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Flower Gerald by Kai and Sunny for Lazerian -
Gerald the Butler by Christos Kourtoglou for Lazerian -
Gerald's Bone by Phoebe Richardson for Lazerian -
Spot by Kerry Roper for Lazerian -
Super Gerald by Supermundane for Lazerian -
The Magical Mutt by Oliver Hibert for Lazerian -
Trojan Gerald by Scott Marr for Lazerian -
Strawberry Pointer by Ged Wells for Lazerian
In search of a new look for his design studio, Lazerian, Englishman Liam Hopkins got together with fellow 3D designer Richard Sweeney to develop a paper dog. They called him Gerald and liked him so much that they decided he needed company.
Representative of Lazerian’s approach to their creative practice – a combination of functionality, play and passion, and imbued with that essential bit of soul – Gerald was the perfect symbol to send out to the world to play and make new friends.
It all started back in 2008 when Liam and Richard started drawing up plans for the canine and thought that the shape of a handsome gun dog would be just the thing. They finalised the template and eventually printed out all 88 of the parts to create Gerald.
After a lot of cutting, hand folding and gluing, the team finally reached a point where it became easy to copy Gerald and by 2009 there was a Gerald-blueprint that could stand on his own four paws. It was easy to assemble by any old homebody – albeit with a sharp knife, glue and patience.
Liam and Richard then distributed hundreds of Geralds to some of their favourite designers across the world, inviting them to give their own spin on their new paper best friend. The result was a range of Geralds donning varied and very colourful new coats, which was launched at 100% Design in London. The exhibition was a total sell-out, every dog found a new home on the first day.
Then Mobo ordered the creation of 28 unique Geralds for their 2012 award ceremony in Liverpool and in 2013 another fabulous range of delightful Geralds was exhibited in New York as part of the NY Design week.
After this show the exhibition moved back to London for a final viewing at the Southbank Center, part of Designer’s Block’s Designers in Production showcase, and Wallpaper magazine also commissioned a bespoke Gerald for the Handmade exhibition at Harrods.
Finally home after his walk around the world, his owners celebrated his journey and many incarnations with a limited-edition book made in conjunction with British paper specialist James Cropper, Gerald & James. It’s not only jam-packed with Geralds but also with the reflections of the more than 100 artists who took part in this special journey with him.
We say give the dog a bone!
