Simon Hasan
RCA Graduate Collection
As a direct result of his on-going investigation into process, form and craft, Simon Hasan has produced an accomplished array of products, including 'Vase Family', 'Bambi & Twist Stools', and Naked Radio for his graduate collection at the Royal College of Art.
The use of leather bottles, blackjacks and bombards in the 16th & 17th centuries was the starting point for Hasan’s ‘Vase Family’, a series of unique hand-stitched boiled leather, resin, and acrylic vessels.
The 35 year-old designer states, “Throughout this series the contemporary reverence for leather is rejected in favour of a more brutal approach, which sees the material boiled and stretched to achieve compelling forms and rigidity. Hand stitching and brogueing are combined with industrial patent finishes, to explore how traditional techniques can be freed from the staid world of bespoke leathergoods.”
Hasan’s Bambi & Twist Stools explore the potentials of leather for industrial applications. The stools are hand formed by stretching and wrapping leather over steel frames before boiling. Once processed the new material forms the structural integrity of the stools. In the case of Bambi, the mould is removed after processing, leaving only a hollow seat as the support structure for the design.
Moving away from leather as a material of inspiration the designer has also explored the physics behind the radio and brought it front and centre.
“Naked Radio nods to the experimental, homegrown roots of early crystal sets through a vertical assembly in which key components are freed from their usual cubic existence. Functions are controlled by the corresponding component: volume adjustment is made via the speaker, whilst tuning is altered via the aerial. The use of varied materials and textures is derived from the rich fittings used in the early 20th century, whilst stainless steel firmly places the radio in the audio family of objects.”
This combination of anthropology, technology and craft makes Hasan's work by far one of the most impressive collections to come out of this year's Royal College of Art's Design Products course.
What's even more impressive is that we can expect to see Hasan's next collection of products during this September's London Design Festival. Clearly this designer is one to keep your eye on.
Stools by Simon Hasan
Vase Family by Simon Hasan - 2008
Naked Radio by Simon Hasan
