Portfolio | Patty Johnson

Made Away

Patty Johnson with Mabeo Furniture, Botswana, Thaneras, India, and Wendell Castle's Icon Furniture, USA. Made Away, a feature exhibition at ICFF 2017, revisits a collection of work debuted in 2016 at Spazio Rossana Orlandi during Milan Design Week as well as presenting a new series of products designed and made with one of my oldest collaborators Mabeo Furniture. In one sense this is an artistic exploration motivated by the desire to combine and recombine the strands of my practice over the last decade in order to create new and better work. But it is also driven by the need to continue to bring exposure to the very best of those that cannot always access international markets.
Mabeo (Botswana)

A decade long creative relationship, beginning with North South Project (2006) and continuing currently with a seating project for Moroso and new products for the Made Away project exhibited at ICFF 2017.
Transfome

Transfome is a new collection of work created for Rossana Orlandi Studio and exhibited in April 2016. It is a study of how material, process and place can transform objects. Patty Johnson worked with Wendell Castle’s Icon Furniture in USA and with the Thaneras Brass-workers in India, altering ideas originally created during a research and product development project in Haiti.
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Haida Chair

Dd (David design) furniture, Sweden The idea for the Haida Chair originated during research and design project with Haida First Nations in the Pacific Northwest of Canada. It was inspired by the direct and beautiful construction techniques of vernacular long house architecture. In a truly cross cultural collaboration, Dd produces an equally beautiful version that gives to life the original concept.
Haida Stools

Dd (David design) furniture, Sweden The Haida Stools continue the idea of the Haida Chair. The concept for both lines originated during research and design project with Haida First Nations in the Pacific Northwest of Canada. It was inspired by the direct and beautiful construction techniques of vernacular long house architecture.
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Maun Windsor
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Vodunuvo

A comprehensive program of design activities and strategic planning focussed on providing sustainable assistance to the artisan sector in Haiti including product development, market launches and pro-bono creation of identities and advertising campaigns with agencies like J. Walter Thompson, Taxi, and, Ogilvy and Mather. The outcomes represent a convergence of design with ethnography, service, product and artifact. Over 40 new products were developed during the course of the project with four SME’s (small and medium enterprise) and four artisan communities.
New Caribbean Design

Through the push and pull of cross cultural collaboration the group balanced traditional cultural practice in the Caribbean and forward-looking design solutions; developing new methods and new vernacular that respected and elevated local traditions. In contrast with the familiar presentations of the Caribbean – souvenirs and resort experiences – this collection presented something much more dynamic: a living breathing culture with a critical role in the global design marketplace. New Caribbean Design launched over 30 new products at ICFF in May 2010.
North South Project

North South Project is a new model of design and craft collaborations. A coordinated program with craft production factories and indigenous producers in Botswana and Guyana, the aim is to create and brand new design products that use regional vocabularies to reach high end markets.
Thu Thu Stool
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Spin Stools

for Nienkamper
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Turn Table

for Keilhauer
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Keilhauer (Canada)

Reeve Collection High volume conference and side seating with options for leather, vinyl or textile upholstery; cast aluminum or polyurethane armrests; gas-assist four star or sled bases; and, three back heights. Keilhauer
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Mary Chair

Mary Chair for Speke Klein. Installation at Massey College Chapel, University of Toronto, Canada
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Haida Made

Haida Made is collaboration between designers Patty Johnson and Michael Erdmann and craftspeople from the Haida First Nations. Driven by urgent real world issues, the project aims to maximize the economic and cultural value of forest resources while protecting the health of forest ecosystems.
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Maun Dining Chair & Lounge Chair

Mabeo, Botswana. Mabeo expanded the original Maun Windsor line with the Maun Dining Chair and Maun Lounge Chair.
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Disenos + Artesanias

Disenos + Artesanias is a design platform created by Patty Johnson in Guanajuato, Mexico that draws together artisan production and contemporary design to create new ceramic product collections. The program illustrates how local and regional efforts can sometimes rebalance the often lopsided free flows of globalisation.