The other material of choice during Milan was glass. It was in abundance and especially exploring colour and texture. One designer who particularly stuck out was Ammy Olofsson who explores the notion of the intangible with the tangible through her designs. Looking to the idea of mirages and rainbows - from a scientific perspective we know they are real, but at the same time they are not real in a tangible sense.

Ammy tries to explore this same feeling with form, colour and luminosity with her blown glass pieces.

Acting as an alchemist she plays with space, mirror, light and form and the resulting glass pieces are beautiful yet intangible at the same time.

The jury is still out as to whether Milan was a great, or not so great year - I feel a bit disappointed overall but amongst some really bad design - Zona Tortona being particularly poor - there were some fantastic finds. One of the key materials that stuck out during the show was the abundance of marble and stone.

What was particularly beautiful about it was the blend between the rawness and beauty of nature that the material offers, combined with modern day tooling allowing for beautifully refined objects.

The marble bath that was on show as part of the Hybrids Architecture show at the University was particularly incredible as was the installation from Mathieu Lehanneur for the Bathing in Light marble installation at Superstudio

In contrast the combination of the organic exuberance of the glass captured within the refined marble structures at Osmosi by Emmanuel Babled in Lambrate were breathtaking in both scale, colour and proportion whilst the incredible curved marble sculptures at Wallpaper Handmade Milan by Michael Anastassiades and Henraux exemplified the beauty of when man and machine come together in design.

With the build up to Milan next week there are a plethora of exciting and some not so exciting projects that are being exposed to tantalise the design industry to visit during their time in Milan. Tom Dixon's MOST currently offering Robots and Design looks set to fully take over from the lure of Lambrate and one of those designers who will be making waves showing at MOST is Emilie Grenier a graduating student from the Textile Futures Ma at CSM.

Her project is not only pertinent, but it is also beautifully executed. Here is a sneak peek at what she will be showing during Milan at MOST next week.

She explains her project so well I have simply lifted the copy (with permission!) from her site.

'Disquiet Luxurians explores alternative trends for the production and consumption of rare and luxurious objects. This has led to a new definition of the current state of luxury, one which (re)places most emphasis on meaning, craft and provenance. The resulting collection focuses on the material feldspar - the world's most prevalent mineral which makes up 60% of the Earth's crust. If we define ourselves by what we achieve with the materials that surround us, then let the times of the Disquiet Luxurians be those of more meaningful value'

Image Credits Tristan Thomson

Craft and artisanal design explorations have been gaining favour for many seasons now and the hand of the maker does not seem to be abating, it is infact even more interestingly evolving with the hand of the machine too and creating entirely new aesthetics. Recognising this and seeing the importance in the 'art of the maker' is the current exhibition Hand Made: long live crafts at the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam, Holland.

Interestingly the exhibition carefully puts at the centre the notion of the hand crafted myth of imperfection and one offs to try to contextualise craft in the modern day.

Showcasing pieces from the middle ages to the modern day they have curated the objects in seven sections: Crafsmanship, Honesty, Art, Tradition, Unicity, Virtuosity and Handicrafts.

Amongst the pieces on show are the modern day Dutch craftspeople such as Iris van Herpen with her digitally crafted garments and Studio Job.

There are also a series of videos accompanying the exhibition that can be viewed here.

Hand Made Long Live Crafts runs until May 20th

Taking traditional basket weaving as inspiration for a project about imitation and reinterpretation of craft,  Dineke Dekker's Basket project explores textile and artisinal techniques in a beautiful and poetic way. Using imitation bamboo structures as well as silk screening patterns onto textiles to resemble basketry and through the us of custom made paint stamps she has created a visual feast that plays tricks on the eye and comments on traditional craftsmanship in our modern world.

Exploring the possibilities of a material that sits somewhere between a liquid and a magnet, Studio Fraser Ross are pushing the boundaries of our perception of liquid and solid with their newly developed material. Beautiful in a mesmerising way the material can be manipulated by external forces such as gravity and air as demonstrated by their lovely video.  

http://vimeo.com/59835669#at=0

Published on Nowness as part of their food series, Lucy McRae explores the ideas of gene manipulation and cloning with her Make your Maker film. Exploring notions of edible clones and a new sensory experience she conjures up the idea that food and the body are inseperable - a dialogue she has developed with Nahji Chu the savant owner of Australian cult restaurant MissChu.

An evolution of her film for Aesop titled Morphe Lucy further explores a future landscape through beautiful cinematography, colour and materiality