Young designers we like: Christina Fesmire

Tell us a little bit about yourself!

I’m a New Yorker, but not native. I grew up in the Midwest of USA, and traveled to Germany and Central America for study over the course of my Undergraduate work as a Graphic Design and Fine Arts major.

How did you start designing?

I can’t recall the start of creating things. As a child I used to find ways to invent little ridiculous products by destroying and reconstructing household items. I’d give them back to the owner in the hopes that they would love the new idea.

What inspires you?

Over the last year, I have become interested in the explorations of human reaction, particularly in relation to pre-existing perceptions. I find it intriguing to consider external gesture, and the reaction it garners, which varies from culture to culture.

There’s an aspect of communication in design that draws me in, which is the attempt to create a shared understanding.

I have spent some time studying semiotics, which brings an analytical means to deciphering the visual language. I started a dialogue with interviewee, Kent Ketola, who was raised as a child of deaf adults. When asked what it’s like to be able to hear, he’s unable to answer. In certain ways, he’s just as far removed from the hearing world as any deaf person would be, as a “solider in a cultural war.” It’s interesting to consider the ways in which we interpret ideas.

What do you like/dislike?

I dislike stylistic categorization, though it’s unavoidable. There is always this classical categorization to the sifting of people and concepts, which I find impossible to do. I’ve got several favorite places in the world. It would be interesting to imagine a society where they could be culturally undivided for a day.

I’m very pleased with the attention that has been given to sustainability and the merging of science and design. I attended a lecture last year given by Li Edelkoort, which involved the new scholastic developments for bringing the two together.

There’s no longer a need to preface design with the word ‘sustainable’ in my opinion, as we should be seamlessly integrating this into our processes and material choices.

According to Edelkoort, “trend research is not a science, it is an art that arose from necessity”.

Who are your favorite designers?

I’ve been very influenced by Scandinavian Design. I had the opportunity to spend the last few months studying at The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts School of Architecture through Denmark’s International Study Program. I worked under three influential designers, Nils-Ole Zib, of ZIBIZ Møbeldesign, Gudmundur Ludvik Gretarsson and Gry Holmskov. It was an eye opening experience, which led me to better decipher attention to detail and material usage. I don’t feel that Danish design has been appreciated enough in the US, and I would like to draw attention to it’s beauty.

Describe your apartment!

It’s a loft apartment in Brooklyn, filled with sketch models, creations, ideas and oddities. The whole place is an ideal space for guests for there is plenty of comfortable seating – another part of my collection.

A selection of her work: