Adam Nathaniel Furman
Curiousa
British designer and artist Adam Nathaniel Furman was born in 1982. Of Argentinean and Japanese origins, he lives in London. He trained in architecture and the fine arts, and has embraced work with a multi-faceted, harmonious approach that covers every aspect of design. His work ranges from video to prints to large public artworks, architecturally integrated ornaments, products, furniture, interiors and publishing, and his award-winning works have been exhibited and published the world over. He runs “Saturated Spaces”, the research group of London’s Architectural Association which analyses the role of colour in design, architecture and town planning; his eclectic style in fact chiefly revolves around the use of bright, brilliant colours which, as he explains, have fascinated him ever since he was a boy. His highly colourful designs are heavily inspired by the multi-ethnic and queer background he grew up in, and feature unbridled freedom of expression, bold forms, a taste for all things playful and a powerful emotional charge. His material of choice is ceramic, because of its ancient history and multi-cultural nature. A free, anti-conformist spirit whose exuberant creativity takes many forms, his work also has a strong political and social connotation.
Esther Patterson is an English designer who is in love with the decorative arts, particularly glass. She founded Curiousa in 2010 in the small English rural town of Wirksworth. Esther draws on the surrounding Derbyshire countryside for inspiration, with colour and organic form the bedrock elements of her style. She works in close contact with three British glassblowing ateliers, but she also likes to mix materials such as wood and ceramic, all made in-house or locally sourced, ensuring authenticity and sustainability remain key in every work. In the last twelve years, with the help of her husband Paul, she has built up this small but much-acclaimed, multi-award-winning creative business dedicated chiefly to lighting. Curiousa is a community of more than 150 artists and artisans. A love and respect for nature have always been its focal points.