Bobo Design

Founded by designers Nick Gant and Tanya Dean in 1996, Bobo Design is a master of material manipulation. Having already received international acclaim for its progressive work with Perspex acrylic, the Brighton-based design group is returning to 100% Design with the world launch of its Marriage of Materials project. Bobo is also one of this year’s eight Crafts Council Bursary award-winners. The bursary was introduced to help smaller companies exhibit their work. Furthermore, Bobo’s multifunctional Glonut has been selected by 100% Design as an icon for all its publicity material and promotional literature for this year’s exhibition. In a deliberate move away from commercial furniture towards designing products with a conceptual application, Bobo has teamed up with a group of multidisciplinary, craft-based creatives in a bid to push the boundaries of materials practice even further. Combining the use of Perspex with a variety of traditional and contemporary materials and techniques has resulted in a fascinating selection of designs that see Perspex take on an almost chameleonic state. ‘Many people see craft techniques as being non-compatible with industrial materials,’ continues Gant, ‘but this project has allowed us to see how other creatives use these materials to develop a language of their own.’ The juxtaposition of old and new is perhaps seen to best effect in the Convertible Skinned Prismex Table designed by Gant and Dean themselves, and the Many Hands Full sushi table created by sculptor Chris Hill. Other designs include: Perspex Diamonds by conceptual jeweller Lin Cheung; a Perspex Séance Table by Royal College of Art computer graduate Dean Wilson; and a Perspex Stetson by product designers Arash Kaynama and Kelly Sant – all of which will be on display for the first time at 100% Design. In addition to their work at Bobo Design, Hill and Dean continue their ongoing collaboration with ICI Acrylics as consultants. Stand number H110