Pedro Saito
Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism of University of São Paulo, Brazil / 2009
Architecture
When Brazilian architect Marcos Acayaba recommended Pedro Saito to us, we knew he had his reasons. Award-winning Ubatuba-born Saito not only graduated from the University of São Paulo with a highly praised thesis project on public spaces and subway infrastructure, he also combines architecture with visual arts experience. Working as a graphic designer and art director, Saito has freelanced for book publications and magazines, which he carried out alongside his architectural study. Following training periods at different Brazilian practices, including Acayaba’s own firm, he started work on his own projects, kicking off with a house designed for two software developers in Ilhabela, due to be completed later this year.
Most inspired by: BIG, for their communicative architecture; contemporary Japanese architects, especially Suppose Design Office and Sou Fujimoto. Gehl Architects for the way they investigate urban spaces; and some of my best teachers: Antonio Carlos Barossi, Angelo Bucci, Alexandre Delijaicov and Marcos Acayaba.
Kin Cheong Chan
University of Hong Kong, China / 2009
Architecture
Even though Kin Cheong Chan only recently graduated with a Distinction-awarded thesis project on the design of a Chinese Embassy building in Tokyo, his work has already reached far beyond the Chinese borders. Since 2008 he has collaborated with Professor Eric Schuldenfrei on two major projects – the ‘Chain City’ installation they were involved in for New York-based practice Diller Scofidio + Renfro was shown at the 2008 Venice Biennale, while their design for a noise barrier architectural competition for the Hong Kong government was awarded third prize. Currently employed at international practice RMJM, Chan is involved in various competitions and builds in mainland China.
Most inspired by: BIG
Ken Chung Tat Lee
University of Hong Kong, China / 2010
Architecture
Since graduating, 25-year Ken Lee has been working at Hong Kong-based studio Wong and Ouyang Architects. The Chinese-British designer cites his education as being instrumental in teaching him independent thinking, as well as the ability to transform a mental picture into a physical space and communicate this. Drawing inspiration from the works of Bjarke Ingels, Future Systems, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, and Archigram, as well as the surrealist paintings of Rene Magritte, Lee used his thesis project to conjure up a series of floating platforms designed to absorb and accommodate changes in nature and the environment, without compromising their function (a floating hotel, dive school and water park).
Would most like to work with: BIG in Denmark, and Diller Scofidio + Refro in New York.
Eva Rosborg Aagaard
Royal Danish Academy of Fine Art Architecture School, Denmark / 2010
Architecture
Having travelled extensively during her studies, 30-year old Eva Aagaard produced a dense, rich tapestry of architectural images for her diploma project, a hotel in Sarajevo. 'I learned the value of the investigational architectural process,' she says of her studies, 'My travels and fieldwork have been my biggest inspirations - to experience foreign cultures and see how other people live have challenged my approach.' Issues of local culture and context pervade her work. The hotel, rendered as a dense array of interlocking boxes, is designed for both short and long stays, and is inspired by a traditional roadside inn. Aagaard is currently teaching at the Aarhus School of Architecture.
Most inspired by: Alejandro Aravena and Elemental’s approach on the social impact of urban projects
Deepak Jawahr
Städelschule, Germany / 2010
Architecture
Indian national Deepak Jawahr is currently pitching his skills at design competitions, as well as showing the world his thesis project, a performing arts centre in Rio de Janeiro. 'After graduation, my manifesto is now that 'real complexity lies in sufficient simplicity,' he says, 'my personal experience is that seeking "complexity" is getting fashionable – and problematic. It is vital to address the core of the problem.' Citing Rem Koolhaas and Ben van Berkel, one of his tutors, as major inspirations, Jawahr believes that architects need to start moving away from image-oriented design. 'Architects should represent the values of society, not individual ambitions,' he says. His graduation project blends complicated forms with a simple structure, with a circulation that forms a complex, 'vortex-like', intersection within an arts building.
Most inspired by: OMA's research wing AMO.
Michele Albanelli
Städelschule, Germany / 2009
Architecture
Even though he only finished his Masters at the Stadelschule last year, Italian Michele Albanelli already has extensive professional experience – ranging from work in private Roman architecture practices to one-off personal independent projects. Albanelli, who was highly commended by the Frankfurt school’s dean Ben van Berkel, designed a youth hostel in Brazil for his final year project, while in 2008 he won the Günter Bock Prize for the best student work. He is now busy with more independent work, and has just completeed the interior design for a small private library in Italy.
Most inspired by: ‘Rem Koolhaas and OMA, or David Adjaye.’
Yehwon Kim
Georgia Institute of Technology, US / 2009
Architecture
A graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Yehwon Kim also combines studies at the École Nationale Superieure d'Architecture de Paris La Villette and the Yonsei University in Seoul with numerous student scholarships. One of her last year projects was the Joyous Dancer, a creative design of a wearable architectural environment, while her largest final year work revolved around an aquatic centre. Adding to that her extensive professional experience at the Gwangju Design Biennale for 2011 and Mooyoung Architects and Engineers in Seoul, and it’s no wonder that celebrated Korean architect H-Sang Seung asked Kim to join his Seoul-based company, Iroje, even before she graduated. Kim is now involved in many of the firm’s international projects, as well as being responsible for the busy practice’s publications and exhibitions management.
Would most like to work with: Oscar de la Renta. I love his sleek, sophisticated and classic style.
Maciej Jakub Zawadzki
Warsaw University of Technology, Poland / 2009
Architecture
Alongside both an undergraduate and postgraduate degree from the Warsaw University of Technology, Maciej Zawadzki enriched his time in academia with a scholarship exchange program to the Sint-Lucas School of Architecture in Brussels. His thesis included the design of a unique museum space off the Miami shore; the Museum of Latin American Immigrants evolved from a set of computer-generated spiralling forms, resulting in the building’s final aerodynamic shape. Following small stints at Warsaw practices SDA Architekci and Hermanoqicz Architekci, he moved to Copenhagen to join SEA and then BIG, where he is currently based.
Most inspired by: my father, who was an architect. And the work of young Spanish architect Alvaro Garcia Mendive.
Estelle Lépine
Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland / 2010
Architecture
Estelle Lépine’s thesis comprised the design of a high-altitude refuge centre in l’Aiguille du Gouter a Saint-Gervais en Haute-Savoie in France, a project she completed with flying colours. Currently engaged in PhD research at Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, studying the impact of the energy standards and rules on buildings and their users, she is aiming for a career in higher architecture education. This doesn’t mean that Lépine hasn’t had her fair share of architecture practice; training stints at Atelier Cube in Lausanne and Latitude Architects in London provided her with the appropriate professional perspective, as did her first personal independent project, a family chalet in the French Alps, which is currently under construction.
