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Presenting ... the winner of the XYMARA™ Design Award
By Alison Metzger
Soner Demirel's "xys Chair" (click on the picture for a larger view)
Ciba is pleased to announce the winner of the XYMARA™ Design Award.
Soner Demirel's “xys Chair” combines simplicity and suitability in a harmonious marriage of functionality with form. Demirel, who is studying for a Master’s degree at Mimar Sinan University of Fine Arts in Istanbul, Turkey, created the chair using Ciba® XYMARA™ METASHEEN® mirror-effect pigments. The Award was presented at a ceremony at 100% Design in London, at which designer Tom Dixon was the keynote speaker.
Demirel says: “The xys Chair was born as a result of reflection on the principles of sitting.” His chair effortlessly reduces structural and design elements to a single, seamless form – this is Demirel's answer to the challenge of integrating appeal and function.
Ciba invited young students to create designs using the Ciba® XYMARA™ range of effects, taking into consideration sustainability issues such as safe disposal and recycling. “We wanted to see just how far they could go – how much the design of a novel surface, with intelligent use of these visual surface effects, could revolutionize a product,” explains Le Vin Chin, Editor-in-Chief of Ciba’s design website XYMARA.com.
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 Soner Demirel's "xys Chair" (click on the pictures for a larger view) |
Commenting on what makes a good design, XYMARA™ Design Award jury member Gerrit Terstiege, Editor of form Magazine, says: “Functionality is the first priority and it must be combined with form. A good design catches the attention by straying from the trodden path in some way.”
“The Ciba® XYMARA™ range of special effects creates wide scope for intriguing new surfaces,” said Carla Sorato, Global Head of e-Business and Marketing Communications in Ciba’s Coating Effects Segment. “Surfaces provide an opportunity to create a personality, new experiences and scenarios. Soner Demirel’s xys Chair smoothly incorporates all these elements.”
Soner Demirel's "xys Chair"
Soner Demirel's biography:
 | In the year 1984, Soner Demirel was born in Tunceli, Turkey. His father, who is a painter, has had a big role in his life, both biologically and also in his spiritual tendency towards art and design. The designer, who completed his undergraduate education in Hacettepe University of Fine Arts and Design as an Interior Architect, continues his education with a Masters at the Mimar Sinan University of Fine Arts. He is also continuing his life in design as part of the “Nurus Design Team”, led by Renan Gökyay. In his designs, he is looking for a minimalist line and he summarizes the line of his vision of design with these words: “The eye always looks, but can’t always see; this is where the designer comes in.” |
