Tom Strala Explained

Tom Strala
Birth Place:	Schaffhausen, Switzerland
Nationality:	Swiss
Occupation:	Architect, designer, artist

Tom Strala (born 1 April 1974) is a Swiss architect, designer and artist, known for his raw furniture and lighting designs. In 2005, Strala was awarded 2nd place of the European Luminary of the Year for the TMS 360 Series, a honeycomb structured light shade.^[1] His work is included in several exhibitions in museums and universities. Strala is known as design pioneer in marrying art and design.^[2]

Life and career

Strala was born as Thomas Michael Schmid ^[3] in Schaffhausen, Switzerland on April 1, 1974.^[4] He received his Master of Architecture degree in 2001 from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETHZ) in Zurich, Switzerland and was granted a scholarship for excellence from the Erich Degen Foundation for his master thesis.^[5]

Strala was the jury president for the first Innovation and Design Award (ida) in Zurich, Switzerland in 2007^[6] and was a jury member for the Zepter International Design Award in 2013.^[7]

Selected design work

Strala avoids industrial and mass production. He designs furniture as an object of utility that does not have to act like a consumer good.^[8]

• Chaos (2016), steel standing lamp, powder coated^[9]

• Animal Farm NO. 2 (2011–2015), brass and concrete standing lamp^{[10] [11]}
• Animal Farm NO. 1 (2011–2014), brass wall lamp^[12]
• Lazy Seefelder (2013), chaise longue, nature rattan, chrome steel^[13]
• Rocking Seefelder (2011–2013), rocking chair, nature rattan, chrome steel^[14]
• Seefelder (2011–2013), nature rattan chair, chrome steel^[15]
• Schweini die Origamisau (2012), copper object^[16]
• Ponte (2012), oak table, white glass^[17]
• Calmares 1 & 2 (2010), aluminum ceiling lamp, white coated^{[18] [19]}
• Comic 1 & 2 (2009), concrete standing lamp, epoxy
• Pompidu 2 (2008), aluminum standing lamp, black coated^[20]
• Pompidu 1 (2008), aluminum wall lamp, black coated
• Bartok (2007), concrete, armouring steel table^[21]

• Nelumbo (2007), plexiglas wall lamp, satined
• Strala Table (2006), brown oak oiled table^[22]
• Kalahario (2005), aluminum chair, black coated, leather
• Kalahari (2005), steel chair, black coated, gas spring, leather^[23]
• INCH (2005), steel standing lamp, black coated^[24]
• Kalahock (2005), stool, ottoman, aluminium black coated, leather
• TMS 360S (2001–2004), chrome steel standing lamp, white coated, browned steel^{[25] [26]}
• TMS 90 (2001–2004), chrome steel corner lamp, white coated^[27]
• TMS 360K (2001–2004), chrome steel ceiling lamp, white coated^[28]

• TMS 180 (2001–2004), chrome steel wall lamp, white coated
• TMS 360G (2001–2004), chrome steel ceiling lamp, white coated^[29]

Selected exhibitions

• 2016 Radicality of Banality, Exhibition Galerie P!, Pierre Jeanneret vs Tom Strala, Zürich^[30]
• 2015 London Design Festival, 19th Greekstreet, London, UK^[31]
• 2015 BRAND NEW WORLD, Salone del Mobile Milano, Italy^[32]
• 2015 Design & Art exhibition, FOG, San Francisco, USA^[33]
• 2014 Exhibition Art Basel / Design Miami, USA^[34]
• 2014 Curated exhibition Dizajn-Park, Belgrad Serbien^[35]
• 2014 Solo exhibition, Instituto Svizzero di Milano, Italy^[36]
• 2014 Design & Art exhibition, FOG, San Francisco, USA^{[37] [38]}
• Since 2013 Design exhibition, The New Black, San Francisco – Design Gallery^[39]
• 2011 Design exhibition, ICFF, New York City^[40]
• 2002 Group exhibition, Landschaftsarchitekturausstellung, Hamburg, Germany
• 2002 Group exhibition, Architekturfoyer ETH, Zurich, Switzerland^[41]

Talks

• 2016 Bridging Culture at the HSG Alumni Conference in Davos, Switzerland^{[42] [43]}
• 2016 Workshop & talk at FHNW (Fachhochschule Nord-westschweiz), Basel, Switzerland^[44]
• 2014 Miami Ironside: Materialized Intelligence at Art Basel / Design Miami, USA^{[45] [46]}
• 2014 The Leading Creative Minds of the 21st Century with Massimilian Fuksas, Idis Turato and Christian Kerez at Belgrade Design Week in Belgrade, Serbia^[47]
• 2013 Guest lecturer at the California College of the Arts, CCA, San Francisco, USA^{[48] [49]}

Awards and recognition

• 2015 Yatzer: Best of Milano Design Week for Bartok and Frankenstein Chair^[50]
• 2013 AD Choice – architectural digest, best of architecture and interiors: selected as one of the best 500 furnitures^[51]
• 2005 Award European Luminary of the Year for the TMS 360 S (2nd place)
• 2001 Award Erich Degen Foundation

