invader
Scottish design has a vibrant new spirit and is conquering the world. Now, an exhibition that impressed in Milan and London last year is on its way home to Scotland. Tim Abrahams talks to three of its exhibitors, NORD, GRAPHICAL HOUSE and TIMOROUS BEASTIES.
.-\|an I’ert is an arehiteet. as well as a designer ol‘ produetx and interiors. Bttt when it eomex down to it. he\ alt tth\e\\i\e—etnnpulxiVe lixated with the material remainx ol‘ (ilasgow‘x industrial heritage. \Vilh /.oti ;\t'ehiteet\. I’ert LIL‘\iglletI the eonxet'xion ol' the 'I'ramwa} in (ilasgow. whieh put it at the heart ol' the eit_\"\ ettltural regeneration h} rexealing the building‘s tough industrial heritage. I’ert. lirxtl} with Zoo and then in new partnership with Robin Lee at .\'ot'd sinee 3003. was one ol' the III‘xI to lill (ilaxgow h1th with table\ and \toolx ol‘ solid oak. .\Ian_\ others l‘oIIowed. ('eramiex ha\ e \inee beeome his latest l‘etixh. Not delieate Wedgwood. ol‘ eourxe. but the kind that the Shatth l‘aetot'iex in Barrhead ttxed to make hea\_\—dttt) urinals with until I‘NZ. ‘In the late I‘lth eentur} there were around 35 delphware or potter} l‘aetoriex all making eet'amie\ along the (‘l_\de.' \a_\\ Perl. .»\t at IL‘Clllt‘L‘ I’L‘l'l LllttI I.ee wondered ttIUtltI whether the_\ eould tnake a bar in honour ol' .-\rmitage Shatth as the Barrhead eontpan) wa\ known from ION). "l‘he lighthouxe l‘ound ottt and asked us to produee one tor the Seottixh Show in Milan last .-\pril. It wax u.\ed a\ a bar at the e\hihition. :\ brass drip tra} \at on the top ol‘ the eeramie trough with the same \eetion ax an old urinal.‘
Now. it's found a more permanent home in (ilaxgow ~ at Sttnka on Sauehiehall St and lot' the Seottish Show at the l.ighthou\e. \ot'd ha\ e developed ‘utilit_\ w allpaper'.'\\'e‘re ealling it the Wall} tile. lt'x a motil taken from the tiles in tenement eloxex and de\eIoped into a repeat pattern.‘ Ilow'exer. l‘or l’ert. Glasgow‘s not juxt about the heritage. '\\'e wouldn‘t hax'e got into produet design it it wasn‘t tor the dynamie bar eulture in (ilasgow. In the paxt people hax'e gone for the stripped down solid modernist t’eel. But now there‘s a bit of a baeklash. It‘s niee to drink around things that haVe been eral‘ted.‘
14 THE LIST .1
Il')ou look at the ele\ er progrexxion ol' ( iraphieal Houxe'x work lor the Seottish Show. )ou‘d he
trieked into thinking the} lime a hottse st} Ie. lior
the Milan and London e\hihition l'l}er\. the} worked tin} wild Seottixh animals into an auxtere I'Itl\\ CIiltI'I. The [NMIL‘I' IMF the home leg DI the Seottixh Show \IIU\\\ the animalx in their natural habitat. (‘heek ottt \ome ol' their other work a the
\|ee\e art tor the final Beta Band \inglex l'or
e\ample and it ow ex tmteh to their skills as animatorx. "I‘he Beta Band eommixxioned the .\Iar\el (‘omiex drawings ol' themselxex and we brought it together.’ \a_\\ Daniel. And in a w a}. the} are a little like the Beta Band. The \leexe that (iraphieal IIULHL‘ designed l‘or the
I] y/Ii/l‘ ’/
WI
«am/r
‘WE WOULDN'T HAVE GOT INTO PRODUCT DESIGN IF IT WASN'T FOR THE DYNAMIC BAR CULTURE IN GLASGOW'
.-\\\e\\ment l2" lists the home town ol eaeh ol' the band\ tttetttlk‘t‘\2 "I‘a'xport. ('arlopx. I’Ul’hllltttllil. St Andrewx‘. I'or ('olin. (it‘ahattt and Daniel ol' (iraphieal Ilouxe the list reads 'I)ttndee. Bathgate. Nottinghanr and together the} share the band‘s eax} blend ol' ttt'haltixltt with sol'ter. more pastoral inlltteneex. 'We alwa)\ tell it w as going to he a bit harder to extahlixh ourxehex heeauw we were located outside the 3125. and \khiI\l it‘s eneouraging to we people like 'I‘itnorottx Beaxtiex do it lsee opposite]. _\ott alxo look to people like Peter Sa\ ille who did it l'rom Manehextetz' \Lt}\ Daniel. '(iraphie design I\ dil'l‘erent to arehiteeture. The itC\IIlL‘IIe\ ol~ arehiteeture are drixen h} the enxironment. There are a lot ol similarities between .\'ordie and Seotlixh arehiteeture beeause the weather I\ shite in both plaeex. But