Simon Ghahary

Simon Ghahary(born May 12, 1972) is a loudspeaker designer from the United Kingdom, known for his unconventional speaker designs.

Ghahary is a designer, who inspired by sound and nature, creates fantastical sculptural pieces combining art with technology. He refers to this fusion as “functional art”.

Ghahary is a lifestyle engineer, engaged in the development of new forms to accompany new ways of living. He has always approached audio product design as an art, the creation of functional objects that are infinitely desirable. Ghahary’s “functional art” is not only about the combination of performance and design, but also the consideration of the space an object can create when in use. Ghahary always strives to go one stage further, inspiring the space a product or piece of work is in when not in use.

In 1990 Ghahary started experimenting with sculptural art and during this period worked as a freelance illustrator, experiencing first hand the frustration and constraints placed on creativity when imposed deadlines, business objectives and business managers impede quality. In the summer of 1991, frustrated but unperturbed by this experience, Ghahary found himself in Steyning, West Sussex. This was also the home of "Bowers & Wilkins" speakers, Research & Development wing. It was the discovery of this facility, or rather the contents of the rubbish skip outside, that inspired him to experiment with loudspeaker components using various materials, all recovered from the company’s scrap heap.

Also at this time he was introduced to unconventional materials through a friend called Dave Roberts and so started to create organic, curved designs to house the components that he salvaged. Most importantly, it was here that he learnt fundamental rules that were to influence all of his speaker designs. These were the understanding that speakers do not necessarily need square box-type enclosures to work, and that round enclosures improved sound quality and performance.

A series of significant things happened to Ghahary over the next 10 years: The creation of his first Pod loudspeaker (the House Pod), a product that crushed the perception of speakers being square boxes; learning the basics of acoustics (and the justification of his trademark curves); forming a relationship with renowned Bowers & Wilkins engineer Laurence Dickie (who was working on a pioneering project called the "Nautilus"); the creation of Blueroom loudspeakers, a brand to champion his designs; It’s integration into B&W with Robert Trunz at the helm and the commercial release of his Pod designs (which saw B&W win their first EISA award for audio design in a period of 25 years); the founding of the Blue Room Released record label; and then Blueroom going independent once again and him designing more of the seminal Pod range, such as the Bass station, Cinepod and Micropod, achieving cult status among music and design connoisseurs.

During this time Ghahary pushed the limits of design and the overall brand experience, even to the extent of overseeing the creation of nylon bags that could encase the "Minipod" loudspeaker and be re-used as rucksacks as an environmentally sensitive alternative to conventional packaging.

Ghahary also indulged in his second love, that of music, and was fortunate enough to meet, and in some instances work with, many accomplished producers, musicians and artists. Alex Paterson from "the Orb" became a close friend and supporter of his designs adding a quote to the Housepod brochure and installing a Pod (and later "Orb") system in his music studio.

In 2001, Ghahary left Blueroom to start a number of personal projects, inspired by his passion for music and the people and places he had experienced. By 2002 he initiated an audacious experiment to find an alternative cabinet material for loudspeaker production, something that resonated with his passion for the blend of form and function. The outcome of this project was to work with a local UK art and craft, an industry not traditionally involved in the manufacture of audio products and to research and design a range of products (or pieces) that would challenge the loudspeaker genre on a new level once again. The project centered on the development of ceramics in speaker cabinet production, unearthing the heritage of the UK pottery industry and highlighting it as a viable alternative to mass production.

The process enabled the construction of a seamless shape, with a high-end finish, which when assembled created a worthy antidote to the market saturated with low quality, throwaway products. The product received critical acclaim during its limited distribution to markets as far a field as the US and Japan.

Ghahary has a distinctive and unique design style that is instantly recognisable and enduring. His trademark organic curves have replaced traditional hard edges and transformed conventional shapes into objects with a personality. Ghahary’s design pieces sound as unbelievable as they look, with each piece of work seeking to inspire the very musical talents that so inspired him in the first place.

Ghahary is currently working on a new audio design collection he has titled "Instruments for Space". What we will see emerging are innovative sculptural pieces, that come straight from the window of his imagination, uncompromised and free from the confines of consumer products.

Although best known as a speaker designer, Ghahary also worked as a DJ and an album cover artist/designer.

Design Philosophy

Ghahary is a designer, who inspired by sound and nature, creates fantastical sculptural pieces combining art with technology. The curves that characterise Ghahary's work are drawn from nature. From shells to undulating landscapes, Ghahary has always been intrigued by the idea of translating natural forms into man-made objects. Inspired by soundscapes and the fascinating concept of sound reproduction Ghahary's desire is to create forms that embody this concept - naturalistic shapes that display the combination of form and technology.

It began with sculptural, rounded forms, with anatomical contours - objects of inspiration that would actually deliver better sound quality than the conventional rectangular enclosures commonly seen in the loudspeaker genre. It was also fitting that the first shapes coincided with the emergence of a new wave of electronic music. Here were objects that expressed a new way of listening – with your eyes as well as your ears.

His forms set out to create an attachment to the user to encourage their use. These products display a unique personality and aim to become objects to cherish and love. The sculptured nature of their shape aims to create space around them and inspire that space when they were not in use.

Ghahary believes a successful product is not just about good design; it is about managing the creative and manufacturing relationships. For Ghahary it is paramount to harness the productive teams constructive knowledge and maximize their contribution to the manufacturing process as he understands a successful product will also be the sum of its parts from contributors.

As Ghahary's forms have progressed they have included more acoustic considerations and experiments in alternative materials. These shapes apart from being visually satisfying break the rules of conventional speaker design.

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