Asif Khan graduated as an architect and works from micro to macro across industrial design, furniture and architecture. Past projects include cafés, textiles, furniture, and a canopy, produced collaboratively, for a favela in Recife, Brazil. Other joint projects include a modular lighting system with Peter Liversidge and a sculptural mobile displayed on the catwalk for Osman Yousefzada Spring/Summer show in 2009. These collaborative projects enrich and diversify his practice, reinforcing his ability to adapt cross disciplines and apply his expertise to create new and unexpected results.
His project Harvest, which Khan conceived for the Design Museum, demonstrates his inventive trait and resourceful quality. He has developed a project that rediscovers the neglected beauty of London and employs an original technique and innovative method of making which stimulates his ongoing interest in craftsmanship.
As part of this project he will be investigating and testing the technique of plastination on plants. This method has only been used by medical professionals and is associated with the anatomist Gunther von Hagens to conserve body organs. Khan intends to use this technique to preserve the raw natural beauty of urban flora, as a result modifying the substance of the vegetation. He will use the plastinised plants to create new forms and build new structures, exploring its potential for furniture, lighting or clothing.
Asif studied Architecture at both the Bartlett School, University College London (2004) and the Architectural Association School, London (2007). His work has been shown at 100% Design Tokyo, London Fashion Week, the Milan Furniture Fair ‘Salone Satellite’, and featured in numerous journals and magazines.