Fiona Sibley meets the Hidden Art exhibitors at 100% Design 2003
Image: Luft lounger by Gala Wright
Gala Wright is currently enjoying the accolade of the hip new graduate designer tag. Having exhibited the Luft lounger, her final degree project from London Metropolitan University at New Designers in July, Gala’s design has already turned many heads.
Luft uses tension instead of compression to provide a comfortable, relaxing seat on a minimal steel frame. She cites her main influence for the product as Buckminster Fuller, whose infamous ball was conceived as the most sophisticated structure he could make, using the least materials. Gala’s fascination with geometry and solving problems stems from a degree in physics, yet when it came to constructing the lounger, having envisaged the two interlinking hoops forming a rocking frame, neat calculations gave way to trial and error, with a few capsizes along the way. She found her perfect point of balance in the end, producing Luft – an effortlessly beautiful, basic furniture structure.
“It is essentially a contemporary hammock, offering the same relaxing feeling, but I have made it look less hammock-like,” says Gala. The simplicity of the design fits the look of any chic interior, and it can be collapsed fully for storage and transport.
Gala’s decision to switch to design from a career in film production has been well judged. “Design still allows me to combine creativity with logical problem solving, but I prefer working on a much more individual scale than in film,” she says. She is also indulging a long-held obsession with design that has in the past seen her collecting junk off the street. Gala is currently freelance designing for Habitat, and investigating production possibilities for Luft, which she plans to develop into a range.