
To accompany the IF4000 range of knives, a knife rack seemed a relevant product. But it needed a ‘useful but odd’ character which was very much the interpretation of the company itself.
The Knife Rack presents itself as a simple strip of wood mounted on a wall. When a knife is attached to it, the usfulness becomes visible. The product uses the strength of layered Bamboo in combination with five submerged magnets.
Design Plus Award, 2007
British Housewares Gold Award, 2007
Museum fur Kunsthandwerk, Frankfurt
State Museum of Applied Arts and Design, Munich
Found, Made, Thought, the Work of Industrial Facility, Israel Museum / British Council, 2006
Love & Money, Ozone Gallery, Tokyo, 2006