Ron Arad

Ron Arad is an influential designer, sculptor and architect. He studied in Jerusalem at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design and then moved to London where he graduated in 1979 after six years at the Architectural Association. In addition to continuing his work as an architect, Ron Arad has made his name as a designer of sculptural furniture and sculptural artworks, using the latest developments in technology and contemporary materials. He taught himself welding, steel beating, forging and metal polishing so he could create new forms of furniture from his own designs. The first piece he made was formed from a car seat mounted on a scaffolding frame. The Big Easy, a 1988 chair, was created from bent and welded steel. When a prototype upholstered version was displayed at the Milan Furniture Fair, Arad was commissioned to designmore upholstered chairs. A stack of a hundred chairs, commissioned by the magazine Domus, was exhibited at the 1997 Milan Furniture Fair. This led to production of a stacking chair formed from aluminum.He also designed Pic chairs for Tom Vac, to be made from glass fiber and colored polyester. Variants of the same design were produced by Vitra using injection-moulded plastic. In 1999 Ron designed a large sculptural project, Wind Wand, and created Big Blue, a public artwork which illuminates a shopping mall beneath Canada Square in London. In 2000 Arad designed a series called Bouncing Vases. These were individually created for clients who selected a computer generated design from an animated display. Each artwork was produced through a laser sintering process, which fused polyamide powder to forma vase of unique design. Since being appointed Professor of Furniture and Professor of Industrial Design at the Royal College of Art in London, he has created a new platform of interdisciplinary courses for students working towards a master’s degree in Design Products. (Artist website)