Kazakh design collective A1462 to partake in Tent London

ALMATY. KAZINFORM - Kazakh design collective A1462 will be participating in the London Design Festival 2016 with a stand at Tent London showcasing new furniture, lighting and accessories, Kazinform has learnt from the British Council.

In October 2015 Kazakh designers Anastasia Leonova, Aziz Abdulmazhitov, Galym Kairalapov and Timur Aktaev participated in a workshop with UK designer Gareth Neal in Almaty. They developed prototypes over a three-day period which were exhibited at the design store Experimentarium in Kazakhstan. As a result of this workshop the four designers formed the collective A1462 and have developed a collection of accessories, furniture and lighting using modern technology in conjunction with Kazakh crafts and handmade techniques.

The collective will participate in the London Design Festival for the first time, representing the emerging local design scene in Kazakhstan alongside other country presentations, a tradtition at design fair Tent London. Kazakhstan is the largest economy in Central Asia. Much of its economic strength is founded on the export of raw materials like crude oil, but there is an increased emphasis on entrepreneurship and small businesses. With no large, established design firms and no sizeable manufacturers of design products the industry very much revolves around small businesses and individual enterprises.

What interests this new generation of designers is the ecology of the design system and how they can create a local design identity. The A1462 designers are interested in what can be made with materials that can be sourced locally and how local suppliers, manufacturers and designers can work together to create products with international appeal.