The Aram Gallery presented No Randomness by Oscar Lhermitte, an exhibition of 15 industrial designs with an interesting rationale. 
 

Why does an A4 piece of paper measure 210mm x 297mm? Why is a stop sign shaped like an octagon? And what's the reason for a pint glass's ungainly bulge? No Randomness explained the design logic behind a range of humble products that serve us every day. From packing peanuts to bottle caps, manhole covers and the 50p coin, the exhibition aimed to show these products and systems are far from being randomly conceived, and have been expertly designed for economy and practicality. The bulge on a pint glass, for example, lets air pass between stacked glasses so they don’t get stuck together. Packing peanuts interlock when squeezed together, protecting the object they surround.

 

Oscar Lhermitte is a French multidisciplinary designer based in London. Inviting him to exhibit No Randomness was in line with The Aram Gallery’s aim to promote understanding of contemporary design. The designer says: "Exposing and questioning the object is an integral part of the designer’s job. These objects each have an ‘invisible’ detail that enables them to fulfill their function to perfection."

 

The exhibition was an update of the version originally conceived for the International Design Biennale Saint Etienne in 2015.

 

The exhibition was supported by Humanscale.

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Photos: Pierrick Mouton