Most inspired by: a truly open-minded client, so we can create a project that will please both them and myself; and maybe make other people dream.
Matthias Rippmann, Michael Knauss and Silvan Oesterle
ETHZ, Switzerland / 2007
Architecture
Three years after graduating from the prestigious ETH Zurich and the University of Stuttgart, Michael Knauss, Silvan Oesterle and Matthias Rippmann formed their own practice, ROK. Their exceptional combined portfolio includes professional experience with UNStudio, Gramazio & Kohler, Behnisch Architects, Werner Sobek and LAVA and academic lecturing at schools like the Bauhaus University in Weimar, Harvard Graduate School of Design, the Architectural Association in London and ABK Stuttgart. Their most recent project, the Flat2Form System, outlines a unique method for bending two parallel sheets of the same material into a predefined geometric shape, using a matching hole pattern in their surfaces.
Most inspired by: Frei Otto.
Shin Koseki
Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland / 2010
Architecture
Following on from a degree in architecture at the university in his home town of Montreal, Shin Koseki started his Masters in 2007 at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, where he won his tutors over with his thesis – a multi-functional super tower in Lower Manhattan, cleverly interconnected with the island’s existing urban fabric. After graduation, he started a PhD at the same institution on ‘the implementation of an economy of use values in the production of a new urban model’. Combining excellent student work with experience in practices like Fuksas Associati, Reiser-Umemoto and Atelier Braq, Koseki offsets his heavyweight architecture academia credentials with a separate creative portfolio in photography and graphic design.
Most inspired by: people who trust me and whom I can trust, people with beautiful minds and adventurous ideas.
George Calver
Oxford Brookes University, UK / 2011
Architecture
George Calver's work draws inspiration from the work of Louis Kahn, Peter Barber, Álvaro Siza and Herzog and de Meuron, amongst others. The 23 year-old British architect will finish his diploma in May 2011 and describes his understanding of architecture as a 'holistic system of influences from the built form and function, to its socio-cultural context.' 'The most important thing I took from my studies was architecture's integral relationship with people,' he says, going on to explain that the current economic climate is the biggest challenge facing architects and students alike, along with sustainability and the need for restoration and renovation. 'Existing buildings need to become energy efficient and sustainable without drastically changing the user experience or their lifestyles.' His graduation project focused on low-cost housing and the integration of sustainable technology.
Most inspired by: Louis Kahn and Caruso St John Architects.
James Wignall
Royal College of Art, UK / 2011
Architecture
James Wignall has previously worked at jobs as diverse as a design consultant for the V&A Wasted project at the 2009 London Design Festival, a deputy unit leader at Nottingham University, and a designer with Heatherwick Studio, and is currently creative director at his own design firm, Wignall & Moore. His architecture degree at Nottingham University (where he currently teaches) was followed by a Masters at the RCA, where he won the Sustain Award and was nominated for the Conran Award and the RIBA Silver Medal. Wignall’s aim is to combine architecture, design and sculpture through his work. His favourite project, the cast iron and bronze Double Sided River, is essentially an intersection of two maps; in section it shows the River Thames and in plan, the Thames floodplain.
Most inspired by: Constantin Brancusi, or possibly George Roy Hill while he was making Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
Jorgen Tandberg
Architectural Association, UK / 2010
Architecture
The Norwegian-born Jorgen Tandberg is currently working at Factum Arte in Madrid and embodies the pan-European character of the 21st century architect. His studies at the AA included the creation of a well-publicised Bat House project (with Yo Murata), a richly decorative, highly poetic folly that's also a breeding space for rare species. Tandberg draws inspiration from artists and architects such as Mies van der Rohe, Gert Jan Willemse, John Hejduk, Étienne-Louis Boullée and Gerhard Richter. 'Architecture can't determine how people behave,' he says. 'It can only contain their actions.' His graduation project, The Immeuble Cite, is a Hedjuk-inspired megastructure for the 'post-Fordist worker'.
Most inspired by: the job I have now, but at some point I would like to set up my own practice.
Nandi Marshal Han
Manchester School of Architecture, UK / 2010
Architecture
When Nandi Marshal Han was announced as the winner of the 2010 Architecture Foundation Student Travel Award, sponsored by Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF), we knew this soon-to-be graduate was one to watch. Following his well-deserved Award-related trip to Lhasa in Tibet to research on the development of urbanisation and the public space within the Holy City, he took up a work placement at KPF. A multi-award winner for his student designs and creative work, Han has also contributed to research publications at Manchester Architecture School with a special focus on urban masterplanning and sustainability.
Most inspired by: KPF – they are a great commercial company. OMA for their experiments, Steven Holl for his interpretation of architecture and nature that has always inspired me. I would love Peter Hall to be my mentor in research.
Nicholas Elias
The Bartlett School of Architecture, UK / 2010
Architecture
Nick Elias graduated from the Bartlett in 2010 and currently works at Foster and Partners. 'At the Bartlett I learnt how to think very critically about objects and their influence on our living structure,' says the 21-year-old. 'I also learned that architecture does more than just talk about 'image', it analyses the experiences felt when confronted with either an object or a building.' Drawing influences from the conceptual work of Lebbeus Woods and Perry Kulper, Elias used his graduation project to focus on water use in the UK ('and the rapacious nature of the average Brit') and how it might be reduced, rendering his concept with an intricate series of drawings that are a feast for the eyes.
Most inspired by: concept design and art.
Rachel Witham
Cardiff University, UK / 2010
Architecture
Rachel Witham graduated this summer, taking with her a clutch of awards for her final year work. Currently engaged on a competition-winning design study, the 24-year-old is also adept at working with poured concrete to make hefty but elegant homewares. Her influences tend towards the more solid, fundamental school of architectural design, including the Smithsons, Leslie Martin, Pierre Chareau, Hans Scharoun and Sir John Soane. Her own work is richly textured and layered, and her graduation project, 'Curating Curation', set out to shape space through the arrangement of objects and knowledge. 'I have come to really admire architecture that is born out of ingenuity and inherent complexity yet as a whole forms a coherent and rich experience,' she explains. Witham hopes that 'good affordable architecture with longevity and no frills' will emerge from the current austere climate.
Most inspired by: the more solid, fundamental school of architectural design, including the Smithsons, Leslie Martin, Pierre Chareau, Hans Scharoun and Sir John Soane
Thandi Loewenson
The Bartlett School of Architecture, UK / 2010
Architecture
Thandi Loewenson is a Zimbabwean Part 1 student with an eye for the elaborate, complex and interwoven space. Currently working at Emulsion Architects (see W*70) in London, the 21-year old describes her studies at the Bartlett as being as much about 'social and political science' as the study of creating physical environments. 'I'm inspired and challenged by the chaos and incredible ingenuity that necessity produces in poor communities,' she says. Drawing inspiration from the now-demolished Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong, she designed an urban tower for 'living, recreation, and algae farming,' an Archigram-esque slice of dystopic futurism that's sustainable but kind of chaotic, part Heath Robinson, part Carlo Scarpa, yet still strangely beautiful and functional.
