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Adam Nathaniel Furman

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Adam Nathaniel Furman
BornNovember 1982
Paddington, London, England
Alma materArchitectural Association
PartnerMarco Ginex
Websitewww.adamnathanielfurman.com

Adam Nathaniel Furman (born November 1982) is a British artist, designer, writer, and academic. Furman specialises in work characterised by bright colours, bold patterns and ornaments. They[1] coined the term New London Fabulous.

Early life

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Furman was born at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington[2] to an Argentine father and a German-Japanese mother, both Jewish,[3] and raised in North London near Finchley Road.[4] Furman attended Highgate School.[5]

In 2001, Furman enrolled in a foundation course at Central Saint Martins.[6] They went on to study at the Architectural Association (AA), graduating in 2008. This was followed by further graduate studies at the AA.[7]

Career

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Proud Little Pyramid (2021)

Furman became co-director of the AA's research group Saturated Space and opened Madam Studio. In 2013, they were invited to join the Design Museum's Designers in Residence programme.[8] In 2014 and 2015, Furman had a residency at the British Academy in Rome, where they were awarded the Rome Prize in Architecture.[9] Furman's winning project The Roman Singularity was later displayed at the Soane Museum in 2017.[10] They also returned to Central Saint Martins to teach and run the Productive Experience studio.

Named as one of the Architecture Foundations 'New Architects' in 2016,[11] Furman was also named a rising star of 2017 by The Observer[citation needed] as well as a new talent by Metropolis, who described them as "a master of surface and ornamentation" who relies on their "own imagination rather than trends for inspiration".[12] That year, Furman co-authored Revisiting Postmodernism with Terry Farrell, and was commissioned to design a futuristic town hall concept called Democratic Monument for Architecture Fringe.

Furman was named a 2019 FX Product Designer of the Year. In 2021, Furman had a sixth-month residency at King's Cross, where they installed the Proud Little Pyramid for Pride Month.

Furman co-edited the 2022 anthology Queer Spaces with Joshua Mardell,[13] which includes pieces from contributors on domestic, communal, and public spaces where LGBT+ individuals have found safety and solidarity over the decades.[14] As of 2023, Furman is in the process of creating a 57-meter-long mosaic mural titled A Thousand Streams on a wall outside London Bridge station with the London School of Mosaic,[15] as well as ceramic tile colonnades for the new Enclave tower in Croydon.[16]

Artistry

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Click Your Heels Together Three Times by Adam Nathaniel Furman. Canary Wharf, London[17]

At a young age, Furman was inspired by the tiles and mosaics they saw in London Underground stations, particularly Eduardo Paolozzi's mosaics in the old Tottenham Court Road station.[4]

In an interview about Democratic Monument, Furman stated "In great contrast to the rest of our cultural output, our physical environment is crushingly uniform."[18]

In 2020, Furman coined the term New London Fabulous (NLF) to refer to a group of London-based artists and designers who reject "monochromatic minimalism"[19] in favour of "kaleidoscopic" colours, ornament, and geometry.[20] NLF also places emphasis on creating public spaces that represent and celebrate the city's local communities and cultures. Notable NLF figures include Yinka Ilori, Camille Walala, and Morag Myerscough.[21]

Personal life

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Furman has their studio and lives in Belsize Park with their long-term partner Marco Ginex. They have dyslexia.[4]

Selected works

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Abundance
Cassata Pavilion
In a River a Thousand Streams

Public art and spaces

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  • The Roman Singularity (2014, 2017), ceramic sculptures made in Rome, later displayed at the Soane Museum
  • Gateways (2017), installation in Granary Square
  • Look Down to Look Up (2018), street crossing patterns for Croydon Council
  • Pontoon and the Paddington Pyramid (2019), at Paddington Central
  • Boudoir Babylon (2020), installation for the National Gallery of Victoria's Triennal
  • Proud Little Pyramid (2021), installation at King's Cross for London Pride
  • Abundance (2023), installation in Paddington, London[22]
  • Babs Baldachino (2023), monument for the Birmingham Fierce Festival
  • Cassata Pavilion (2023), sculpture at the Plastikgarten in Leipzig
  • Click Your Heels Together Three Times (2023), installation at Canary Wharf
  • Bristol Quilt (2023), ceramic mural in Bristol city centre
  • Croydon Colonnade (2023), mosaic pedestrian thoroughfare under residential building
  • In a River a Thousand Streams (2024), mosaic mural at London Bridge station[23]

