Bridging creativity and consciousness: The new wave of student design projects

The world of architecture and design has always been a reflection of society’s shifting paradigms. In the past, the focus was often on aesthetics and functionality. However, the advent of a new generation has brought forth a wave of budding designers who are discontented with the status quo. These young minds are not only challenging conventional norms but are also redefining realities and addressing pressing issues head-on whilst embracing sustainability and ecological responsibility. In this feature, STIR focuses on three student design projects that capture the essence of change. From Freddy Marbic’s exploration of self-identity in the plastic age to the ambitious rewilding of running shoes and the inspired use of London Underground waste for tiles, these projects embody the trends that define our times, where facts and realities are increasingly malleable.

Challenging perceptions in a plastic world with Hanne Arend’s ‘Freddy Marbic’

In a time when subjective viewpoints frequently blur the line between fact and opinion, Hanne Arends, a soon-to-graduate student at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam, has adeptly channeled the force of her convictions to craft an unconventional masterpiece using solid marble. Her sculpture challenges the boundaries of reality, proving the profound impact of perception on our understanding of the world around us. Arend's Freddy Marbic is a creation that defies traditional conventions. The sculpture boldly asserts that it is made of plastic, firmly adhering to the belief that shapes its truth. Freddy Marbic is not a plastic inflatable chair as it may appear at first glance; rather, it is a substantial 600 kg sculpture that is carved from pristine white Carrara marble.

The heart of this artwork lies in Freddy’s unwavering conviction that he is composed of plastic, even when confronted with the fact of his marble composition. It is a testament to the power of belief, echoing the broader societal context where opinions are embraced as facts.

Arend’s motivation for creating this sculpture art springs from her fascination with paradoxes and contrasts. She sought to convey a message that appears to represent one thing on the surface but, in reality, signifies its complete opposite. This fascination deepened through her experiences, where she discovered that initial appearances often obscure the deeper truths within.

The central paradox within Freddy Marbic revolves around the choice of materials. Plastic with its affordability, lightweight comfort, and ease of manipulation, stands in contrast to the preciousness, enduring nature, and immense weight of marble. The sculpture artist merges these opposing materials into a recognisable design that challenges preconceptions.

The manufacturing process behind this chair design amalgamates cutting-edge technology with traditional marble craftsmanship. A CNC machine meticulously shaped the rough outline from a solid block of Carrara marble, adhering to Arends’ design. The subsequent stages relied on skilled artisanal handwork, particularly the challenging task of polishing the sculpture to achieve a plastic-like sheen.

"Looking ahead over the next decade, I aspire to explore new themes, techniques, and materials to continually expand my ability to weave emotions and concepts into my artworks. One of my dreams is to exhibit my work on a global scale. Moreover, I aim to utilise my art to address societal issues and cultivate awareness around significant themes like Freddy,” says Arends on how she envisions her future.

Hanne Arend’s Freddy Marbic sculpture stands as a testament to the transformative power of belief. It reminds us that, in an era where perception often takes precedence over fact, our understanding is more malleable than we may realise.

From The Underground: Tiles with a Subterranean Soul by Jeffrey Miller

Tiles have long been an iconic feature of the London Underground, the world’s oldest metro system. Yet, the origins of these tiles often remained shrouded in obscurity. Typically crafted from virgin resources extracted through open-pit mining, these tiles have an environmental consequence that often goes unnoticed. Jeffrey Miller’s From the Underground project, undertaken as a component of his post-graduate programme in material features at Central Saint Martins, reimagines these tiles by utilising materials sourced directly from the depths of the underground. The key ingredients include naturally occurring London clay, excavated during tunnel boring and iron oxide-rich dust, a by-product of the ceaseless grind of train wheels against steel tracks.

Miller’s project stands as a testament to his commitment to shedding light on the often-hidden origins and environmental repercussions of material within our built environment. Encapsulating the essence of the project, Miller shares, “From the Underground offers a juxtaposition to the opaque origins and environmental consequences of ubiquitous material.”

