Amrish Patel of Apical Reform: Name to know

Nonchalant and evolving is my impression of Amrish Patel…a vibe that extends to his works too. Principal and founder of Gujarat based collaborative design studio Apical Reform, Amrish Patel initiated his diaspora in the creative world with architecture, engineering and interior designing. Over time, the firm that was founded in 2011, shifted focus to product development, art and functional works “because architecture used to take up a lot of our time, so we could not get enough time for research and the planning,” Amrish reveals.

Today, the studio, helmed by Amrish along with Darshan Soni the Design Director, defies other labels with collectables that are traditional yet progressive, stimulating yet sensitive, nonetheless demanding a reaction from the viewer. It is this forthright credo that makes them a name to reckon with.

We catch up with Amrish, who clues us in on the brand’s school of thought and ongoing projects.

Goodwill building

From transcending mundane objects into collectable furniture and bespoke design-art pieces, in six short years, the company has found a definitive creative voice with innovation and technology as the foundations from which the team approaches its métier. “Curiosity and pursuit of excellence are words that define our forthright philosophy. Firstly, we try to create a level of attractiveness or curiosity that builds up a product or art. Secondly, we strive to explore other materials and techniques; ensuring that a piece never sits idle in the house and works as an artwork,” he avers.

Most recent project

“We unveiled the Betula Chair at Downtown Design 2016, which garnered a lot of global recognition,” he says. The seater boasts a sinuous structure made entirely out of birch ply and is a fine example of the beauty in fluid decontructivism. It’s seemingly simple form is revealed as layers of birch ply, each individually designed, are precisely put in place to give its smooth flowing lines a cantilevered structure. “The concept behind this project – one of layering and revealing the internal frameworks – remains a process of ongoing research at the studio with more prototypes under development,” he adds.

Apical Reform’s debut presentation at Design Days Dubai 2017 will be an ode to their projects, Dubai and its meteoric rise on the world stage. Their latest exploration into sound technology, Sonuslexica installation will also be part of the design week. For the installation, the studio has invited a cross-section of UAE nationals and expats to record the words such as peace, harmony, diversity, respect, growth and happiness in their native languages and dialects. With help of the technology, the design team will manifest the words as 3d visualisations of the sound samples and in turn transformed into wooden totems. These totems will form the base of the installation.

Website: www.apicalreform.com

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