Most inspired by: Enric Ruiz Geli at Cloud 9 Studio in Barcelona.
David Maple
Columbia University, US / 2010
Architecture
Coming highly recommended by architect and Columbia tutor Galia Solomonoff, whose design studio David Maple completed during his studies for an MSc in Advanced Architectural Design, this graduate stood out for his imaginative seaside redesign and reinvention of the casa grande housing scheme for Rio de Janeiro; a model that has been adopted in the past by the likes of Oscar Niemeyer. Combining studies in New York’s famed architecture school as well as a bachelor of architecture from Pennsylvania State University, Maple has also been awarded several prizes for student work and design excellence. He is currently employed at Openshop Studio in New York, a boutique practice where he also gained earlier professional experience in-between courses, while a Columbia University book including his contribution is expected to hit stores in spring 2011.
Most inspired by: my brother Scott.
Joaquin F Stearns
Columbia University, US / 2010
Architecture
Stearns was born and raised in Buenos Aires, where he began his studies in architecture. Moving to the US in 2003, he graduated from the Architecture School of the Pratt Institute in New York with the highest honours and followed through with a Masters in Real Estate Development from Columbia University. His business-minded studies, combined with experience at architecture practices and real estate development companies, have already earned him great acclaim. His thesis, Urban Interventions: A Catalyst to Development Opportunities in the City of Sao Paulo, is about to be published as a book and has been presented to developers and investors in Brazil and New York.
Most inspired by: New York City architecture.
Studio Hopson Rodstrom
Columbia University, US / 2010
Architecture
Nicholas Hopson and Klara Rodstrom, both architecture graduates of the University of Southern California, took a three-year break from academia in 2006 to gain valuable professional experience in offices like Leeser Architecture, Sander Architects and Work Architecture Company, before continuing with further studies at Columbia University. Since starting their architectural studies, the pair have taken part in numerous publications and exhibitions, but their Impressao Olimpica project for Rio de Janeiro at the Galia Solomonoff studio at Columbia was the one that especially caught our eye. It examines the effect of an impressive sci-fi temporary media and communication complex for the upcoming Rio Olympics that can be adapted to benefit the area’s infrastructure post-Games.
Most inspired by: SANAA, Herzog & de Meuron, OMA, and Peter Zumthor.
Megan Panzano
Harvard University Graduate School of Design, US / 2010
Architecture
Megan Panzano currently works and teaches in Boston. 'At the GSD, I got the continuous thrill of the feeling when you're "onto something" working on a design problem - it's a feeling that never goes away, whether you're in or out of the studio,' she enthuses. Citing the work of Carlo Scarpa, Enric Miralles, Pablo Beitia, and the artists Joseph Cornell and Josiah McElheny, as influences, Panzano is dedicated to maintaining attention to detail in the face of economic adversity. Her GSD thesis project, 'A Living Archive', fuses the qualities of home and museum, storage and display.
Most inspired by: SHoP in New York, and OMA for their research and innovative views.
Savina Romanos
The Cooper Union, US / 2010
Architecture
A result of her Cooper Union Irwik S. Chanin School of Architecture course, which she completed in 2010, Savina Romanos’ work was also shown at the Arch Schools exhibition at the AIA NY Centre for Architecture this past autumn. Her thesis project, entitled 'Dark Earth: Fire Centers and Territories', is a global research on fire, focusing on the case study of a specific forest site in the Zografos neighbourhood of Athens, Greece. Nurturing a deep interest in the connections between art and architecture, Romanos explored the both constructive and destructive effects of fire, zooming in the series of wildfires that appeared during the Greek countryside’s recent history since 1995. Through her research Romanos aimed to turn a fire’s negative results into fertile ground for positive architectural development.
Most inspired by: Peter Zumthor, Tod Williams and Billie Tsien, Enric Miralles-Benedetta Tagliabue, Alexandros Tombazis.
Yael Hameiri
The Cooper Union, US / 2010
Architecture
It is not just that Yael Hameiri combines in her academic CV two years in the City College of New York Architecture School and a further four at the influential Cooper Union school that makes her work stand out among her fellow-graduates; it is also that she earned a Cooper Mack Research Fellowship and several academic scholarships to do it. Her work has already represented her school at the Archiprix International 2011 & MIT Cambridge, Best Graduating Projects exhibition and competition and has been shown at the Arch Schools Exhibition 2010 at the AIA Center for Architecture in New York, while one more show at the Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art in Israel featuring her designs is due to open next June. Following graduation, Hameiri landed an enviable position at the New York outpost of Shigeru Ban Architects, which will undoubtedly add kudos to her already rich list of professional experience.
Most inspired by: communities and great thinkers, to make places that can hold memories.
Carlos Felix Raspall Galli
Yale School of Architecture, US / 2010
Architecture
Having been taught by some of the biggest names in contemporary architecture, including Greg Lynn, Peter Eisenman and Frank Gehry, and with three years research experience on sustainability at the Habitat and Energy Research Center at Buenos Aires University, Carlos Felix Raspall Galli is well equipped to face the professional architecture world. Argentinean Raspall previously studied at the University of Buenos Aires before finally leaving academia in 2010 with a final project focusing on a concert hall in Istanbul. Keeping it local, Raspall is currently employed at Pelli Clarke Pelli in New Haven, even though his previous experience spans posts at the Takenaka Corporation in Osaka, Japan, and MSGSSS Arquitectos in Argentina, as well as a number of independent projects.
Most inspired by: Enric Miralles and Kazuyo Sejima.
Anne-Marie Armstrong
Yale School of Architecture, US / 2010
Architecture
Now a junior designer at Gehry Partners in LA, Anne-Marie Armstrong’s professional experience ranges from curatorial work at the Storefront of Art and Architecture in New York to design work at Kohn Pedersen Fox and Diamond and Schmitt Architects in Toronto. The Canadian-born Armstrong obtained her Bachelor degree at University of Waterloo, Ontario, before completing a prestigious Masters at Yale, where she was awarded a continuous flow of prizes, scholarships and fellowships, including the H I Feldman Prize for the best solution to an architectural problem in an advanced studio.
Most inspired by: Herzog & de Meuron, Atelier Bow-Wow, and Patrizia Moroso.
