Is Design just about rearranging the Cushions...?

Heading north in the Quiet Zone of the 18.30 out of London Euston is an ideal setting for reflecting on the days activities. I was on my way back to Kendal after attending the British Design Summer Reception at the House of Lords. 

Organised by the Associate Parliamentary Design and Innovation Group, it brought together many leading and influential designers, along with MPs, members of the Lords, journalists and representatives from the various organisations that sponsored the tables. Being on the Crafts Council table, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself seated between Tristram Hunt, MP for Stoke-on-Trent and Michelle Ogundehin, editor of Elle Decoration. 

Speeches by both Sir John Sorrell and Lord Bichard championed British design, and stressed the need for a strong united voice to convince Parliament that design is more than just making things look pretty, but something that should be at the core of business thinking. 

Apparently the Financial sector spent £92 million lobbying the government last year and that has appeared to have paid off. Design doesn’t have that sort of money, so we are going to have to use some of our creative thinking if we want to be heard. 

However, it seems to me that 'design' is one of those shape shifting words with a different definition according to the context in which it is used. 

My definition is something along the lines of 'the creative application of materials and/or processes.' That's probably over simplistic, but to make an impact surely that's the sort of definition required, as it not only covers making stuff, but can be applied to systems and services.     

And it's inclusive, so the Crafts Council shouldn't feel left out. 

OK, so we can dress that up with great examples, lots of lovely images, but what are we asking for? 

For me it would be some joined up thinking in government, where the Chancellor of the Exchequer doesn't stand at the dispatch box going on about how he “want(s) the words: Made in Britain, Created in Britain, Designed in Britain, Invented in Britain to drive our nation forward. A Britain carried aloft by the march of the makers" to be the battle cry that will save the economy, when down the road Education are undermining or should that be destroying Design and Technology in schools.  Where do they think the next generation of makers and creative thinkers are going to come from?

And I would also ask that there should be far more support for research that brings together art and science. There are so many great examples where collaboration has benefitted both camps.  

Vince Cable has been busy with his Made by Britain and Make it in Great Britain campaigns, with an exhibition starting in London’s Science Museum on the 24th of July. But as Michelle Ogundehin points out in her blog, why doesn’t the government recognize the central role that design plays in the success of companies like Apple, Dyson etc etc? And ‘why is it taking government so long to catch on when the UK’s design sector could be such a spur to economic growth?’

A poorly advertised exhibition in the Science Museum is not enough, what we need is a new Festival of Britain, an event that will clearly demonstrate the wealth of great design that we have in the UK, demonstrate how companies will benefit by embedding design thinking into their core activities, demonstrate to parents that Art and Design are relevant subjects for their children to choose at school and if the government would put some money into apprenticeships, give some disaffected young people a place in society. (That last bit might be going too far, but we can dream…)

Design Centrum Kielce - lecture notes

MAREK CECULA – artist, designer, educator and all-round dynamo has returned home to Kielce in Poland and created Design Centrum Kielce.
Marek invited me to speak at the opening of the centre, held in June. Rather than simply talking about my own work, I used the opportunity to discuss the impact of digital technology on craft and design and its place in Design education.

Synopsis:
Digital technology is having a profound effect on the way in which we engage with the world and with the objects that surround us. Many people think that there is a risk that these shiny new tools will lead to a loss of traditional skills. I would like to discuss the place of these new tools in relation to design education and use my practice as an example of one way to bring together the old and the new.

Lecture:
First of all I would like to thank you for inviting me today. It really looks like it’s full steam ahead for DCK and great for me to be here at the beginning of an exciting journey.
The creation of a new Design School at this particular point in time is very much to be welcomed as there needs to be a shift in thinking around the subject of design education.
I am not qualified to discuss the pedagogy of design education as I am a maker and that’s really why I’m here, but I do have some experience both as a student and a teacher. I’ll talk about being a student a bit later on; as a teacher my experience is mixed.

In the UK, many Design Schools are being seduced by the ‘Media of Attraction’ (Lunenfeld, 2001) where the novelty of digital technology leads to the abandonment of older technologies and the closure of traditional workshops. This inevitably leads to the creation of superficial objects, where there is little understanding of materials, processes or the 3 dimensional form. I have been lucky to teach in 2 establishments where the policy has been to keep the workshops open. It is where students can explore materials and learn through making. Though they are expensive to operate, workshops are recognised as having a value. However, this situation is rare, most universities are run by accountants who would rather fill their workshops full of computers; it's cheaper and you can pack more students in.
But don’t get me wrong; I love new technology and the creative opportunities it offers. Computers are miraculous and have reshaped the way we engage with the world. But they are an addition to the tools that makers can choose to use, not a replacement and that’s really what I would like to talk about today. Technology such as 3D printing is starting to fundamentally change our relationship to the things we choose to live with.
Here’s a great example. This chair, created by Dirk Vander Kooij is made by extruding plastic through the nozzle of a robotic arm.
The material comes from recycled white goods such as refrigerators and the use of this machine is an example of how the creative industries are appropriating technology and making it do exciting things it wasn’t intended for.

However, you don’t need one of these to access 3D printing. As I'm sure you know, these new tools are no longer confined to hi-tech industries. Already websites like Shapeways and Sculpteo are offering anyone who can afford it, the opportunity to customize a design or create their own and have them 3D printed and delivered to their door. As 3D printing becomes cheaper and more commonplace, are we going to see established companies allowing their customers to create personalized versions of their designs?
The technology to do this sort of thing is becoming increasingly accessible. I can use my phone to design a bespoke vase based on my profile, and have it printed and glazed. Would anyone like to place an order? I didn’t think so.

What effect is this going to have on design? Is this ability, available to large numbers of people going to produce better design? Are we going to see the mass democratization of design? Will it encourage more young people to study design or will they think they know it all just because they have some clever software? Or will it simply result in the world consuming more and more of its increasingly valuable resources to produce more stuff destined for landfill?

 It must be a good thing for more people to understand design and its creative potential. But access to this wonderful new toolbox is unlikely to produce better stuff. Working in the virtual world of the computer doesn't teach you about materials and processes. It should be underpinned by working with the hands, testing materials, exploring processes. In other words learning by doing. Getting involved in making things at an early age and staying involved must surely be the way forward and that is why I would like to congratulate Marek and his team for having the vision to create this ambitious new school.
As I said earlier, I am not rejecting technology, I am not saying that we need a new Arts and Crafts movement, well perhaps we do, but with a more inclusive philosophy to that of William Morris and one that embraces the new technology and recognises the craft of working with code.

I am not saying that I have the answers, but I would like to describe the journey that I have made as one possible way of creatively combining the old and the new...

(I then went on to talk about the relationship between hand and digital processes in the development of my work, but you've probably heard all about that before...)

The Tool at Hand

I have been invited by Ethan Lasser of the Chipstone Foundation to take part in a forthcoming exhibition, The Tool at Hand, to be held in the Milwaukee Art Museum later this year.
To take part, the invitees have been asked to produce an object using one tool and to produce a short video describing the process and our relationship with the tool.
I chose my MacBook Pro, the thing that I'm using right now to write this.

As I'm sure you're aware if you have followed my occasional ramblings over the past few years my interest is how the skills that I developed as a potter can be transferred to the world of digital technology, so Ethan's offer was definitely not to be missed.

Here's the video:

Michael Eden - The Tool at Hand from Michael Eden on Vimeo.

I have tried to keep it as simple as possible, I'm not sure how well it has communicated my relationship with my MacBook so any thoughts would be appreciated.

Post Craft? Post Digital?

I took part in the excellent FutureEverything Festival in Manchester this weekend. I was invited to take part in a discussion titled 'Post Craft'.
Now I know what you're thinking, because that's exactly what I thought - what's that supposed to mean?
This is how the Festival described the notion:

"Post Craft
In an increasingly post-digital world, there is a move towards a pre-industrial landscape. Eased by global connectivity, cottage industries are sprouting up everywhere. People are creating their own products, services, and art. They are rediscovering the satisfaction of creating a tangible product, the process of making, the lessons from making by hand.
This session brings together four people working at the edge of craft — a leading practitioner in modern ceramics, a design researcher, an interaction designer and a curator — to look at what craft can learn from digital behaviours, and the lessons it has to offer.
Session presented by Andy Huntington, James Boardwell, Michael Eden and Sally Fort"

And there's the other phrase -'post-digital'. Sat here at the keyboard of my Mac, I didn't know that we live in a post-digital age, did you?

I can understand that people need more than screens and mice in their lives and there's an inbuilt desire to express our creativity through whittling sticks, gardening, even walking on the hills, but to call this era 'post-digital' is so far from the truth. We've hardly got started; in my particular field of Additive Manufacturing we have hardly scratched the surface. To paraphrase Geoff Hollington 'If this was the First Industrial Revolution, we are now in the year 1800'.
There is so much potential for this technology, it is going to change the way we think about many of the designed objects that surround us. It allows for individualisation, customisation, distributed manufacture, repair of broken equipment. The list goes on...
However, when I hear of the 3D printing of human organs I am both excited and concerned. Yes, it could help to solve the shortage of organ donors, but surely it's not such a huge step to then change the DNA of 'living' printed structures? After all the human genome is likely to be Open Source if it isn't already.
Or is this science fiction?

