julia lohmann - portrait © designboom

for design miami/ basel 2008, design miami/ named 4 'designers of the future': martino gamper, max lamb,
julia lohmann, clemens weisshaar & reed kram. each designer/collective created a new object, installation,
or series using two diametrically opposed materials: concrete and wool. each designer also supplemented
their work with a short video of his/her creative process. concrete was chosen as one of the materials
as it reflected the site where the projects would be presented 'the markthalle basel' a former market hall...


view of the the markthalle basel ceiling - image © designboom

...the dome is made almost entirely from reinforced concrete. concrete is as popular today with designers as it
was when the market hall was built (1928). with the resurgence of craft processes, wool in in its many forms has
gained a new vitality. the designers of the future were challenged to explore the opposing and harmonizing
characteristics of the two materials.



'resilience tables' by julia lohmann, made with concrete and wool - image © designboom

our first installment of coverage from the 'designers of the future' show features:
'my response to the concrete and wool brief set by design miami/basel is based on research into manmade
structures that are exposed to the elements, re-conquered by nature and demolished by humans as well as
the effects of natural disasters on the built environment.


'high resilience table' by julia lohmann - image © designboom


detail of 'resilience table' by julia lohmann - image © designboom




'the concrete and wool objects on show play with a role reversal of qualities we associate with manmade and
natural materials. concrete, which is normally considered a structural and long-lasting material, is cast in
two-dimensional forms onto a woven wool backing. then, in a design process that harnesses destructive force
and the ‘undesirable’ effects of decay as a creative tool, the concrete shapes are broken up. held together
by wool, normally deemed the weaker material of the two, the fragmented forms are then reconfigured into
three-dimensional shapes and fixed. this process allows the creation of a wide range of unique objects based
on shapes cast in a single mould'.


view of julia lohmann's works at 'designers of the future' design miami/ basel 2008 - image © designboom



'cow bench' by julia lohmann, leather bench - image © designboom



'cow bench' by julia lohmann, leather bench - image © designboom

'we don’t want our food to remind us of the animal it is made of and, at the same time are able to create
living materials through advances in bio-technology. the ‘cow-bench’ explores the threshold between
animal and material'.JL


'lasting void' - fiberglass and resin- by julia lohmann, ceramic - image © designboom



'resilience tables' by julia lohmann - image © designboom



'ruminant Bloom' by julia lohmann, lamps made from preserved sheep-stomachs - image © designboom



'ruminant Bloom' by julia lohmann, lamps made from preserved sheep-stomachs - image © designboom



'soap chair' - soap - by julia lohmann and gero grundmann, - image © designboom



the density and surface of the soap chair changes as it is used over time, becoming tougher and more polished.
image © designboom



'kelp / seaweed lamps' by julia lohmann - image © designboom



'kelp / seaweed lamps' by julia lohmann - image © designboom

julia lohmann's website: http://www.julialohmann.co.uk
design miami/ basel 2008 website: http://www.designmiami.com/basel
designers of the future: http://www.designmiami.com/basel/spotlight


'vendome series' by kram/weisshaar



'solids of revolution' by max lamb



'terazzo tables' by martino gamper