Nicolas Fayad
Harvard University Graduate School of Design, US / 2010
Architecture
Lebanese national Nicolas Fayad followed his BA at the American University of Beirut with a Masters at GSD, interspersed with a spot of experience at firms including Ateliers Jean Nouvel. The 25-year old cites John Hedjuk, Enric Miralles and Thom Mayne as influences, along with the art of Naum Gabo, Marcel Duchamp and Robert Smithson. 'I came to Harvard seeking new models of practice that would examine new forms of collaboration,' he says, 'I am interested in an architecture which emerges from contextual constraints, simultaneously striving for programmatic resilience.' Striving to reign in the excesses of digital design, his award-winning graduation project, 'Brittle Steps,' looks at the topography of a site in Chongqing, China, a stepped row of elaborate, interrelated structures that creates a new landscape for the site and a new world of spatial possibilities.
Most inspired by: Morphosis.
Joe Williams
Oxford Brookes University
Architecture
Joe Williams' influences splice the socially progressive approach of Ralph Erskine and Danish urban design Jan Gehl with the formally ambitious architecture of Bjarke Ingels and Charles Correa. With a stint at Feilden Clegg Bradley under his belt, the 25-year old Briton is set on making 'a positive contribution to the field of social housing in the future.' Williams believes that high-density urban housing is the most pressing concern for today's architect. 'This will require a re-examination of the nature of habitation and the radical innovation of conventional housing solutions,' he says. His RIBA-award winning graduation project, 'Make Bethnal Green,' was inspired by 'Erskine's premise that "a housing development with dwellings only is an incomplete organism"'. Shared space therefore became the focus, to help 'begin to reverse the trends of living, working and playing in isolation.'
Would most like to work with: 'Edouard Francoise's recent social housing 'Eden Bio' is inspirational in re-asserting the importance of dwellings with nature; I would undoubtedly cherish working at his practice in Paris. The private residential work of Rahul Mehotra Associates (RMA) in Mumbai is equally appealing.'
Chiara Onida
Central Saint Martins, UK / 2010
Design
‘I’m fascinated by traditional artifacts,’ says Turin-born designer Chiara Onida. ‘I love simple solutions, especially the ones determined by necessity or by need of adaptation. I like small, crafted details as well as primitive shapes.’ For her final year project she developed ‘The Domestic Soundscape’, a collection of objects that explore the possibilities for using sound and rhythm to celebrate the small rituals involved with everyday domestic activities.
Most inspired by: Martino Gamper and Faye Toogood
Elina Järvinen
Aalto University, Finland / 2010
Design
Helsinki designer Elina Järvinen impressed the Milan Salone crowds in 2007 with her ‘Tre’ light, which is now being manufactured by a Finnish brand. She believes her objects should make their users happy: ‘A good product is like a good friend: it fulfills functional needs and communicates on the emotional level.’ She says of her latest project, ‘Able’, that it is ‘a new kind of furniture that combines the functions of a table with that of storage furniture.’
Most inspired by: the great Scandinavian designers of the 1900s such as Kaj Frank.
Hanne Enemark
Royal College of Arts, UK / 2010
Design
Hanne Enemark has been working with glass since 2002. She studied at the Design School on Bornholm Island, Denmark, before moving to London to study at the RCA’s ceramics and glass department. ‘My work explores glass’ incredibly versatile nature; its optics, transparency and fragility. By working both with the glass in its soft flowing state and in its cold hardened state, I create shapes that emphasise the purity and honesty of the material.’
Most inspired by: Lena Bergström, Anna Torfs and Louis Thompson.
Harry Parr-Young
Bucks New University, UK / 2010
Design
Harry Parr-Young’s interests in design revolve around creating well-considered solutions combined with the experimental use of a variety of materials. ‘I have a passion for cultural diversification expressed through design, which led to my reinterpretation of rattan cane.’ His ‘RSM I’ stool plays on rattan furniture’s perceived association with the exotic and the outdoors, using splice joints and triangulation.
Most inspired by: the Castiglioni brothers, Dieter Rams, Hans Wegner and Carlo Scarpa.
Hye-Yeon Park
Royal College of Arts, UK / 2010
Design
Hye-yeon Park starts any design project by asking: ‘What is it about an object that we take for granted?’ For his Mr Clock project, this process threw up the less than obvious question: ‘Why can’t a clock take a rest when we’re not looking at it?’ At first glance, Mr Clock seems to playfully flip between nonsensical configurations of each seven-segment digit. But this as you walk up close it remembers itself and resumes its time keeping function.
Most inspired by: mathematician Tobias Dantzig and Korean poet Kim Chun-Su.
Iina Vuorivirta
Beckmans College of Design, Sweden / 2010
Design
Iina Vuorivirta, who moved from Finland to Sweden to study product design, believes in minimalism and pure forms: ‘“Enough is enough”, I like to say. In my work it is the material that determinates the shape.’ In her ‘4th of July’ cabinet, Vuorivirta lets the oriented strand board play the main role: ‘I wanted to pay attention to a material usually hidden under several lays of plaster. I try to ensure that the messages, materials and forms all support one another.’
Most inspired by: the pureness of Jasper Morrison, the heritage of Alvar Aalto.
www.beckmans.se/iina-vuorivirta
Irie Takuro
Tama Art University, Japan
Design
For Irie Takuro, a native of Hiroshima, her work is all about securing the relationship between the user and the product through a design solution. ‘I came up with the idea of having the product be customizable so that a new and closer relationship can be made between the two. The inspiration came from observing a craftsman I interviewed, and seeing the close relationship between him and the tools he has been using for over 40 years.’
Most inspired by: Achille Castiglioni, Sori Yanagi and Kenji Ekuan
James Shaw
Kingston University, UK / 2010
Design
James Shaw studied at Kingston University, where he says, with admirable simplicity, that he ‘learnt how to make things’, and is now based in London. He has a manufacturing-based approach to design: ‘I am interested in creating objects which are entirely appropriate to their material and manufacture in order to give them longevity, utility and a simple innate beauty.
Most inspired by: Andrea Zittel for her pragmatism; Jasper Morrison for his refinement; Jurgen Bey and Hella Jongerius for their playfulness.
Jeanette Dalrot
Konstfack College, Sweden / 2010
Design
Jeanette Dalrot’s sharing chair concept questions how much comfort it is reasonable to abandon for the possibility of sharing a seat. ‘I want to investigate ordinary needs and their possible solutions. I am trying to create environments and objects that do not require, but that do facilitate, interaction. I believe in trusting people’s ability to recognize and appreciate design and let them be entertained. Availability and equality is important to me in my work.'
Most inspired by: my surroundings and the needs and desires of people I meet; the anti-design philosophy of Ettore Sottssas, Achille Castiglioni´s way of reinventing everyday items.
