Samy Rio

Samy Rio studied cabinetmaking for four years before commencing a five-year course in industrial design at École Nationale Supérieure de Création Industrielle (ENSCI) in Paris, and now successfully combines industry and traditional craftsmanship, which he sees as complementary, interdependent spheres. His research into industrialising bamboo tubes resulted in an honours degree from ENSCI – Les Ateliers in October 2014.

In 2015 Rio embarked on a research project into bamboo, combining tradition, craftsmanship, industry and innovation to consider not only how a finished object will be used, but equally how it is made. What began as a one-person endeavour became the conduit for encounters and discussions with the people who work with or use bamboo. Rio’s aim was to consider how bamboo is used, its place at the very heart of the traditions that surround it, and how new kinds of objects, new uses and new approaches to the material might evolve.