In 1998 Cosmit, the organizers of Salone Internazionale del Mobile, introduced SaloneSatellite providing a platform for young designers to take a leap in their careers by bringing together top industry tastemakers and investors. At stake is much more than a 7,500€ for the winner; last year’s winners came back in 2013 to two exhibitions of their own in Zona Tortona and the Triennale Design Museum.
Satellite recognizes that great design needs renewal. One of the judges of the competition, designer Benjamin Hubert, stated simply that a competition for upcoming designers should “honor ideas, first and foremost” and not rely solely on a well-made object. This year’s designers approached their projects with a fresh point of view, bringing a sense of commitment to push the definition and conventions of design. Hanhsi Chen and ShiKai Tseng presented their project titled “Beyond Object”, moving beyond the well-made physical item to create a game of continuously shifting light and shadows. The team of Taiwanese designers approached their design as poetry, with the wall providing the perfect blank sheet for their ode to light and shadow.
This competition strives to nurture designers, and promote the continuous efforts of worldwide design development and intellectual approach. It’s the reason the first prize isn’t the only recognition given during the judging. The Special Mentions showed an equal amount of promise concentrating on environmentally conscious design solutions and that function, elegance and practicality are not mutually exclusive.
The jury panel also adds credit and merit to the design award. The inaugural event included jurors Konstantin Grcic, Ross Lovegrove, Mattalie Crasset, and Luminaire’s president and co-founder Nasir Kassamali. This year the jurors included designer Younes Duret from Morocco, Benjamin Hubert from England and Nicola Stattmann from Germany, plus Professor Kuno Prey from Southern Tyrol, Droog Design director Renny Ramakers from the Netherlands, and chairman Lars Quadejacob, editor-in-chief of Design Report.
Commited to new talent are also Design Reports corporate patrons Richard Lampert, Luminaire, Mercedes-Benz, Nils Holger Moormann, the German Design Council, Reisenthel Accessoires and Vitra. Luminaire continues to be the only American sponsor, still committed to providing the best of new talent to the Design World.
June 2013