External links

• Official Tom Strala website
• Tom Strala on Designlexikon
• Tom Strala on artsy
• Tom Strala on artnet

Notes and References

1. Web site: Leuchte des Jahres 2005. May 10, 2019. German.
2. Web site: Tom Strala. March 13, 2015. Brand New World.
3. Web site: Thomas Michael Schmid aka Tom Strala. Schönes Leben. German.
4. Web site: Über Tom Strala. Architonic. German.
5. Web site: Tom Strala. Chris. Another Something. November 19, 2014.
6. Web site: Strala. Designlexikon International.
7. Web site: Winners of the Artzept International Design Award 2013. Zepter.
8. Web site: Tom Strala. artsy.
9. Schwarz. Suzanne. January 1, 2017. Swiss Design. Spectrooms.
10. Web site: ANIMAL FARM NO. 2. Architonic. German.
11. Ernst. Meret. June 1, 2015. Stresstest. Hochparterre.
12. Web site: Tom Strala. Rey. Debika. December 1, 2014. Icon.
13. Web site: Lazy Seefelder' lounge chair by Tom Strala (CH). Phillips. Walter. November 26, 2013. daily Tonic.
14. Simone & Fuls. Herrmann & Sally. March 2013. Raus damit!. Architectural Digest. German.
15. February 2014. Design News. Vogue.
16. News: Bau dir ein Schwein. das. December 16, 2012. NZZ am Sonntag. German.
17. nh. August 2012. Brückentisch. Modulor. German. 17.
18. Ernst. Meret. May 2011. Der Sparlüster. Hochparterre. German.
19. Web site: tom strala on his design practice and intelligent materialization. Chin. Andrea. November 11, 2014. Designboom.
20. Web site: Pompidu Lamps By Strala. dejournal.
21. Web site: Brand New World to exhibit work by design entrepreneurs in Milan. Manton. Maudie. March 23, 2015. DEZEEN.
22. News: Echter Streber. Prada. Ariana. October 29, 2006. Sonntagszeitung. German.
23. News: In Switzerland, Mixing Minimalism With Industrialism. Tep. Ratha. June 8, 2011. The New York Times.
24. Web site: Strala. Designlexikon. German.
25. Web site: TMS 360S Stehleuchte. Architonic. German.
26. Web site: Tom Strala. May 10, 2019. artnet.
27. News: Lichte Leuchten aus gefaltetem Stahl. Beetschen. Mirko. March 10, 2007. Tages Anzeiger. German.
28. News: Von guten Dingen. Meier. Philipp. November 3, 2012. NZZ Neue Zürcher Zeitung. German.
29. pd/wl. February 2014. Präzise und lässig. Raum und Wohnen. German. 22.
30. Web site: Radicality of Banality. artsy.
31. McCartney. Karen. December 2015. Doing the Honours – The design energy was all-embracing as every corner of the city opened up to celebrate the makers' art at London Design Festival. Belle Australia.
32. Web site: Interview with TOM STRALA AT BRAND NEW WORLD MILANO 2015 @ DUSAN. Brand New World. April 15, 2015.
33. Web site: San Francisco Design in Five Top Galleries. January 10, 2014. artsy.
34. Web site: Laufen in Miami – Miami Ironside. My Art Guides.
35. Web site: Tom Strala (CH). November 3, 2015. Belgrade Design Week.
36. Web site: TIME IS MORE by STRALA e SHIBULERU. Istituto Svizzero.
37. Web site: FOG Design+Art Exhibitors. Fog Design + Art.
38. Web site: Tom Strala. FOG Design + Art. artsy.
39. Web site: Tom Strala. The New Black Gallery. https://web.archive.org/web/20130318010115/http://thenwblk.com/product/tom-strala/. 18 March 2013.
40. Web site: NY Design Week 2011: ICFF Photo Gallery. Core Jr.. May 19, 2011. Core77.
41. Schwarz. Suzanne. June 2014. Tom Strala. Spectrooms – Fachmagazin für Innenarchitektur und Design. German.
42. Web site: Tom Strala über das Dazwischen. YouTube.
43. Web site: Tom Strala – Architekt, Designpionier. HSG Alumni Konferenz. German.
44. Web site: Querblicke Industrial Design. Swiss Design Association. German.
45. Web site: Campus Collective Party with Laufen during Art Basel / Design Miami. November 25, 2014. Frame.
46. Web site: Design Escape – MIami Ironside. My Art Guides.
47. Web site: BDW 2014 Superstars. https://web.archive.org/web/20140920204907/http://www.belgradedesignweek.com/conference/speakers/bdw-2014-superstars/. 20 September 2014.
48. Web site: Tom Strala Lecture at CCA. Swissnex San Francisco.
49. Web site: Lecture by Tom Strala. California College of the Arts – CCA. YouTube.
50. Web site: Best of Milan Design Week 2015. Voyatzis. Costas. April 26, 2015. yatzer.
51. January 15, 2013. Die 500 besten Möbel 2013. AD Choice Special Edition.