For its third edition, the Hublot Design Prize was awarded to Carolien Niebling and her masterful project, The Future Sausage. The jury also honored the work of Jessi Reaves with a special CHF 25,000 prize. This prize is considered to be a career booster with the aim of shining a light on the talent of an already accomplished designer, by offering them the exposure they need in order for the future their name will be alongside those of the well-known greats.
Design occupies a central place in the history and success. In 1980, when Carlo Crocco founded Hublot, he afforded his watches a particular design and an innovative natural rubber strap. More than 20 years later, the meeting of Carlo Crocco and Jean-Claude Biver changed Hublot's future forever. In 2004, Jean-Claude Biver and Ricardo Guadalupe created the Big Bang and, with this, its iconic design was propelled amongst the ranks of the greats.
"Design is so important to Hublot that it is for this exact reason that three years ago - ten years after the launch of the Big Bang - we created our own prize", said Ricardo Guadalupe, CEO, Hublot. "The Hublot Design Prize aims to support the work of an already accomplished designer, by providing them with exposure and a boost, in order for their work to one day be considered amongst that of the greatest designers".
For this year the Hublot Design Prize has taken up residence in the pavilion of the Serpentine Gallery, in London, a summer pavilion that is redesigned each year by architects, designers and renowned creators - none of whom have ever built anything on English soil before. This year, the pavilion was designed by Francis Kéré, the award-winning architect from Burkina Faso. It is in this very building that Ricardo Guadalupe, Hublot's CEO, awarded the Hublot Design Prize 2017 to Carolien Niebling. The winner received a cheque for 100,000 CHF - intended to support the designer and to help them realise their work. It is a unique opportunity for the designer to gain exposure.
The Hublot Design Prize 2017 rewards Carolien Niebling’s masterful work as well as her playful and original approach. Her sophisticated and extremely comprehensive research took the form of a two-pronged scientific and technical approach that led to a book titled ‘The Future Sausage’, one of this year’s finest publications.
For this edition, the jury also decided to award a special prize for the innovative and experimental work of Jessi Reaves, who opens up a whole new vista and brilliantly asserts her singular vision hovering between art and design.