Jennifer Rabatel
ECAL, Switzerland / 2010
Design
Jennifer Rabatel begins her designs with a lot of drawing. In that way, she believes, she can think her way to innovation. ‘I try to keep my work as simple as possible, but consistent with the idea of durability and in a way that highlights the beauty of the materials and the assembly itself. Good objects are really only good if they last in time.’ Her collection of mirrors and bags is designed to show that luxury can be found where you least expect it.
Most inspired by: Achille Castiglioni, Le Corbusier and Charlotte Perriand.
www.jenniferabatel.blogspot.com
Lisa Allegra
ESAD Strasbourg, France / 2010
Design
Lisa Allegra believes that an essential object is not necessarily a simple object, but one that brings a moment of calm amid the permanent cacophony of our cluttered lives. ‘The pillow is the main ingredient of this ‘Sumo’ seating proposal. It combines comfort and rest. Its shape tells of a warm welcoming attitude. This seat leaves open a great contrast between rigidity and flexibility, sensitivity and opulence. It is elegant and heavy, skinny and fat altogether.’
Most inspired by: Jasper Morrison and Donald Judd
Lukas Peet
Design Academy Eindhoven, Netherlands / 2009
Design
Lukas Peet grew up in the Canadian Rockies where his father worked as a goldsmith and jeweller. ‘My main approach to design is based on a strong use of shape and form, combined with interesting materials, with the function and use heavily determining those aspects. The goal of the ‘Table Light’ project was to create a light that would illuminate the table surface as well as the ceiling while leaving the space between free from direct light.’
Most inspired by: My father, Ilse Crawford, Aldo Bakker and Jan Boelen.
Martha Schwindling
HfG Karlsruhe, Germany / 2010
Design
Martha Schwindling’s work focuses on simple products with a twist. Her ‘Die Drei’ series of tables, made of elm, veneer and linoleum, is a project about ‘opening and closing, and finding a surprising interior’. The three tables come with unconventional opening mechanisms. While other drawers tilt or wear out after some time, my desk and side table use these asymmetric movements as their functional principles,’ she explains.
Most inspired by: Sam Hecht and Naoto Fukasawa.
Martin Ku
Beckmans College of Design, Sweden / 2010
Design
Martin Ku studied art history before deciding to focus on design, and he believes this has influenced his approach. ‘My work is based on the conviction that the products around us are created through a social agreement on what we expect them to look like. By adding, subtracting and changing functions in objects, I force the users to redefine what they see.’ His ‘Armatur’ project is shaped like a chair but is actually a light.
Most inspired by: Norwegian theatre scenographer Bente Lykke Møller.
Tor Palm & Mattias Rask
Linköping University, Sweden / 2010
Design
Mattias Rask and fellow graduate Tor Palm have formed a partnership to work with artisans from around the globe. ‘Hopefully our work will generate more work for the artisans and help keep specific crafts alive in poorer parts of the world,’ says Rask. Their final year project, a standing lamp called Last Fruit Standing, was created in partnership with ceramicists at The Potters Workshop in Cape Town; they are now working with artisans in Vietnam.
Meike Langer
HfG Offenbach, Germany
Design
Meike Langer studied at ECAL for one semester before studying industrial design in Offenbach. She is now freelancing in Frankfurt for the Studio Reinhard Dienes. 'I try to create functional objects that will be used and lived with by people in the long term,' she says. 'Every detail of an object needs to be thought of and justified, but this does not need to show in the design. I rather wish my objects to appear light and easy to handle.' For her diploma work she created a clothes rail and bench: 'I aimed to create a functional object that would adapt easily and that would find its way into peoples homes as a longtime companion.'
Most inspired by: Cecilie Manz, Inga Sempé and artist Monika Sosnowska.
Sarah Böttger
HfG Offenbach, Germany / 2010
Design
Sarah Böttger's ‘Juuri’ collection of containers was inspired by the glass manufacturing process. ‘There are three different shapes, cut in eight different places, that can be joined together in various combinations. I enjoy experimenting with different materials and processing techniques. Traditional crafts can be as fascinating as high-tech methods. I believe that the overlap between them can create interesting collages and unusual results.’
Most inspired by: Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec for their surprising solutions.
Satoshi Yoshida
Aalto University, Finland / 2010
Design
Japanese designer Satoshi Yoshida studied industrial design and worked at a design firm in Osaka before moving to Finland in 2007 to complete a masters in furniture design. ‘I believe that designers have to keep updating their ideas to reflect contemporary living,’ he says. His ‘Align’ bookshelf is ‘an extraordinarily narrow bookshelf which allows the alignment of both small and large books harmoniously and efficiently.’
Most inspired by: Finnish designer Ilmari Tapiovaara.
Yuya Kurata
Royal College of Arts, UK / 2010
Design
Yuya Kurata studied craft and industrial design at Okayama University. After three years’ practical experience as a designer for an Osaka lighting company, he moved to London to do an MA in pro09ct design at the RCA. ‘I like to focus on enhancing the practicality within everyday life and actual lived experience. Newly designed products should make a difference, even if it's small, and at the same time, blend in with the existing environment.’
Most inspired by: Muji's consumer-focused products
Wai Lun Wong
RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia
Packaging
Wai Lun Wong considers design to be a tool to directly express messages to audiences instead of languages. 'Design should be simple and clean to let people understand it easily. That is the direction in which I always try to take my work. My Ware House project is for a company that sells products for the home. I used simple graphics and die-cut shapes to emphasize the quality of the products. The shape of the die-cut is exactly the same as the shape of the product.'
Most inspired by: Kenya Hara, design director of Muji.
Ludwig Bruneau Rossow
Westerdals, Oslo, Norway
Packaging
Ludvig Bruneau Rossow is an Oslo-based graphic designer who works mainly with printed matter. His work varies from visual identities to editorial design and packaging. 'I believe that packaging design should have a function and not just appear as decoration. The ideas behind my projects vary from technical to emotional concepts, but it is always very important for me that my design is based on an initial conceptual idea.'
Most inspired by: I'm a great fan of Herb Lubalin for his typographic work and Stefan Sagmeister for his ability to solve projects in new and surprising ways.
Abby Brewster
Portfolio Centre, Atlanta, US
Packaging
Now freelancing in New York, Abby Brewster is motivated by the belief that the place where functionality and creativity meet is where a project comes alive. 'My approach could perhaps best be summed up by the Shaker adage: "Beauty rests on utility."' Her project for Triumph Brewing Company is a packaging system that allows for the mass-production of the bottles that are distributed to three brewpubs; the labelled tape allows each location to only package what they are currently brewing.
