Software advances are "blurring boundaries between design disciplines"

Dezeen and MINI Frontiers: architect and designer Daniel Widrig explains how he uses technology borrowed from the special effects business to design everything from jewellery to skyscrapers.

Deoptimised chair by Daniel Widrig
Deoptimised chair by Daniel Widrig

In this movie we filmed in Miami, Daniel Widrig says that designers can break down boundaries between disciplines by borrowing technologies and tools traditionally associated with one industry and using them in other industries, in unexpected ways.

"A lot of technology we use was originally developed for use in other disciplines such as special effects or the movie industries," says Widrig. "One could say that boundaries are blurring between industries"

Visualisation of Escapism Dress by Daniel Widrig
Visualisation of Crystallization dress by Iris van Herpen, Daniel Widrig and .MGX by Materialise

Widrig discusses his projects including a 370-metre tower on the outskirts of Istanbul, Turkey, a collection of dresses produced in collaboration with fashion designer Iris van Herpen and a series of 3D-printed stools.

Crystallization dress by by Iris van Herpen, Daniel Widrig and .MGX by Materialise
Crystallization dress by Iris van Herpen, Daniel Widrig and .MGX by Materialise

Widrig trained at the Architecture Association in London and worked at Zaha Hadid Architects prior to starting his own practice in 2009.

TV Tower proposal for Istanbul by Daniel Widrig
TV Tower proposal for Istanbul by Daniel Widrig

His architectural background feeds into his ongoing research into using 3D-printing for clothing and jewellery, says Widrig.

"We work with the body in quite an architectural way: we investigated certain body parts and then we applied design processes to populate body parts with architectural microstructures," he says.

One of these works was the Kinesis wearable sculptures he produced last year and showed during Design Miami.

Daniel Widrig Kinesis 3D-printed body adornments for Luminaire
Daniel Widrig Kinesis 3D-printed body adornments for Luminaire

For Widrig, it is often the experimental, low-budget projects that yield the most new ideas.

"The most interesting projects for me are the self-imitated projects where you set yourself a goal and an agenda and you work with sometimes really small budgets, but you have the freedom to explore," he explained.

These then feed into more commercial projects, from experimental furniture to sculpture, computer game design and movie sets.

Daniel Widrig Kinesis 3D-printed body adornments for Luminaire
Daniel Widrig Kinesis 3D-printed body adornments for Luminaire

The music featured in the movie is a track by Simplex. You can listen to his music on Dezeen Music Project.

Dezeen and MINI Frontiers is a year-long collaboration with MINI exploring how design and technology are coming together to shape the future.

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