Interior & Furniture Design
Shaikha AlSaadi Ummul Baneen Samya Berridjdal Paige Byrne Mariette Feeney Adriana Grierosu Frances Higgins Megan Magennis Kate McCarthy Ella McClinton Avirl Meade Michael Ochora Aishling O'Gorman Anna Olachova Amy O'Reilly Estera Patriubaviciute Lauren Phelan Martyna Rajska Ching Yu Sham Leonarda Strugar Nanetta SztankoMichael Ochora
Utopia
Utopia asks you a question. It asks you how you would like the world to look, how you would like it to function, to feel, how you would like the world to be. It is for this reason that Utopia is so entwined with politics, as the answers to those questions are heavily informed by personal belief. Architects, designers, and writers often try to answer these questions through their work, and this work formed the starting point of my research. Encompassing Science Fiction, Philosophy, Outsider Art, and Modernist Architecture, my investigation into Utopia was broad and detailed, and yet still kept landing in one specific place; Utopias are designed from the top down, most often by a single architect or visionary with very singular ideas on how people should behave or live.
Though there were notable exceptions, to me this idea seemed to be an unfortunate end-point for so rich an idea. Instead of providing one single answer to the questions raised by Utopia, the objects I have designed are intended to pose questions; they ask the user to consider how they would like their world to look and feel. The objects are building blocks for a personal Utopia, and it is for this purpose that their function is user-defined. They are easily replicable at varying sizes, and in using cost-effective materials and processes these objects are intended to be easy to assemble, easy to acquire, and easy to use. The finishes and uses I have suggested for the objects are just that, suggestions, which allow the user to consider for themselves how they would like the objects to feel and function, and to in turn ask those same questions about the space around them.
My research work reflects cultural crafts of basketry and pottery traditionally practised in my home country as well as traditional cultural practices from other countries. Abstract art is the primary focus of this project’s concept. My interest in geometry and geometric patterns stems from their bold, beautiful, attractive, decorative, unique, artistic, eye-catching, interesting and continuous nature. A geometric pattern is a style that never ages, a geometric pattern is a kind of pattern formed of geometric shapes and typically repeated - like a wallpaper design. Any of the senses may directly observe patterns. Abstract patterns in science, mathematics, or language may be observable only by analysis. Geometric Shapes can be defined as a figure or area closed by a boundary which is created by combining the specific amount of curves, points, and lines. Different geometric shapes are the triangle, circle, and square. My intention was to adopt these forms in a contemporary modern style with a traditional touch. In my practice, the character, properties, limitations and possibilities of available materials are explored. To use my own terminology, ‘Geometric Patterns in Vernacular Culture’ is a unique collection of objects whereby each piece is rooted in traditional cultural practice. My designs centre around the theme of geometric designs paired with traditional culture, adding a contemporary touch to my pieces.
Utopia asks you a question. It asks you how you would like the world to look, how you would like it to function, to feel, how you would like the world to be. It is for this reason that Utopia is so entwined with politics, as the answers to those questions are heavily informed by personal belief. Architects, designers, and writers often try to answer these questions through their work, and this work formed the starting point of my research. Encompassing Science Fiction, Philosophy, Outsider Art, and Modernist Architecture, my investigation into Utopia was broad and detailed, and yet still kept landing in one specific place; Utopias are designed from the top down, most often by a single architect or visionary with very singular ideas on how people should behave or live.
Though there were notable exceptions, to me this idea seemed to be an unfortunate end-point for so rich an idea. Instead of providing one single answer to the questions raised by Utopia, the objects I have designed are intended to pose questions; they ask the user to consider how they would like their world to look and feel. The objects are building blocks for a personal Utopia, and it is for this purpose that their function is user-defined. They are easily replicable at varying sizes, and in using cost-effective materials and processes these objects are intended to be easy to assemble, easy to acquire, and easy to use. The finishes and uses I have suggested for the objects are just that, suggestions, which allow the user to consider for themselves how they would like the objects to feel and function, and to in turn ask those same questions about the space around them.
My research work reflects cultural crafts of basketry and pottery traditionally practised in my home country as well as traditional cultural practices from other countries. Abstract art is the primary focus of this project’s concept. My interest in geometry and geometric patterns stems from their bold, beautiful, attractive, decorative, unique, artistic, eye-catching, interesting and continuous nature. A geometric pattern is a style that never ages, a geometric pattern is a kind of pattern formed of geometric shapes and typically repeated - like a wallpaper design. Any of the senses may directly observe patterns. Abstract patterns in science, mathematics, or language may be observable only by analysis. Geometric Shapes can be defined as a figure or area closed by a boundary which is created by combining the specific amount of curves, points, and lines. Different geometric shapes are the triangle, circle, and square. My intention was to adopt these forms in a contemporary modern style with a traditional touch. In my practice, the character, properties, limitations and possibilities of available materials are explored. To use my own terminology, ‘Geometric Patterns in Vernacular Culture’ is a unique collection of objects whereby each piece is rooted in traditional cultural practice. My designs centre around the theme of geometric designs paired with traditional culture, adding a contemporary touch to my pieces.
omichael269@gmail.com
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