Markus Kayser
Product Design - Winner 2012
Kayser grew up on a country farm in northern Germany where he spent most of his time in his father’s workshops making objects from scrap metal and wood.
He decided to study 3D Design in Furniture and Products in London and exhibited his work both there and in Paris. After going on to an MA at the Royal College of Art, his final project was shortlisted for the Sustain Award.
Kayser is motivated by a desire to resolve the challenges of product design as material resources and energy become increasingly limited. His Solar Sinter project explores the potential of manufacturing in the desert, where energy and materials are abundant. In this experiment, sunlight and sand are used as raw energy and the material to produce glass objects using a 3D printing process.
“Experimentation plays a big part in developing my designs. The exploration of hybrid solutions linking technology and natural energy, to show the great opportunities, to question current methodologies in manufacturing and testing new scenarios of production is what my design practice is all about.”
Using film has also become an important vehicle for Kayser as he seeks to show the story behind the objects he creates and to engage people with them. He’s had great success with this so far, with his Solar Sinter project being seen by over 800,000 people online as well in exhibitions from Dubai to the Netherlands.