Earlier this year the New York Times published an article on “slow design,” which took the example of Þórunn Árnadóttir, with illustrations of her work. Þórunn’s “slow” approach apparently serves her well, as from 18 to 21 September 2008 Þórunn participated in 100% Futures, part of 100% Design London.100% Futures brought together the world’s most talented new designers, who showed their vigorous and experimental design for the future. From 26 to 28 September Þórunn participated in Tallin Design Night in Estonia; this year’s Design Night focused on Icelandic design, and Þórunn was among the Icelandic designers chosen by the Estonian curators. From 1-3 October Þórunn’s work was on show at Helsinki Design Week in Finland.

Born in 1982, Þórunn is one of the many young Icelandic designers who are making a name for themselves in Iceland and internationally.  After graduating from the product design programme of the Iceland Academy of the Arts in 2007, Þórunn was nominated by the design magazine Forum AID as one of the most interesting new graduates in design/architecture in the Nordic countries.

During her student years, Þórunn showed her work with her fellow-students at Iceland’s Design Days 2005 and at other exhibitions. When she graduated from the Academy she was selected as an innovative participant in the Magma Kvika design exhibition at Kjarvalsstaðir in Reykjavík in 2007.

Þórunn Árnadóttir answers the Design Centers questionnaire:

The motivation?
Curiosity.

The process?
The process varies a good deal. Sometimes ideas are practically complete as soon as they come up. But the process is usually rather long and bumpy – I tend to spend a long time over things, and I’m enormously critical of myself. But I feel I’m learning better and better to apply my criticism in a positive way, to push myself a step farther than I would otherwise do, instead of letting it stop me. I often spend a lot of time on research when I’m working on a project – I find it one of the most enjoyable parts of the design process, when I’m learning about something new, and excited about working with it.
 
The vision?
It’s about enjoying it, and not taking it too seriously.

Does design matter?
Yes, it does. I’ve often thought about it… why all this fuss? Do we need any more than just chairs to sit on, and a clock to tell us the time? Why don’t we live in rectangular houses all the same colour, and all drive identical cars? Why doesn’t everybody just wear a standard pair of trousers and a t-shirt? It doesn’t sound logical to spend so much time and money in developing the look of something. But our environment, and the things around us, influence us, perhaps more than we would like. Human beings have been messing around with these things since time immemorial, ornamenting themselves with something, painting on walls, carving statues, it’s all part of the mental and social life of human beings.

What makes something into good design?
Something that’s enjoyable to look at and use, something that lasts. Good design has a certain honesty and grace about it – it’s not trying to be something other than it is, for instance a plastic object that imitates metal.

What’s most interesting at present?
 Growing interest from the public and businesses in new design, and not least in young designers.

The design of all time?
The Moka Express coffeepot from Bialetti. Brilliant for camping trips. But if we move on to the more impractical: the horse lamp from Front Design. It’s so hilariously daft to have a horse, masquerading as a lamp, in the living room. And it’s beautiful too.

Global/local:
I think it’s great that designers are increasingly seeking out local producers and service providers. Productions companies here in Iceland ought to be more conscious of how big a part the image plays in the product – even if a company in China can manufacture the same product many times cheaper, that shouldn’t mean that smaller companies here in Iceland are doomed. Prices of goods on the market today are so complex – it’s not always the cheapest product that yields the best profit. A consumer can choose, for instance, to buy a lemon-squeezer at USD3, or a Philip Starck lemon-squeezer that costs many times that price. (I don’t actually know where that excellent lemon-squeezer is manufactured – I just took it as an example of different prices for things that serve the same purpose."Think globally, act locally".

www.thorunndesign.com
www.100percentdesign.co.uk/page.cfm/action=Exhib/ExhibID=01228
www.100percentdesign.co.uk   
www.edl.ee/en/design_night
www.disainioo.ee/et/sisu/islandinitus.html
www.helsinkidesignweek.com/