With the AZ Awards 2024 Gala just around the corner – it takes place on Friday, June 21 at the Evergreen Brick Works – AZURE is excited to reveal the design of this year’s trophy. It was created by Evan Jerry, the founder of Halifax’s Studio Anansi, who was also on our jury this year.

The striking marble piece nods at the journey of discovery inherent to design. “I wanted it to celebrate the creative process, how ideas are fluid and the role of the creator is to arrange these ideas in something tangible for others to comprehend and experience,” Jerry explains. Evocative in form, existing somewhere between an elegant swan and an abstract anthropomorphic shape, the trophy design was an organic process. Jerry played around with shapes “until landing on one that was visually intriguing,” he says.

“The design follows a standardized approach for Studio Anansi by applying a sculptural presence to the final aesthetic of the design. The intent was to design a trophy that could present like a decorative sculptural object with the winners’ homes or studios,” Jerry explains. “Trophies can often look like objects that are isolated from the other everyday objects we choose to surround us. This one is designed to celebrate the achievements of its recipient while also being a beautiful addition to their space.” Jerry also looked to household items, like the pepper mill and remote control, to gauge an appropriate scale and heft for the statuette, which has a nice weight in the hand.

The designer worked with Portugal’s Studio Olivah, founded by Gisella Tortoriello, to produce the pieces, which will be handed out to the jury winners on June 21st. Olivah sources its materials from the waste produced by the stone industry, and its collaboration on Jerry’s trophy exemplifies the possibilities of upcycling. “Olivah sourced some beautiful Estremoz White Marble cylinders that were waste material from the CNC process of another project, applying an environmentally conscious approach to the design narrative of the trophies,” he explains.

This methodology represents a core tenet of the work of Studio Anansi, which has created meaningful collections for CB2, TRNK NYC, Site Unseen and other brands. “For Studio Anansi, narrative is always the leader in the design process, therefore, it is important that a design visually conveys the story it is trying to express.

“The AZ Awards, and the trophy design, is all about celebrating the finalists and winners’ creative process and the dedication they showed in order to successfully achieve their visions to be recognized within our industry.”

The 2024 AZ Awards is presented by Alumilex, Cosentino and Keilhauer and sponsored by Colombo Design America and Technogym. Gala sponsors are George Brown College’s Brookfield Sustainability Institute, Dark Tools, Landscape Forms, Scavolini and  Vogt.

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