A visit to Swarovski Emerging Talent Medal-winner Daniel Rybakken's studio
Once in a while a designer comes along who takes into account not just form and function but light and dark, graphics and mechanics, positive and negative space - the whole shebang. Daniel Rybakken's expression of all this, in designs exhibiting so little fanfare, has earned him the London Design Medal in the category of Emerging Talent.
The Norwegian designer, who graduated in 2008 with a degree in fine art from HDK Gothenburg, explored natural and artificial light in his conceptual art before shifting into lighting design. His first industrial work, Counterbalance, expands on the brilliance of classics like George Carwardine's Anglepoise or the Flos 265 by Paolo Rizzatto with astonishing flexibility and accuracy, as well as a graphic quality that makes it seem as much a shadow puppet as a 3D concern.
His follow-ups Ricochet and Coherence are similarly spare, but use secondary light sources and mirrors to reflect and diffuse light. This year, Rybakken riffed on his own design for Ascent, a simple bell-shaped lamp that slides up a vertical arm while increasing the intensity of its naturalistic glow.
The Swarovski Emerging Talent Medal was selected by a 13-judge panel including Alexander Payne of auction house Phillips and Martin Roth, director of the Victoria & Albert Museum. They also awarded the Coutts Lifetime Achievement Medal to Dieter Rams, designer of the 606 Universal Shelving System for Vitsoe; and the Veuve Clicquot Design Entrepreneur Award to the wheelchair creator David Constantine.
The Panerai London Design Medal went to legendary graphic artist Peter Saville for his outstanding contribution to the field. Our look at Saville's finest work, past and present, appears in the current issue of Wallpaper* (W*175).
Past works by Rybakken include 'Daylight Entrance', 2010
'Light Tray', by Daniel Rybakken, 2011
'Colour', by Daniel Rybakken for Ligne Roset, 2011
'Ricochet' light, by Daniel Rybakken for Luceplan, 2012
'Right Angle Mirror', by Daniel Rybakken for Galerie Kreo, 2012
-
Tour Jacquemus’ new store, a serene Mediterranean escape in central LondonSimon Porte Jacquemus has united with OMA on his latest store – a Meditteranean-inspired bolthole on London’s New Bond Street. Here, they talk Wallpaper* through the transporting space
-
An intimate spa at high-design New York country hotel Inness is now openInness brings Manhattan-calibre wellness to the rural hamlet of Accord, New York
-
Inside ‘De toutes beautés!’, the Louvre’s new exhibition narrating 10,000 years of beauty ideals through art‘De toutes beautés!’ marks the beginning of a three-year partnership between the Louvre and L’Oréal Groupe. India Birgitta Jarvis reports on the show for Wallpaper*
-
‘R for Repair’ at London Design Festival displays broken objects, re-formedIn the second half of a two-part exhibition and as part of London Design Festival 2022, ‘R for Repair’ at the V&A displays broken objects, re-formed
-
‘Finding quality through the act of making’: Pearson Lloyd celebrates 25 years of designPearson Lloyd’s show ‘Change Making’ reflects on past designs from its archives, showcasing the influences on and evolution of the studio, from furniture design to the NHS
-
Tom Dixon marks his studio's 20 years with a show of design experimentsMushroom, cork, steel coral and more: Tom Dixon showcases an overview of his design experiments as he celebrates his practice's 20 years
-
Porro unveils new London showroom at Coal OfficeLondon Design Festival 2022: industrial architecture meets pure geometries in the new Porro showroom, taking over a space within Tom Dixon’s Coal Office to showcase the brand’s systems and furniture
-
Vitra unveils new London home in the Tramshed, ShoreditchLondon Design Festival 2022: after a year-long renovation, Vitra opens the door to its new showroom in the heart of Shoreditch
-
Mudlarking beside the River Thames inspires The New Craftsmen’s makersLondon Design Festival 2022: The New Craftsmen’s new collection, ‘Claylarks’, features work from a group of creatives inspired by a River Thames mudlarking expedition
-
One tree, ten designers: SCP presents The One Tree Project at London Design FestivalLondon Design Festival 2022: SCP enlisted ten British designers to create furniture and objects from a felled ash tree from founder Sheridan Coakley's Hampshire garden
-
London Design Medals 2022London Design Medals 2022 are awarded to costume designer Sandy Powell, architect Indy Johar, researcher Joycelyn Longdon and photographer Sir Don McCullin
