Light Heavy Things

After several hours of dipping and delving into the minds of RCA2020 students I’m invigorated by the questions they’ve asked, the challenges they’ve set and the answers they’ve uncovered. Many students have reflected and reacted to the societal challenges, both big and small. Some have taken processes, both natural and artificial, and produced work of lightness and beauty. However the lasting impression I have is of diversity, of individual thought, and of self discovery. Congratulations to all the graduates of 2020. Challenging times has led to lovely outcomes.

Peter Russell-Clarke

Transforming Touch Table Light
Michelle Rinow's Transforming Touch
Eric Saldanha's Milo
Eric Saldanha's Milo: Reimagining the white cane
Food packaging
Zhenjing Lang's Rebirth
Di Zhu's Mars 2060
Di Zhu's Mars Olympics 2060 graphic design
Nacho Vilanova's Volta - A new type of prosthetic
Nacho Vilanova's A New Type of Prosthetic
Man with eyes closed wearing earphones and immersed in what he is hearing
Yiyang Shen's Bardsong
Body Experimentation No.2
Rongdi Ma's Body Experimentation No.2
Familia Collection
Sarah Willemart's FAMILIA - restoring dignity to seniors
Wei-Haw Huang's Project CoCo
Wei-Haw Huang's Co-Co
The Shir device is a one-use feeding pouch. One pouch is equivalent to one daily feed. The pouch features a dual component cap filled with 9 grams of freeze-dried human milk powder, 90 ml of sterile water, and an adhesive re-lactation aid feeding tube.
Neloufar Taheri's Shir: Safe Infant Feeding In Refugee Camps
Box/Instruction Manuals. Braille and text
Frederick Keen's Approaching Blindness Through Craft

Curator Biography

Peter Russell-Clarke

After completing his undergraduate studies in Australia, Peter moved to London in 1991 to attend the Royal College of Art, graduating from the Industrial Design course in 1993.

Two years in the UK turned into 15. Peter worked with Ross Lovegrove, Geoff Hollington and Pentagram and eventually established his own studio, in 1997, with clients including Nike and Swatch. One of his clients, Nokia, invited him to become the Global Group Design Manager for mobile phones, overseeing teams in five countries across Europe, China and the USA.

Alongside his studio work, Peter was a part-time tutor at the Royal College of Art from 1995 to 2004, establishing Platform 5 when Ron Arad created the Design Products course.

In 2005 Apple approached him to join their small team of Industrial Designers working with Jony Ive. Peter has been involved in the design of iPhones, iPads, Macs and Apple Watches ever since.

Photo of Peter Russell-Clarke