BE OPEN Sound Design Talk in association with WIRED Consulting

The BE OPEN Talks programme is part of a series of sound related BE OPEN events taking place during the London Design Festival, an element of the think tank’s broader scheme to explore the five traditional senses – sight, smell, taste, touch and sound – the starting point for research into the next realm, that of the sixth sense, or intuition.  Sixth sense design would represent the ultimate synthesis of human sensory perception and technological genius, offering an infinite variety of sensations that would overcome the perceived limitations of design today.

TOM DIXON
Special Guest

 Obsessed with honest materials, and a commitment to innovative design and manufacture, Tom Dixon is on a self-propelled mission to rethink and revive the British Furniture Industry.

Established in 2002, the Tom Dixon brand is inspired by our nation’s unique heritage. In 2004 Proventus, the Swedish-based private investment company, teamed up with Tom Dixon to establish Design Research, a design and product development holding company. Tom Dixon launches new collections annually at the Milan international furniture fair and product is sold across 61 countries.

Launched in 2007, Design Research Studio is the interior design arm of the Design Research Group. High profile projects include Restaurant at The Royal Academy in London, Tazmania Ballroom, a pool bar in the Central district of Hong Kong, Jamie Oliver’s new London restaurant, Barbecoa as well as Shoreditch House, Paramount private members’ clubs and Joseph’s flagship store on Old Bond Street, London. Most recently Design Research Studio won their first ever hotel project, redesigning the iconic Thames-side Sea Containers House in collaboration with US hotel giant Morgan’s Hotel Group due for completion early 2014.

Tunisian born, Tom rose to prominence in the mid 1980s as 'the talented untrained designer with a line in welded salvage furniture'. Having worked for Italian manufacturer Cappellini where he designed the iconic S chair. Tom then went on to create his own company, 'Eurolounge', under which he made and sold the much celebrated Jack light. Tom was appointed head of design by Habitat in 1998 and later became Creative Director until his departure in January 2008. He was awarded the Order of the British Empire in 2001.

Tom Cheshire
Moderator

Tom Cheshire oversees the “Play” section of WIRED. Play is the cultural heartbeat of the magazine, exploring the latest developments in culture, identifying trends and those who set them., It provides in-depth and eclectic approaches to all aspects of entertainment and lifestyle. Subjects covered include architecture, music, film, TV,  art, design, performance, videogames, sports and food. Tom has also written for GQ, the Evening Standard and the Sunday Telegraph magazine. His first book, The Explorer Gene, will be published in Spring 2013 by Short Books.

JO THOMAS

Jo Thomas performs live internationally and locally on a regular basis. Her music is released by Entr’acte. She was awarded the Golden Nica in Prix Ars Electronica 2012 for her work Crystal. Her 1st solo release Alpha was nominated for a Qwartz award in 2011. Her latest solo release Nature of Habit (Entr’acte) was released in May 2012. Jo is currently working on a new Vinyl release for Entr'acte and a new tape cassette for the leftfield label Tapeworm and has a post at the University of East London teaching sound design, composition and music technology.