Kingston University MA graduates in product and furniture design had the chance to display their work at the Herman Miller Showroom in London recently, a chance to make industry connections and seize commercial opportunities.
This is the fourth year that students have had the chance to display their talent at the Herman Miller gallery which has partnered with the University since 2018.
Graduate MA student and artist, Alex Budd said: “When I started my course, my aim was to be able to sell my art, so now that I have the products and they are ready, it is all about how to make the world aware that they exist and to have exposure.
“This show brings a lot of influencers from magazines and other design exhibitions, and you never know who you could be speaking to.”
This year 25 MA graduate students presented their best work of their year at the exhibition. All the final projects showcased a wide variety of cultures and background history.
The event at the gallery helped to expose the graduates’ work to many people who admire Miller himself and his multi-award-winning furniture and technologies company which has been around for over a century.
Artist and painter Alexandra Baraitser said: “I love Herman Miller’s interior designs. I was passing by the building and I was captured by Alex Budd’s work by the window with his folded metal products.
“I also really like textiles and Julia Risberg’s work was interesting, the photo where she is hugging her piece is really intriguing.”
The MA Product & Furniture Design course actively engages with the industry and has collaborated with IKEA and Network Rail this year.
Graduate MA student and artist, Julia Risberg said: “With this exhibition, I want to show what I have done throughout the year and make some connections. I have already talked to someone about displaying my Messy Organiser piece in another showroom, and also would like to one day be able to sell my smaller textile soft furniture.”
The graduate students also had to take environmental factors into account when they were selecting the materials to use for their projects.
Budd said: “I used copper, aluminium, generally pure metal, everything that I have here could be 100% recycled. It is nice to know that in terms of the environment you are keeping it as simple as possible.”
You can see more examples of the work by Budd and Risberg on their Instagram pages.
Alex Budd: https://www.instagram.com/thirtyfive.thirtyfive/Links to an external site.
Julia Risberg: https://www.instagram.com/coldwash.studio
Amelia Jones 
Hermione Marszalek