Inspiration struck when Miller stumbled upon a scientific study revealing that a significant portion of the dust within Underground stations consisted of iron oxide. This revelation combined with the designers’ background in ceramics, led to a creative solution. He collected this iron oxide-rich dust using a vacuum cleaner and transformed it into glaze samples, effectively repurposing a waste material. Moreover, London’s underground landscape provided another valuable resource-clay deposits. Tunnelling projects often generate vast amounts of clay which goes to waste. Collaborating with a geologist, Miller procured clay samples from these boreholes, allowing him to create the base material for his innovative tiles.

Miller’s project doesn’t stop at recycling waste materials; it pays homage to the Underground’s history. He teamed up with H&E Smith, a tile manufacturer involved in restoring heritage tiles in the Underground, to cast Leslie Green’s iconic pomegranate tiles—a design that graced early 20^th-century London Underground stations.

Miller’s vision extends beyond the scope of this project. He aspires to collaborate with Transport of London (TFL) to explore the scalability and broader applications of waste materials from the Underground in tiling projects for stations and beyond. Recognising the vast potential of this endeavor, he says, “I did not realise how much material was involved when I started this project. With around 400 km of total track in the Underground network and a constant production of dust, the waste generated is significant. It is a significant problem for TFL to manage this dust as they have teams dedicated to cleaning the tracks at night when the trains are not running. This material would otherwise be disposed of when it could be used for other applications like the glazes in my tiles. With the support of TFL, these two waste streams could be utilised in future tiling projects for stations, reducing the need for further mining and shipping of materials to London." Miller’s project offers a sustainable and innovative solution that could revolutionise the way materials are sourced and utilised in the creation of London’s iconic Underground tiles.

Rewild the Run: Eco-conscious footwear by Kiki Grammatopolous

As urban development continues to encroach upon natural habitats, ecosystems face fragmentation and decline. The consequences of urbanisation extend far beyond concrete jungles, as it disrupts the delicate balance of ecosystems. In the face of these challenges, urban rewilding has emerged as a beacon of hope, striving to reintegrate nature into our man-made metropolises. Kiki Grammatopoulos, a graduate of Central Saint Martins, has taken this mission to heart, recognising that revitalising urban ecosystems requires more than just green spaces. She emphasises the integral role of the human element in the rewilding process, a concept often overlooked.

Grammatopoulos’s project explores an unconventional avenue for promoting positive participation in urban ecology—the redesign of footwear. She underscores the significance of our connection to the ground and our environment through our shoes. Drawing inspiration from the efficiency of animal hooves and fur in facilitating interactions with nature, she presents an innovative idea, where our shoe outsoles could be designed to actively promote biodiversity and cultivate ecosystem.

Her concept takes a cue from the concept of ‘keystone species’ in ecology, where certain species play a pivotal role in maintaining the health and diversity of an ecosystem. By applying this principle to footwear design, Grammatopoulos seeks to empower urban dwellers to become active participants in the ecological growth of their local environment. In her vision, each step taken in these specially designed shoes contributes to the broader goal of enhancing biodiversity.

Grammatopoulos’s project is more than a creative concept; it is a democratisation of urban rewilding. She recognises that for meaningful change to occur, city residents must be engaged in the process. By integrating the principles of rewilding into something as commonplace as footwear, she makes ecological stewardship accessible to all. “The city is an entirely man-made construct and demands intuitive thinking to integrate natural spaces within it. With this project, we democratise urban rewilding, allowing city dwellers to engage in the ecological growth of the local environment”.

As our cities continue to expand, Grammatopoulos’s innovative approach reminds us that we can reshape our urban environments to harmonise with nature. With each step in her rewilding run shoe, we move one step closer to a more sustainable future.

From challenging perceptions to unearthing hidden environmental truths and reimagining our connection to nature, these young designers are rewriting the rules. In a time when facts seem fluid and innovation is paramount, they remind us that sustainability, consciousness, and the power of belief can create a better tomorrow.