Most inspired by: the Shaker style
www.cargocollective.com/abbybrewster
Sarah Déry
UQAM, Montreal, Canada
Packaging
Sarah Déry studied graphics at the Sherbrooke CEGEP and recently graduated from UQAM’s graphic design program. 'I like to seek concepts which combine visual impact and emotional response. I work to create objects that provoke, inspire nostalgia or simply make people smile. Packaging must also ensure an optimal use of materials, as well as encourage re-use for secondary purposes. My project T3 is inspired by Rubik’s cube. It is an environmentally friendly tea package, containing 27 cubes of compressed tea. The entire package is made from a single sheet of paper, folded and cut to allow the user to detach each cube as needed.'
Most inspired by: Design agency Peter Gregson Studio
Roberta Zanette
UniRitter, Porto Alegre, Brazil
Packaging
Roberta Zanette loves ceramics, packaging and modular products. She graduated in industrial design in 2009 and for her final year project decided to draw packaging for jam and jelly products that are popular throughout southern Brazil. 'I had two main goals with my project: to affect the environment as little as possible and to develop a product which would provide easy access to a great number of people. Across all of my design work, which also includes ceramic tableware and photography, I try to focus on the development of smart products that are linked to sustainability, quality of life and well being.
Most inspired by: ceramics; modular products
lovelypackage.com/student-work-roberta-zanette/
Neal Fletcher
University of Central Lancashire, UK
Packaging
Neal Fletcher believes in approaching design as an outsider: 'I feel it's important not to complicate things too much, design should be accessible to anyone, regardless of your knowledge.' He chose a spaghetti package for his project because he was always wasting spaghetti by cooking too much. 'There are already measuring devices for spaghetti on the market but nothing within the packaging itself, giving the consumer the spaghetti in six equal servings to save on waste, the packaging can then be re-used and kept forever.'
Most inspired by: Reducing waste.
Niklas Hessman
Broby Grafiska College of Cross Media, Sunne, Sweden
Packaging
Niklas Hessman approaches design as an actor who studies human typologies: 'I always think to myself that a designer is a person who sees things in society and the world around them as nobody else is seeing it. We are much like actors trying to study peoples’ habits and personalities.' In his own packaging work he hopes that its key feature is innovation, thereby eliminating the need for too much surface styling.
Most inspired by: Amore, a design studio in Stockholm, and Grandpeople, a group of designers in Bergen, Norway.
Fernando Jorge
Central Saint Martins, UK / 2010
Jewellery
Brazilian Jorge’s fluid pieces perfectly encapsulate the laid-back sensual vibe of his home country. Stints at a large jewellery manufacturer in Sao Paolo and later at the renowned Carla Amorim undoubtedly imbued Jorge with a commercial savvy, while his design aesthetic was honed by a subsequent MA at Central St Martin’s. The result is a strikingly beautiful and saleable collection. Milky quartz is skillfully cut to appear dripping from molten gold settings, while cabochon cut smoky quartz and large soft nuggets of rhodochrosite form the aptly named ‘Curvy’ and ‘Cheeky’ ring.
Most inspired by: living in London
Harry Hornby
Central Saint Martins, UK / 2010
Jewellery
It’s no surprise that Asprey has snapped up Harry Hornby to inject some of her aesthetic into its design team. With goldsmithing skills honed at Cartier in 2009, and the industry recognition of a ‘Bright Young Gem’ award in 2010, her sophisticated and luxurious pieces belie her years. We particularly like the layering of fine gold wire in her rings and cuffs, with large ‘floating’ gemstones set within.
Most inspired by: Bridget Riley, Naum Gabo and Barbara Hepworth.
Julie Impens
Central Saint Martins, UK / 2010
Jewellery
Impens’ strength lies in her ability to mix unconventional materials with laser-cut gold-plated brass. And so silk ruffles are sandwiched between metal, thoughtfully lined in a deep burgundy flocking. Impens sites her home country of France as having a huge impact on her work, particularly Marie Antoinette and the court of Versailles. But don’t let that put you off, the sculptural form of the stiff Venetian silk anchors her pieces firmly on the right side of girly.
Most inspired by: French Rococo style
Lotta Veromaa
University of Art and Design, Helsinki, Finland / 2010
Jewellery
Veromaa draws on a variety of techniques to create her jewellery. Her latest collection ‘Transit’ was designed on a computer and then cast using the age old ‘lost wax’ technique. In the case of the necklace 6 separate elements were then soldered together and the interior oxidized black to throw the polished exterior into sharp relief. It’s no surprise to discover Veromaa studied architectural imagery of future city plans to gain inspiration - the apertures in her jewellery remind us of windows in a cityscape. Think 2001: A Space Odyssey meets Paco Rabanne, only better.
Most inspired by: movies, books, objects, buildings, nature, people
Myia Bonner
Middlesex University, UK / 2010
Jewellery
By creating and finishing each piece by hand Bonner hopes to instill some of the rarity of a real diamond into her graphic pieces. Large 3-D gold-plated models of diamonds make successful pendants while her perspex ‘diamond’ rings challenge ideas of scale and value. As the 2010 winner of EC One’s Unsigned competition, her collection will be sold in store from Dec.
Most inspired by: science, nature, fashion, culture, the designer Gareth Pugh
Andre Chiang
Restaurant Andre, 41 Bukit Pasoh Road, Singapore
Food
Having spent his formative years under the watch of such culinary luminaries, it’s no wonder that Chiang, now 31, has challenged himself to develop his own culinary principle for his new establishment, Restaurant Andre. ‘Octa-philosophy’ is based on eight characteristics; unique, texture, memory, pure, terroir, salt, south and artisan, which shape Chiang’s changing menus. An adventure for the senses, Chiang’s delicately presented plates aren’t short on delicacies, be it Alba white truffles or foie gras. His experimental approach sits particularly well in the restaurant’s intimate premises; a beautiful colonial shophouse, armed with a cellar of rare and small-production French wines. Chiang’s talents aren’t confined to the kitchen either; tables also feature flatware and decorative pieces made by the chef himself.
Sample dish: Heritage Kyoto aubergine braised with cockscombs and duck tongues (to absorb its natural collagen,) coated with smoked eggplant “Crème Anglaise” and topped with Atlantic free-farmed caviar from France.
Andreas Dahlberg
Bastard Restaurant, Mäster Johansgatan 11, Malmö, Sweden
Food
Andreas Dahlberg is 31 and has been cooking for more than half his life. A year ago he and a partner opened Bastard, an easygoing place with a big-city feel, bare wood tables, and a long bar serving organic wines. Though Dahlberg was actually born out of wedlock, the name was chosen simply because it’s 'punchy, it stands out, it’s not too long.' That’s the sort of Nordic directness that you will find in his dishes, made with just a few ingredients, carefully sourced, and for the most part locally. Espousing ‘nose to tail eating’ à la Fergus Henderson, Dahlberg manages to work miracles with bits of animal that aren’t, in essence, that appetising – we’re talking trotters, ox cheek, tongue. Portions are generous, flavours earthy but rounded. He insists on 'happy' animals, which means that when he can’t find lamb, chickens or beef raised with love he won’t serve them. Fortunately, he has a good pork producer, so you can always count on finding the Bastard Planka, an assortment of sausages, pâtés, and rillettes, many of them housemade, served with Swedish butter and sourdough bread. He loves serving off-cuts such as beef heart in a variety of ways, including grilled, thinly sliced and marinated with capers, garlic, and balsamic vinegar. He calls his cuisine 'contemporary European home cooking,' though with typical Nordic humility he says it’s a work in progress.
