Call it the little “show-within-a-show” that could. Since its debut, Feria Hábitat Valencia’s exhibition showcasing young, mostly Spanish, design talent – NUDE, a.k.a. Nuevo Diseño Español – has grown by leaps and bounds. This past September, it took on even more prominence, celebrating its 10th anniversary.
Over the past 10 years, NUDE has showcased more than 400 new designers, design practices, freelancers, galleries, design schools, and manufacturers less than five years old. For many of them, NUDE is the point at which their business concerns took off. As part of the 10th-anniversary celebration, 12 practices, now leading players in Spanish and international design, were chosen to represent past participants in a special exhibition.
As for the 2011 edition, a total of 40 schools of design and design practices took part. As always, NUDE proved to offer the freshest work at the fair, often addressing issues of sustainability – with wit and sass and optimism.
1—AT BOTH ENDS
Un4Verde is a new Spanish company founded as an “editor” of singular objects by young designers; it supports these designers by producing, promoting and distributing their creations. From Nadadora comes Candelero, a candle with an integrated base. As the candle burns, the base catches the dripping wax, morphing into a decorative object. un4verde.com
2—SECRET STASH
Joindesign is a creative studio founded by Inma Bailen and Jordi Alberoia. Presented at NUDE was Kangaroo, a clever chair made of steel rod, bent plywood and felt coating, which offers a hinged compartment in front for storing magazines, documents and such. joindesign.es
3—WOOD AND NOTHING BUT
Öri is a newly created one-person practice; the person in question is Oriol Barri, who started out in jewelery, went on to study interior design, then found his true vocation in industrial design. His Desmon chair, a wooden seat that uses no metal hardware whatsoever, is a marvel. It consists of 32 legs, a round base and a clamping ring – all wood – plus a cushion. oribarri.com
4—A BABE IN THE WOODS
Young architect Ramón Arnau Quintero is also an industrial designer and self-described “lover of life.” Says he of his Naïve chair, “Ingenuous, innocent and inexperienced, it is ready to be launched in free fall and reveal itself in its material form for the first time.” Naïve’s structure is lacquered steel; the seat is made of PVC supported by metal rivets. ramonarnau.es
5—A NEW LIGHT
Leblume Design is headed by Damián López – who specializes in product design, graphic design and packaging. “In Leblume,“ he says, “we defend sustainable design because we like natural things and taking care about the environment.” His Icon Family range includes the LED Light Lamp, in various permutations, which works with LED lights or energy-saving lightbulbs. leblume.es
6—LET’S PLAY
Barcelona-based 3Patas, a design studio made up of Carla Neila, Isabel González and Santiago Hermosin, has a motto: “We search for innovation, always maintaining warmth and collective imagination, which give our products a human touch.” Case in point: 3X3, a clever collection of auxillary tables that combine with two bowls to form a family. 3patas.com
7—AT YOUR SERVICE
Young Valencian designer Nacho Timón bills his Mr. Light as “the light that is at your service.” Like so: “Because of its different position of its branches that can be changed, it can come in: a catering waiter, a butler that offers you a towel after your shower, your bodyguard or anyone who may sit with you and have a good time.” nachotimon.com
8—ZIP CODE
Cruxflux is Raquel Sola Rubio and Alejandro Garcia Pedrón. Its SSCC
sofa (a.k.a. “Union of Socialization with Zipper”) is – in the words of the
designers – “Inseparable association of seats. Is established as a mediator of relationships. Variations include
extroverted, introverted, and mixed dispositions. Territorial, flexible and dynamic device.” cruxflux.net