An art installation, created by Royal College of Art students and inspired by Jaguar, marked the opening of Clerkenwell Design Week in London (21-23 May). Students from the MA Vehicle Design and MA Textile Design departments were invited to produce an exterior and interior form study to express their vision of future Jaguar design language in a sports or luxury context. The final design was the work of Ewan Gallimore and Claire Miller.
Teams comprised members from both vehicle design and textile design backgrounds. The brief encouraged entrants to consider proportions, surfacing, line interactions and aesthetic beauty when creating their vision of Jaguar's design language. Nine teams submitted proposals that were evaluated by the Jaguar Advanced Design team, who eventually selected Ewan and Claire's work.
When creating the winning design the pair looked at the way light fell within the space in Clerkenwell. The final form was designed to accentuate the light and convey volume through the use of materials and the interaction between materials. In the words of Ewan and Claire, "Our form relates to the Jaguar brand through its sculptural volumes, bespoke materials and visual lightness. These elements helped us to create a sculpture that aimed to display a seamless transition between interior and exterior space."
To make their vision a reality the designers worked with the Jaguar Advanced Design studio, using the same techniques involved in creating the company's concept cars. The pair gained a taste of the tight schedules and strict deadlines that are part of work in a global design studio. Students were given two weeks to create and present their design proposals and three days after the winner was announced Ewan and Claire were in the Jaguar studio discussing how to turn their proposal into the finished installation.