Sept. 29, 2004
Contact: Ray Ladd
College of Architecture and Environmental Design
(805) 756-7432, rladd@calpoly.edu
Cal Poly College of Architecture and Environmental Design Faculty,
Students To Compete In Table, Chair Design Competition
SAN LUIS OBISPO - Vellum, a new San Luis Obispo home furnishings and design showroom, is hosting a design competition, gallery exhibit and silent auction to benefit Cal Poly's College of Architecture and Environmental Design (CAED).
The competition, now under way, is open to CAED students and faculty members. It challenges the participants to create tables and chairs from concept to finish. The designs must be original and individually created. Entries will be judged on function, style and production characteristics.
"Our motivation for this competition is to inspire creative thought and practice and to challenge students and faculty to press the boundaries of material and design," said Paul Abbott, principal of Vellum. "We at Vellum believe good design engages life and facilitates better living, and what better medium to confront the human interface with design than a chair or a table? All potential entrants seem very excited about the opportunity to reinvent the mundane -- be it chair or table -- and reveal their individual style and talents."
Vellum has selected a panel of judges comprised of artists and artisans, architects and laureates including Anne Fougeron, an architect from San Francisco who is at the forefront of high-end design in California; Jeff Jamieson, a designer and fabricator best known for his exclusive production of Donald Judd Furniture; Howard Weisenthal, an architect and Cal Poly professor; and Jeffrey Thies, a Central Coast designer and fabricator of high-design furniture and metal arts.
Vellum will host an artists' reception during Cal Poly's Homecoming, Friday, Oct. 15, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at its downtown location, 672 Higuera Street. The results of the judging will be announced at the reception between 8:30-9:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.
All entries will be displayed, and the public will have an opportunity to silently bid on the entries at the Vellum store from Friday through Thursday, Oct. 15-21. Bids can be called in or placed in person from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The auction will end at 8 p.m. Oct. 21. All proceeds from the auction will help support student scholarship and academic endeavors, and will create seed money for next year's contest.
Cal Poly architecture professors Tom di Santo and Laura Joines-Novotny
are helping Vellum organize the event. "This furniture show is an
opportunity to see that the range of thought for architects from
furniture to architecture is a seamless transition, from touching the
smallest detail to sensing the movement of a body in space," Joines-Novotny
said.
Added de Santo, "Furniture is a way to see the universe of design in a grain of sand … an elegant fusion of form, technology, materiality and comfort."
About Vellum:
Vellum is a home furnishing and design company that explores modern living
though innovative design and art for individuals who strive to elevate
the living in their life. For more information on the design
competition, exhibit and silent auction, call Vellum at 784-0487, or visit
www.vellumvisions.com.
For information on College of Architecture and Environmental Design activities,
contact Joines-Novotny at ljoines@calpoly.edu
or Tom di Santo, tdisanto@calpoly.edu.
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(Note to editors: To have a photo of the design kickoff e-mailed to
you,, contact info@vellumfurniture.com.)
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