60 DIGS.NET
|
10.4.2019
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P R O F I L E | A N N A K A R L I N
Working across mediums, London-born, New York-based designer
Anna Karlin creates an eclectic collection of lighting and furniture at
the crossroads of art and design.
W R I T T E N B Y K A R I N E M O N I É
"I'm always interested in the connection
bet ween the natural and the man-made
and how we manipulate natural materials
into objects for human consumption, albeit
visually," says designer Anna Karlin. "I think
there is something very powerful when you
manage to create an object that resonates with
both the act of the human hand and nature,
and/or humanity itself. It's this tension that I
find so interesting, and if you can capture it in
the work it makes for a successful piece."
A native of the UK, Karlin studied visual
communication at Central Saint Martins and
the Glasgow School of Art before becoming
a self-taught product designer. Now in New
York City, she renovated a burned-out, two-
story building on the Lower East Side, by
transforming the former print shop into a
multipurpose workplace. One of her objectives
was to give "people a chance to experience
firsthand the types of spaces we can create,"
she explains.
Karlin's projects range from art direction
and fashion shows to interiors, set design
and fine jewelry. For her, "all forms of design
should tell a story," which is exactly what she
aimed to achieve through her newest pieces
of lighting and furniture from the Subverting
Domestic Familiarity collection. "We have
a fundamental need for familiarity or to be
surrounded by natural forms," says Karlin.
"Where there is fragility, there is strength.
Where there is disequilibrium, there is
balance. Where there is vulnerability, there is
support. e works are a visual interpretation
of these emotional paradigms that exist in
our everyday lives." Karlin's creative process
always starts with sketches, and consists of
eliminating and expanding simultaneously.
"en when I find something I feel has legs,
I unconsciously keep going and going re-
drawing, remodeling an idea—by that time I
know it's something I want to explore more
and the work develops from there," she says.
PHOTOGRAPHS:
COURTESY
OF
ANNA
KARLIN
A M A T T E R of F O R M
