Following the success of the 2016 showcase at London Design Fair, GRAS was re-commissioned by Craft Scotland and Emergents to design and build a stand for use at various shows throughout 2017-2019, including the Collect event at London’s Saatchi Gallery. GRAS developed a modular and reusable structure that provided a platform for each designer to showcase their own work, while also presenting the collective as a cohesive whole. The display was conceived to be highly engaging and elegant in its own right, reflecting the showcase’s focus on craftsmanship and design, while being subservient to the work being presented.

A central ambition was to use the minimum amount of material to create a robust, lightweight, stackable system which could be adapted and scaled to suit different spaces and to show different work. Following a process of prototyping and testing, a simple module was created as the basis for constructing various display elements. This module consisted of an open-sided cubic frame, formed in ten-square-millimetre steel bar, into which the base, side or top panels could be inserted. The basic cube was scaled and stretched to suit individual designers’ work, bringing small jewellery elements up to eye level, hanging fabrics and lights, or forming plinths for furniture at low level.

The components were designed to be durable and long-lasting, as well as being fully recyclable and reusable. They were also light enough for one person to lift and were sized to stack within one another for ease of transportation. All components were designed and built by GRAS at the Custom Lane community workshop. The installations could be mounted in two days before being dismantled and returned to Edinburgh for repeat use.