Collections

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  • Baalbak, Chess and Phoenician, porcelain and glassware for Beit Collective
  • Beiruti, Lisa and Noor, weaved chairs for Beit Collective
  • Capricciosa and Mediterranean, rugs for Floor Story
  • Chomp and Lounge Hog!, laminated furniture for De Rosso
  • Glowbules, glass lights for Curiousa
  • MySplash, home items for Mirrl
  • New Town, tiles for Bottega Nove
  • Petalfall, ceramics with Hiroyuki Onuki
  • Princex, ceramics for Nuoveforme

Other

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  • Sculptures for ITV animation
  • Democratic Monument (2017), maximalist town hall concept for Architecture Fringe
  • Architectural Icons (originally Postmodern Icons, 2022–), illustrations of famous buildings

Bibliography

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  • Revisiting Postmodernism (2017) (co-author with Terry Farrell)
  • Queer Spaces (2022) (co-editor with Joshua Mardell)

References

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  1. ^ Fox, Tal (30 June 2021). "A little pyramid that's big on joyfulness". The JC. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  2. ^ "Find out about our new Amphitheatre". Paddington Central. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  3. ^ Riba, Naama (4 February 2020). "This Designer Is Waging a Bold War Against a Monochrome World". Haaretz. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  4. ^ a b c Robertson, Rory (5 November 2021). "What Adam Nathaniel Furman designed next". Financial Times. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  5. ^ Tolhurst, Sophie (16 April 2020). "Profile: Adam Nathaniel Furman". Design Curial. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  6. ^ Olley, Cat (28 July 2023). "Adam Nathaniel Furman on colour, classicism and his new collection for Floor Story". Elle Decoration. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  7. ^ "AA alumnus Adam Nathaniel Furman featured in Dezeen coverage on 'New London Fabulous'". Architectural Association. 24 June 2020. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  8. ^ Andrews, Kate (21 September 2013). "Identity Parade by Adam Nathaniel Furman". Dezeen. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  9. ^ "Rome Prize for Architecture 2014 awarded to Adam Nathaniel Furman". The Architectural Review. 23 September 2014. Retrieved 12 June 2023.(subscription required)
  10. ^ Ray, Debika (29 November 2017). "Adam Nathaniel Furman Condenses Rome's Architectural Wonders into Vibrant Ceramics". Metropolis. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  11. ^ Moore, Rowan (2016-03-12). "The architects building a future for themselves". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
  12. ^ Taylor-Foster, James. "New Talent 2017: Adam Nathaniel Furman's Electric Approach to Postmodernism". Metropolis. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  13. ^ Moore, Rowan (2022-05-15). "Queer Spaces by Adam Nathaniel Furman and Joshua Mardell review – a fascinating LGBTQIA+ architecture history". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
  14. ^ Chan, TF (6 October 2022). "Adam Nathaniel Furman on how queer spaces have shaken up the architectural canon". Wallpaper. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  15. ^ Barker, Sam (6 April 2023). "A Huge New Mosaic Mural Will Slowly Be Built In London Over The Next Year". Secret London. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  16. ^ O'Connor, Tara (7 March 2023). "Croydon's newest tallest building update". Your Local Guardian. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  17. ^ Click Your Heels Together Three Times by Adam Nathaniel FurmanCanary Wharf Art Trail. Canary Wharf Group. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  18. ^ Block, India (29 May 2020). "Adam Nathaniel Furman's Democratic Monument is a colourful concept for town halls". Dezeen. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  19. ^ Ray, Debika (7 October 2020). "From the British Melting Pot, "New London Fabulous" Emerges". Metropolis. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  20. ^ Fairs, Marcus (26 May 2020). "Colourful "New London Fabulous" design movement is challenging minimalism, says Adam Nathaniel Furman". Dezeen. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  21. ^ Dowdy, Clare (28 March 2020). "Design's new happy mood". BBC Culture. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  22. ^ "Abundance at the amphitheatre". Architecture Today. 14 August 2023. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  23. ^ Reynolds, Laura (24 July 2024). "New 57m-Long Mosaic Mural Unveiled At London Bridge Station". Londonist. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
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