Sample dish: The 'Bastard Planka' , a mix of pâtés, sausages, hams and rillette served with homemade sourdough and swedish butter.
Bel Coelho
Clandestino, First floor, Alameda Franca, 1590, Sao Paulo, 01422-001, Brazil
Food
Coehlo’s style for her new weekly venture, Clandestino, is experiental with molecular techniques and textures. It’s name is a reference to the meals that the chef used to cook at her own place or at her friends’ houses. Located above Dui, the restaurant she opened In 2009, Clandestino only opens once a week (on Thursdays), at night, for a maximum of 15 people – and only with a reservation. “Our wish is to provide people with a unique food experience”, says Bel. In order to reach her goal, she set a 12-steps-menu with modern techniques such as the creation of flavor spheres, long and slow cooking and vacuum cooking. Flavours and traditions from Brazilian, Portuguese, Spanish and Asian foods influences her dishes.
Sample dish: Clandestine Codfish Soup – a recipe that her mother used to cook for her father. “ he would always ask for soft egg yolks, almost raw” In Bel’s version, some modern techniques are allied to her old memories, resulting in a low-temperature boiled egg served with a cod brandade foam, corn “farofa” – a kind of Brazilian flour – and coriander olive oil. Other highlights of the menu are dishes like the Oysters in Misso and Yuzu Sauce with Shisso Olive Oil Pearl and the Lamb Stew with Chickpeas, Green Peas and Peppermint Spheres
Hugo & Victor
Hugo & Victor, 40 Boulevard Raspail, 75007 Paris
Food
From the outside, newly opened patisserie Hugo & Victor looks like a high-end fashion store: once inside, carefully lit boxes and counters convey the feeling of a jewellery shop where macaroons and chocolates can be picked like pendants. Behind the scenes pastry chef Hugues Pouget’s is on a quest for perfection: after working for Ladurée and training under Eric Fréchon and Guy Savoy, he is now creating his own new tastes. Chocolate, caramel and vanilla remain on the menu all year long as the ‘permanent’ collection, while seasonal collections come and go: blueberry and peach in summer, grape and fresh almonds in September, pomegranate and clementine in November. Pure geometric shapes, subtle combinations and dramatic setting: Hugo & Victor reaches new sugary heights.
Isaac McHale
Elliot’s 12 Stoney Street, London SE1
Food
Having spent much of last year as an active member of London’s influential underground supper scene, trying out his restaurant concept last summer in a temporary location in East London’s Victoria Park, Isaac McHale will open Elliot’s this spring ‘It will be casual but gastronomic, fast paced and informal, but with a high level of skill in the kitchen’ says McHale. It will pare back the excess luxury of high end restaurants, such as napery, dedicated sommelier, 'free courses' and luxury ingredients. He is sourcing as much as possible from adjacent Borough market, and developing relationships with the farmers and artisans there, but he is also interested in heritage nurserymen and seed catalogues, and is working with Chegworth Valley Organic Orchards in Kent, who are growing rare, and forgotten varieties of fruit and vegetables to his specification – including china rose radishes, tokyo turnips, celtuce, veitch's autumn giant cauliflower, jaune d'obtuse carrots, mangold wurzel, sweete cicely, musselburgh leeks, white vienna kohlrabi, bella vista apples, hamburg turnip, root parsley, hollow crown parsnips, winter savory. He is also developing with Chegworth a cask-aged apple vinegar, in the Modena style, to a Danish recipe, with their organic english apple juice. Overall, McHale’s food is exciting, thoughtful and tasty but affordable.
Sample dish: Buttermilk fried chicken in pine salt; first of the seasons pheasant eggs with cauliflower and smoked fonduta; Pink Brandywine tomatoes with Iced goats milk; baked Plaice with elderflower and fennel; Smoked roast cap of ribeye (spinalis dorsi) with runner beans and beer pickled onions; Rump of lamb with summer squash, dates and curry leaves; Old Spot pork with cider apples and kohlrabi; Mackeral with celtic mustard and dill pickled cucumbers; Venison baked in hay with frumenty
Magnus Nilsson
Fäviken Magasinet, Fäviken 216 830 05 Järpen
Food
The 12-seat restaurant Fäviken Magasinet is at the upper reaches of the globe, 750 kilometres north of Stockholm in the Swedish wilderness. Young chef Magnus Nilsson, 28, grew up in this remote region before leaving for Paris. Pascal Barbot taught him the value of excellent products, which turned out to be his greatest lesson. Nilsson is a true hunter-gatherer, and nothing in his kitchen comes from more than 200 kilometres away. That may seem impossible in an area where it snows six months a year, but 'I’ve never worked with better produce than here,' he exclaims. In spring and summer he forages daily for lichen, berries, and mushrooms, while in autumn he hunts for moose and grouse. Every vegetable he serves grows on the estate. His cooking is poetic and minimalist, meant to maximize the potential of each product. There are rarely more than three ingredients on a plate, such as wild trout roe in a warm crust of pig’s blood. Or Norwegian scallops, cooked live in their shells over a fire of juniper branches, then served unseasoned in their own cloudy broth. Nilsson says this is a prime example of his style: 'It’s a combination of the perfect ingredient and the perfect cooking technique.'
Sample dish: lightly salted wild tout roe in a warm crust of dried pigs blood; Preserved leek, sheeps cream whisked with vinegar fermented beer and grated cods roe; Black Grouse gently cooked in a pot of dried herbs collected from local meadow. Grillied Goat kid, steamed broccoli, potatoes slowly fried in lightly rancid lard; Wild raspberry ice;unseasoned scallops cooked over burning juniper branches; crispy lichens seasoned with cured eggs or shavings of smoked char to dip in thick cream and fresh garlic
Giovanni Passerini
Rino, 46, rue Trousseau, 75011 Paris
Food
Thanks to the Italian military for neglecting to call up Giovanni Passerini in 2002, while service was still compulsory, the reluctant finance major followed his true calling, and hit the road and learnt to cook, and has now become one of the most exciting young chefs in Paris. The Roman native started late, at 26, and trained on the job, meandering from one European kitchen to another, from Cologne to Rome, Madrid, and finally the French capital. Here, he learned what he calls 'rock ‘n’ roll cooking' from Iñaki Aizpitarte and intuitive technical brilliance from Petter Nilsson. In February of 2010 he opened Rino, a 24-seat gastro bistro in the 11th arrondissement. On a no-choice menu, he serves dishes where products—mainly vegetables, fish and seafood—are combined in surprising ways with a minimum of tampering and a maximum of flavour. 'I don’t cook by formula,' he says. 'Mine is an artisanal cuisine that requires being at the stove, using my hands, touching a roast duckling or whatever and only then knowing it’s done.' The results are imaginative, delicious, and nourishing to both the body and soul.
