A visit to Swarovski Emerging Talent Medal-winner Daniel Rybakken's studio
Once in a while a designer comes along who takes into account not just form and function but light and dark, graphics and mechanics, positive and negative space - the whole shebang. Daniel Rybakken's expression of all this, in designs exhibiting so little fanfare, has earned him the London Design Medal in the category of Emerging Talent.
The Norwegian designer, who graduated in 2008 with a degree in fine art from HDK Gothenburg, explored natural and artificial light in his conceptual art before shifting into lighting design. His first industrial work, Counterbalance, expands on the brilliance of classics like George Carwardine's Anglepoise or the Flos 265 by Paolo Rizzatto with astonishing flexibility and accuracy, as well as a graphic quality that makes it seem as much a shadow puppet as a 3D concern.
His follow-ups Ricochet and Coherence are similarly spare, but use secondary light sources and mirrors to reflect and diffuse light. This year, Rybakken riffed on his own design for Ascent, a simple bell-shaped lamp that slides up a vertical arm while increasing the intensity of its naturalistic glow.
The Swarovski Emerging Talent Medal was selected by a 13-judge panel including Alexander Payne of auction house Phillips and Martin Roth, director of the Victoria & Albert Museum. They also awarded the Coutts Lifetime Achievement Medal to Dieter Rams, designer of the 606 Universal Shelving System for Vitsoe; and the Veuve Clicquot Design Entrepreneur Award to the wheelchair creator David Constantine.
The Panerai London Design Medal went to legendary graphic artist Peter Saville for his outstanding contribution to the field. Our look at Saville's finest work, past and present, appears in the current issue of Wallpaper* (W*175).
Past works by Rybakken include 'Daylight Entrance', 2010
'Light Tray', by Daniel Rybakken, 2011
'Colour', by Daniel Rybakken for Ligne Roset, 2011
'Ricochet' light, by Daniel Rybakken for Luceplan, 2012
'Right Angle Mirror', by Daniel Rybakken for Galerie Kreo, 2012
-
Wangechi Mutu's powerful sculptures take over the palatial interiors of Rome's Galleria BorgheseThe Kenyan-born artist is the first living woman to have a solo exhibition at the villa
-
Il Sereno’s new Listening Suite is what phonophiles’ dreams are made ofDesigned by Patricia Urquiola, the new Lake Como-facing suite unites Japanese listening culture with Italian design
-
Y.Z. Kami's meditative, architecturally-inspired Domes take over Gagosian Beverly HillsA collection of Kami's Dome and Messenger paintings are currently united at Gagosian Beverly Hills
-
‘100 Years, 60 Designers, 1 Future’: 1882 Ltd plate auction supports ceramic craftThe ceramics brand’s founder Emily Johnson asked 60 artists, designers, musicians and architects – from John Pawson to Robbie Williams – to design plates, which will be auctioned to fund the next generation of craftspeople
-
‘Disabled people have always been here’: a new V&A show centres on disability in designCurator Natalie Kane takes us through five key exhibits from the London show, where design points the way to a more inclusive society
-
Malta’s London Design Biennale installation ‘reclaims death as a moment of reflection, not fear’Wallpaper* speaks with Andrew Borg Wirth, curator of Malta's installation, ‘URNA’, which reimagines cremation rituals
-
11 things that caught our eye at Clerkenwell Design Week 2025The Wallpaper* team bring you highlights from London’s Clerkenwell Design Week (20-22 May) – from public installations to product launches and a biscuit bar
-
‘R for Repair’ at London Design Festival displays broken objects, re-formedIn the second half of a two-part exhibition and as part of London Design Festival 2022, ‘R for Repair’ at the V&A displays broken objects, re-formed
-
‘Finding quality through the act of making’: Pearson Lloyd celebrates 25 years of designPearson Lloyd’s show ‘Change Making’ reflects on past designs from its archives, showcasing the influences on and evolution of the studio, from furniture design to the NHS
-
Tom Dixon marks his studio's 20 years with a show of design experimentsMushroom, cork, steel coral and more: Tom Dixon showcases an overview of his design experiments as he celebrates his practice's 20 years
-
Porro unveils new London showroom at Coal OfficeLondon Design Festival 2022: industrial architecture meets pure geometries in the new Porro showroom, taking over a space within Tom Dixon’s Coal Office to showcase the brand’s systems and furniture
