Watch out for Claudia Carrasco, the one who likes to work with Corian!

Claudia Carrasco, the designer behind the wonderful Medusa light, was born in Venezuela, where she studied to be an architect. She later moved to Barcelona to complete her Masters in Industrial Design, which was the perfect outlet for her creativity. She cites her motivation as being a desire to experiment with the shape and form of traditional pieces. Her love of creative playing and innovating with materials and design processes clearly shows in her design for Medusa, with which she won several awards. And is one of the young designers promoted by Exposed, founded in 2004 by Brian Duffy and based in Barcelona.

Recently, we happened to have her here with us, through an email interview, jump down and take a glimpse of it.

claudia carrasco brian dujpg

1. When and how did you discover that you have an inclination towards designing?

Claudia: Since I was very young I have always felt the necessity to express myself through objects and things that I used to make with my hands, this feeling drove me to study Architecture. So I got involved in this creative and design world that showed me the way to experiment in the art and design media. Later I decided to do a master in Industrial Design motivated by the emotions that the everyday objects generate in us.

2. How did you come up with the novel concept of Medusa light that won the International Award as well as the ‘Interiors Awards’?

Claudia: The ocean has always been an inspiration for me, so Medusa means jellyfish in Spanish. The concept was born from the idea of using the thermoformed glass techniques- with which I have been working since long time ago- applied to the Corian material. It was also the idea of getting a table lamp that could stand along itself and hide its own bulb inside.

3. Claudia, please tell our readers how are you able to put in color to the shape and form of traditional pieces with your experiment? And how has been the journey up till now?

Claudia: It has been a motivation in my work thinking about the ways to design traditional things and change completely our conceptions about how we are used to perceive them. So I realized there is a potential of inspiration on this. I have been playing with transforming traditional shapes through my design work as well as my hand made glasswork; this provides you with a special sensibility and prepares you for a new vision about how we understand the objects. Anyway I think my journey is just starting and I have to keep playing and experimenting so that I can always renew my ideas and concepts.

4. What are the other different ways in which Corian could be used creatively?

Claudia: Corian is a very versatile material that can be thermoformed, cut and sand without leaving traces and at the same time it has a really elegant mate finished result. Lots of designers are experimenting with it and many qualities are standing out. One of these qualities is being translucent, but there is much more than this; I personally find Corian a very attractive material to work with.

5. Claudia, is there a designer or architect from the past that has influenced you or that you particularly appreciate the work of?

Claudia: There are many architects and designers that I admire, but just to mention a recent experience that really influence me; it was when I had the opportunity to be at the Ron Arad’s new lamp presentation and his conference offered me a quite interesting point of view. Through his lecture he showed strong images that conceptually inspired him about this lamp, explaining how he came to obtain such a beautiful and functional product. I felt extremely motivated about the way he faces an idea and reflects on it, up till he finds the best way to bring to reality a concept.

1 medusajpg

6. What about the contemporary designers and architects?

Claudia: Nowadays it is overwhelming the amount of good designers, it is almost impossible to mention a name. I really appreciate works with personality and there are certain tendencies on the contemporary designers where you can find that. I think we find a wide range of stylish trends in the designers who has protagonist on stage today, and this is generating a really interesting and rich ambient to work and be innovative.

7. How would you label/categorize your work?

Claudia: I really wouldn’t like label my work; and my vision will not be objective. My work is traced between architecture, design and art, that is how my life has been going by; this series of experiences made me create a personal work that at the end is trying to communicate emotions and create functional objects charged of personality.

8. Do you have a signature style? If yes, what are the hallmarks of your style?

Claudia: Having signature style is not my ultimate aim; this is a consequence when your work talks about personal things and express your inner world. As a designer we accumulate some kind of favorite styles and aesthetics, which have influence on you. My work has a strong geometric component that is always present in some way on my objects and also one can detect the attraction that organic elements wake up on me.

9. I’m curious to know what is your next move, and when will the product be out?

Claudia: I keep on working in both, Architecture and Design; with regard to design, I am working in lamps, but I am just in a conceptual phase, then it will be the production process, so that it could be quite long time until the product will be in the market.

10. Finally, I’d like to have your views on Coolbuzz.org?

Claudia: You have a very various content on Coollbuzz, and you present really innovative design products so that you keep the users well informed about what is going on in the world of design; your interface is very interactive which is amusing as well, so well done!

2 medusajpg

Thank you Bura Cat for providing us with responses from Claudia, it is greatly appreciated.

I would like to wish the both of you luck for all your future endeavors.

Today's Top Articles:

Scroll to Top