21 Rising Stars For 2021

Our Next Generation showcase shines a light on 21 outstanding graduates from around the globe, Wallpaper’s pick of the best new talent in seven creative fields. See more on all our graduates at Wallpaper.com ∏ #WallpaperNextGeneration

01 JIANI ZENG & HONGHAO DENG

MIT and Harvard University, Cambridge, USA

This US-based Chinese duo use lenticular 3D-printing to create dynamic colour and texture in design objects. ‘Our designs consist of two basic layers: a top layer of lenticular lenses, and a base layer of colours or patterns. The technique can be used to create a variety of 3D designs, such as shifting patterns, interactive written content, and even touch sensitive visual effects,’ they say. Dream collaborators: Norman Foster; Tokujin Yoshioka. @jianizeng; @honghao_deng

02 CÉLESTINE PEUCHOT Design Academy Eindhoven, The Netherlands

Peuchot’s project, ‘Inert Domestic System’, explores the idea of what would happen if our machines and production systems stopped – a far-fetched scenario made more plausible by the pandemic, which has exposed the fragility of our manufacturing supply chains. Her series of six handmade ceramic objects points to how industrial production techniques can adapt and take note from artisanal manufacturing. Dream collaborators: Didier Faustino; Destroyers Builders. @celestin.peuch

03 RICK CAZEMIER, MARTIN STEFFNER, ORELIO DE JONGHE, EMILIO DE JONGHE, THOR GERARD, DIMITRIOS SELERIDIS

Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands

Imagine a home audio system that is fully recyclable and produces perfect sound using a sheet of glass. This is what these six industrial design students, working with Delft-based technology start-up DeNoize, have achieved with their ‘Ammos’ speaker. Made of smart glass, bamboo and a sturdy aluminium frame, it is environmentally sound, and can easily be repaired by users. Dream collaborators: Gispen; Victor Papanek; SpaceX; Bertone; Leica; Jony Ive. @ammos_techlabs

04 CHARLOTTE KLINGE

CCA, Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand

German-New Zealander designer Klinge’s ‘Boochi’ home-compostable cutlery is made from a by-product of kombucha production known as symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast (or ‘scoby’). Finished with an antibacterial beeswax glaze, the pieces resemble textured polystyrene. ‘This project seeks to provide a secondary value stream for the waste industry,’ says Klinge. Dream collaborators: Scion; Callaghan Innovation; Fraunhofer; Braun. [e-mail]

05 ARIADNA SALA NADAL

Elisava, Barcelona, Spain

Sala Nadal’s Balisa project is a series of 21 therapeutic tools that are intended to facilitate communication between psychologists and survivors of child sexual abuse. Each element has a unique colour, weight and texture to help express the different emotions a survivor can experience during the healing process. For use in therapy sessions and at home, they stack to form a totem that can signify a safety zone in any space. Dream collaborators: Ellen Bass; Faig Ahmed; Vitra. @arisvla

06 WEICHI HE PENG

ECAL, Lausanne, Switzerland

He Peng’s ‘Photonic’ is a modern iteration of Cooper Black, the famously heavy display typeface. The Chilean designer has explored ways in which Cooper could be transformed into three cuts, Black, White and Grey, thinning out the structural elements to create different characters for different applications. Dream collaborators: Dimitri Bruni, Manuel Krebs and Ludovic Varon of Norm. @weshehe

07 ABBIE REILLY

Birmingham City University, UK

‘My work is digital, but having a physical colour palette is the best way for me to create the right feel for my illustrations,’ says Reilly, whose project is inspired by her lockdown experience and Adam Martin’s GABA meditation podcasts. The illustrator also cites Birmingham’s brutalist architecture and skate culture as influences. Dream collaborator: Carhartt WIP. @abbieblah

08 ANNELI OPPAR

Estonian Academy of Arts, Tallinn, Estonia