Inspired by Iceland

May 26

elsielazlo:

Skógafoss. by xTorfinnx on Flickr.

aphorismic:

Dettifoss waterfall by Javier D. on Flickr.

May 25

ingenuities:

Vestmannaeyjar (by Sverrir Thorolfsson)

(Source: tupac)

May 24

Designer Spotlight: Hafsteinn Juliusson of HAF

Edible paper crisps anyone? Or jewellery that grows as you’re wearing it? Thanks to innovative design company HAF these brilliant concepts (and many more) are actually tangible products that you can eat and wear. We’ve been working alongside HAF’s talented founder Hafsteinn Juliusson throughout our design chapter here at Inspired by Iceland, so now it’s time to have a look at some of the great work the company has been doing since they started up in 2011.

HAF really prides itself on side stepping a culture obsessed with mass production and instead creating fun, alternative products that answer everyday questions. One of these products is Growing Jewellery which aims to bring nature closer to man, particularly for those living in urban areas, by embedding growing plants into necklaces and rings. The project also questions why people wear diamonds and what their real value is when you consider that they can be replaced with something just as precious that is growing and alive.

One of HAF’s most unusual ventures is Slim Chips- a project that started out as a joke but turned into a tongue in cheek reinvention of junk food and a comment on the way that snacking is actually due to habit and social routines rather than real hunger. Hafstein teamed up with an Icelandic food scientist to create the crispy, edible paper (which is virtually calorie free!) and is still working on the flavours which are set to include wasabi and blueberry!

Let’s end on something a little festive, shall we? Last Christmas Hafsteinn created animated characters called ‘Christmas Creatures’ which were projected onto buildings all over Reykjavik, including a troll, a Christmas cat and five Yule Lads.

Hafstein’s work at HAF is a great insight into where Icelandic design is headed and our students got a lot of inspiration from the way Hafstein developed ideas. What will he come up with next?