TOP CLASS GLASS: FIRST IRISH WINNER OF DESIGNER GLASS COMPETITION
Up and coming designer Tara Whelan has won the first Irish final of the Bombay Sapphire Designer Glass Competition in Association with Waterford Crystal with her creation “Ripple”, and she is already looking forward to representing her country at the global final being held on April 5th to 7th during Milan Design Week, the world’s biggest contemporary design fair.
The talented young Irish designer, who studies at NCAD, will be competing on the global stage against 26 other countries in front of an audience of some of the international design community’s most influential figures, and will be hoping to win the $15,000 prize.
Tara Whelan with her winning glass
design
The judges, industry experts John Rocha, Cameron Ross MIDI, Eoin Lyons,
Barry Sheehan MIDI, Brian McGee, Sinead Christian and Nicola Connolly
were looking for the ultimate martini cocktail glass. Each of the nine
finalists impressed all the judges by creating elegant, innovative and
practical yet intriguing designs.
Judges: Brian McGee, Cameron Ross MIDI,
Nicola Connolly, Barry Sheehan MIDI, Eoin Lyons, Sinead Christian, John
Rocha
John Rocha commented:
“The entries exceeded our expectations, the technical detailing
and design concepts are first class”.
The Bombay Sapphire drinking experience and the sophisticated elegance of the brand inspired Tara’s “Ripple”. This is reflected by the use of simple geometric forms, with a quiet clarity that echoes the brand essence itself. “Ripple” translates into a crystal glass creation with both an understated sophistication and timeless elegance associated with Bombay Sapphire gin and the classic martini cocktail. The glass produces a stunning visual effect when filled with a Bombay Sapphire martini and “Ripple” keeps the drink colder for longer, allowing more time to savour it.
Tara Whelan commenting on her design and win:
“The primary element of my glass is a functional one, a martini
should always be served cold, but of course you can’t add ice, therefore
the glass should be chilled. More surface area to the glass means the
martini is kept cooler for longer. The second element is a small visual
pun on the ritual of dropping the olive into the drink; the concentric
circles echo the ripple. The third element is a dynamic one, the martini
cascades from the inner to the outer sections providing a pleasing waterfall
effect. The differences in the refractive indices of the layers of crystal
and martini in the glass produce a wonderful visual effect due to the
clarity of both.
I am beyond delighted to have my design realised by Bombay Sapphire and Waterford Crystal, two brands whose dedication to quality and style is beyond reproach.
”Tara Whelan was announced the winner after much deliberation from the panel judges during a stylish party held at Crawdaddy recently which saw martini cocktails served to perfection by supremo mixologist Stephen Marchant, canapés were served to compliment the Bombay Sapphire Botanicals and the music came courtesy of master mixer DJ Mo Kelly.
John Rocha and Nicola Connolly
Now in its fifth year, the competition’s popularity with emerging
designers continues to grow with more and more countries from around the
world taking part. This year, 26 countries will be represented in Milan,
including: Belgium, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany,
Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland,
Portugal, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand,
Turkey, the UK and USA.
Cameron Ross, Issy Ross, Barry Sheehan
The martini cocktail glasses designed by the finalists will be showcased
in Milan as part of an exhibition featuring the work of some of the world’s
most respected designers who have been inspired by Bombay Sapphire. They
include a collection of the ultimate martini cocktail glasses created
by Jonathan Adler, Dakota Jackson, Karim Rashid, Marcel Wanders and Eva
Zeisel.
For more information contact:
e.
nicki.labram@scomms.ie
t. 01 661 4055
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