Darkly Mirror is an exploration of the history of human beings’ relationship with the reflected image. Some historians believe that the earliest mirrors may have been small ceramic bowls filled with water used during the late Stone Age. The fact that there is no concrete evidence exists to support the theory fascinates designer Nick Ross, whose Darkly Mirror for MENU takes inspiration from the ceramic bowls. “That it cannot be proven adds to the object’s mystery. Is this a new object, or an old one reinvented? I wanted to take this notion and create a modern object which questioned its possible past and its relation to ‘the self’.
Nick Ross (1986) is a Scottish-Swedish designer who presently resides and works in Stockholm. In Scotland, he studied Product Design at Grays School of Art in Aberdeen and afterwards moved to Stockholm, where he continued his training in Interior Architecture and Furniture Design, taking a masters at Konstfack (University College of Arts, Crafts and Design) graduating in 2013. Nick founded his own studio in 2014.
His research focuses on the complex repertoire of history, particularly ancient history, where he finds the factors with which to interpret the relationship between the user and contemporary design. Using storytelling as a pretext and applying an always critical approach, Nick Ross is interested in investigating facts and happenings that have determined specific cultural balances; every project comes from the desire to create ideal or real bridges between the present society and that of the past.