Sample dish: Cod filet with wild asparagus, choux de Paques, tapenade and an emulsion that's a lighter version of the Basque pil- pil sauce; Asparagus accompanied with pollen vinaigrette, whelks and wild herbs. Escargot ravioli with bitter roots and leaves in a clear parsnip consommé.
Samin Nosrat
Pop-up General Store, San Francisco, US
Food
Samin Nosrat juggles many roles while always wearing a chef’s hat – of some description. Passionate about food instilled in her during years spent in the kitchens of the famous Chez Panisse (where she still does shifts), and then working with Chris Lee, another CP alumni who started the late but lauded Eccolo, she now runs food workshops, blogs, supperclubs, and with Lee, this temporary market. The Pop up General Store has a farmer’s market feel and sells a wide selection of local produce, including basic organic ingredients, alongside homemade goodies such as sausages, boudin blanc (made by Lee), homemade pasta, bread, soups, pizza, pickles, and pastries. Among the producers are a good number of chefs past and present from Chez Panisse, and other respected local eating establishments.
Sample dish: anything you can make from the above.
Christian Puglisi
Relae, Jægersborggade 41, 2200 Copenhagen
Food
With an emphasis on simple cooking and top-notch ingredients, his debut venture in a formerly seedy part of Copenhagen is winning rave reviews. Just, 28, his cooking CV reads like a veteran’s and his time at Noma comes through most clearly in Relae’s monochromatic, product-driven menu. 'I learnt about perfection, I learnt to want to do my best and I learnt to push my own boundaries to become better.' He says 'I try to focus on a maximum of three to four components in each dish to derive a precise kick of flavours,' he says. 'I don’t do a lot of herbs and my platings are much more simplified.' And the virtue of simplicity shows, especially in a constantly evolving vegetarian menu. Puglisi’s mixed heritage (his father is Italian and his mother Norwegian) is reflected too in his preference for mixing southern European produce with Danish ingredients. The restaurant’s name roughly translates to ‘relay’ and connotes power and electricity. 'And that is what a great kitchen needs to be, electric,' says Puglisi.
Sample dish: Mackerel marinated at 40 celsius to manipulate the structure from its raw state to a creamy texture, served with raw shavings of cauliflower and a lemon purée. Typical vegetarian dishes: par-cooked beetroots, vinegar and local seaweed; salad onions with elderberries and sorrel; tiny organic broccoli, parsley and nuts; and a fennel gratinee of layered apples.
Stevie Parle
The Dock Kitchen
Food
The Dock Kitchen is part of Tom Dixon’s new West London complex that houses his showroom, studio, pop-ups stores and workshops and this, the hot new lunch destination – all in a Victorian goods yard on London’s Grand Union Canal. Stevie Parle, already at just 25 is the winner of the Observer’s Uk Young Chef of the Year, has a book out, and a column in the Guardian newspaper and is heading up the Dock Kitchen. He honed his passion for regional foods at some of London’s best loved restaurants and travels the world in a constant search for ‘honest, generous and simple foods’ that he can bring together onto one very modern looking menu. His food is packed full of rich flavours from all (and some quite unfamilar) corners of the world and is presented in a wholesome, unfussy, home-cooked fashion. While the menu hops from India to Spain, Thailand to Greece, Provence to Iran and Mexico, he doesn’t really do fusion within individual dishes, so the purity of each line of flavour is preserved.
Sample dish: chicken livers with seven spice pomegranate molasses and pitta bread served as a starter. Spanish octopus, Roosevelt potatoes with parsley and Turkey pepper flakes; Lamb tashreeb slow-cooked with Iraqi spices and dried lime with artichoke pilauf.
Tomislav Martinovich
Tomislav , Level 2/13 Kirketon Road, Darlinghurst, Sydney
Food
It has been called Molecular bistro and Martinovich certainly makes use of ‘crumbs’, ‘ice’ and sorbet to bring his dishes together. The secret to all three came down to the prized Pacojet machine which churns frozen mixtures into snow like powder. The siphon cannister and water bath are also feature highly. Texture is very important to Tomislav: taking classic Australian favourites he manipulates dishes but not so far that they lose their true composition. Martinovich opened Tomislav Restaurant at the beginning of 2010. It’s not, he insists, Blumenthal’s molecular gastronomy that inspires his compact menu of idiosyncratic dishes. “It’s supermarket shelves,” the 35-year-old explains. “What you see every day and what I grew up with.” Hence the triple-cooked crinkle-cut chips. It’s the humour of his food, along with the setting (the restaurant has glimpses of Harbour Bridge and is across the street from the iconic Coca Cola sign), that’s already won him a legion of local fans.
Sample dish: A deconstructed vanilla cheesecake: cream cheese mousse, served with sous-vide rhubarb and rhubarb sorbet and topped with cheese jelly. It’s a play, he explains, on the Sara Lee cheesecake he first encountered as a lad. Other dishes include poached bluefin tuna dish, which features wasabi glaze, soy parsley crumbs and parsley cress. To accompany the rice crackers, Tomislav makes a sour cream and chive dip that’s been through the siphon cannister tranforming it into a soft puff looking much like shaving foam.
Senta Simond
ÉCAL/´Ecole Cantonale d’Art de Lausanne, Switzerland / 2010
Photography
‘Feminine, sensual and a bit dark,’ is how Senta Simond describes her photography, a medium she arrived at after her teenage years were spent watching the cinematic feats of Fellini, Kubrick, Godard and Argento. ‘I prefer to say I’m interested in images rather than just photography,’ she elucidates. In line with her heroes, her final project focused on the creation of whole environments. ‘It’s a collection of women, styles, decors and places. Of greatest importance to me is the placement of these elements. It’s a mix of all my fascinations, envies, whims and obsessions. I wanted to stop time and create my own universe.’ Watch out for further articulation of Simond’s imagined worlds; she’s about to launch her own fashion magazine as part of her Masters.
Most inspired by: Hellen Van Meene or Katy Grannan as a photographer and the stylist Panos Yapanis
Gary Lafargue
LCF, France / 2010
Photography
Skate culture, psychedelia and 1970s erotica are just some of the myriad of influences that fuel Gary Lafargue’s work