LONDON DESIGN FESTIVAL 23
INSPIRATION
Visiting the London Design Festival in September was a great start to the year, allowing us to see a wide range of products and styles of design that we could possibly take inspiration from and use in our work. This was almost an overwhelming amount of work to look at. Here’s a short blog on a product that looked a bit different and interesting to me.
It wasn’t really a part of the festival but was included in the design exhibit at the V&A museum. It was a stereo system made from concrete, designed by Ron Arad in 1983. However, this was not concrete in the usual way that it is used in many modern products. It was rough and cracked, with metal sticking out the sides. The components resembled rubble with technology mixed in, embedded into the material. Most products made from concrete use this material in a more polished way with sharp edges and refined shapes. This was the opposite, embracing concrete for the rough material that it is. Taking a material that most would describe as ugly and creating something interesting with it.
The set is made up from a turntable, amplifier and two large standing speakers. After researching this further online I found images showing an x-ray of the speakers. This highlights how the metal wiring is simply added in the exposed locations to create the effect of authentic construction concrete and rubble. Is it something I would have in my house? Probably not, but I do think it is an interesting application of a unique material to make a product that is usually very mundane stand out.
Most other record players you see today and sleek and streamlined and this is a complete departure from this. Concrete isn’t a material I have ever thought much of but this has opened me up to the idea of it. Overlooking the environmental concerns of making something that will probably last forever, it looks pretty cool.