Antonio Arevalo/ Joshua Simandjuntak

Antonio Arevalo already knows what will happen at the end of his two-year period at the RCA. Together with fellow student Joshua Simandjuntak, he aims to set up Fusion, a studio which – as the name implies – will design products which combine two functions in one form. ‘I am interested in fusing together different objects,’ says Arevalo, demonstrating the clean lines of his chopping board/ organic waste bin. Other ‘fused’ objects include an interlocked pestle combination and ladle and ‘toilet companion, a friendly piece of furniture which gives a home to everything that lives around the toilet.’ Simandjuntak, following the Fusion ethos, has designed a bean bag/ table system that transforms couch potatoes into workaholics, by allowing the user to lounge and work around a central wood table. However, random multifunctionality is not Arevalo’s aim. ‘It works only if it makes sense, there has to be a reason for them to exist together.’ With several exhibitions and awards behind him, Arevalo seems intent to juggle a mix of designing for manufacturers – Authentics being one of the most likely – with small batches of self-produced pieces. For Arevalo, one of the RCA’s many lessons include ‘being more sensitive about how to transform the meaning of an object’, and ultimately, ‘how to work for yourself, how to manage your creativity.’