Can the influence of industry be felt in the world of design? While most modern designers see themselves as purveyors of the bespoke with aesthetics usually guided by the esoteric, there is an opposing trend that takes inspiration from the chaos of the building site, the noise of the factory floor and even patterns and shapes found in hoardings and scaffolding.
Jimmy MacDonald, co-director of design festival Tent London, thinks that the appetite for industry-inspired design is fed by the continuing desire among proprietors of clubs, bars and restaurants for, among other things, concrete flooring, rough brickwork and exposed features that would normally be hidden, such as pipes.
He adds: 'Designers are very interested in techniques that provide an opportunity to explore existing materials in new ways. Heavy industry often leads the way in trying new techniques as it requires heavy investment.'
A leading explorer of new techniques is Hong Kong-based Michael Young, who designed Chair-4a as part of his extended 'Works in China' collection. Presented recently at Milan's Salone Internazionale del Mobile, it was created for the stylish Causeway Bay restaurant SML, designed by Alexi Robinson. While making it, Young explored new technologies and typologies associated with engineering facilities in Shenzhen.
Much of the industrial trend is inspired by older and heavier industry but Young, who has also designed for Magis and Cappellini, found his inspiration among the contemporary world of the Mac Book industries.
'I realised that if I could capture the engineering skills employed by local industry and put that depth of knowledge in aluminium research using a similar mass-produced nature, I could design a state-of-the-art and relevant chair,' he says.