Anyway, back to 'Post Craft'.
Sally Fort, the chair of the panel, asked for our understanding of what the term means. There was some scratching of heads, but we all basically agreed that it doesn't exist.
Craft is Craft is Craft, regardless of the tools or technology the maker chooses to use. It's the idea that should be at the forefront of the maker's mind, not the tool. In my experience as a potter, the tools 'vanish' when I'm throwing a pot on the wheel. I'm trying to capture the energy of an action, the tension in a line. And it's those qualities that I try to achieve through the mouse in my recent work.
So for me, it's all about whittling voxels.
Having said that. I choose to use new technology because it allows me to create 'impossible' objects, ones that I can't make on the wheel or with other conventional methods.
But both the starting and end point is the story that I'm exploring and attempting to communicate.


If you would like to read more about the discussion follow this link to the mini-site that Sally published.

And if you haven't been to Manchester, I would highly recommend the place. OK it's wet, but it's a great 21st century European city that looks forward whilst embracing it's past. It has a really creative buzz, but without so many of the posers that you find in postcodes beginning with EC.

yet more actual and virtual.....

These last few months have been both exciting and frustrating in equal measure. I have been continuing my investigations of the actual/virtual theme in my work with the design of a new piece, or pair of pieces called Amalthea. They are complex cornucopia like pieces, one filigree, its companion a solid version with raised surface decoration.

To begin with, I generated a type of QR code known as a ‘blotcode’ which links to a page on my website when scanned by a barcode reader, available as an App for some smart phones. I then extruded the 2-dimensional image into a 3-dimensional form using Rhino 3D software. The cornucopia shape of Amalthea refers to the wealth of knowledge available on the World Wide Web whilst the cryptic symbols within the filigree refer to the consequences this may have on society.
Objects often have stories attached to them. They can commemorate an event; they are often transformed into family heirlooms and passed on with the stories associated with them. Amalthea also tell stories, but these stories are online, so have the potential to include text, video, image and music. They can be added to over time, creating a repository of memories and information.
So when the viewer scans Amalthea with a barcode reader mobile phone App, it connects to a page on my website telling the story, providing additional information thereby creating a simultaneous actual and virtual experience.
I plan to offer a series of similar pieces where the QR code is generated for a client linking the piece to information specific to that person. So, as heirlooms, the virtual experience could tell the story of the journey of that object through the generations.

In the making of Amalthea I have become increasingly aware of the complexities of Additive Manufacturing and selective laser sintering (SLS) in particular. The machines are complex, with a myriad of controls that the operator/technician must become as attuned to as any craftsman does to their tools. It's certainly not a case of 'pressing a button' as some people think. And though I am not the highly skilled person operating the machine I need to have both a reasonable understanding of the technology and a good working relationship with the operator.

When my work was produced in France, it was made on a ZCorp 3D printing machine. This is far simpler than the SLS technology as it employs a liquid binder rather than a laser to build the layers. And it's one of these machines that we are going to use in an attempt to print objects in clay. This is the dream that I have had since I first heard of Rapid Prototyping quite a few years ago. Our project at the Bartlett School of Architecture in London will build on the excelent work of Mark Ganter and his team at the Solheim Laboratory at the University of Washington in Seattle. We are also grateful to Ronald Rael and the ceramics laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley for providing us with a detailed technical report of his team's thorough testing of ceramic materials.
The Open Source philosophy of this research is fundamental; thanks to the generosity of Mark Ganter there is a growing community of like-minded groups all ploughing the same furrow. By bouncing ideas of each other the momentum is increased and reliable materials will be available for the many, rather than the few.

Though printing the Amalthea in clay is probably a little way off, I am very excited by the prospect of being able to bring both my experience and knowledge of ceramics together with the emerging technology of the 2!st century.

more hand and glove........

I was at the opening of ‘Lab Craft’ in the Truman Brewery at Tent London last night. Curated by Max Fraser, it’s a Crafts Council touring exhibition exploring ‘Digital Adventures in Contemporary Craft’.
The exhibition followed on very nicely for the museum and gallery curators attending a Crafts Council Craft Curators Forum that I was speaking at in the morning. It had been organised to demystify the use of digital media in contemporary craft and help the curators position this type of work in their collections. The discussion was lively and partly centred on the relationship between the hand and the machine. For instance, where is the dividing line between a pole lathe and a 5-axis CNC milling machine? Both are tools controlled by a combination of hand and eye and though the latter is definitely a ‘hands-off’ tool, the thought processes required to produce a piece of work are essentially the same.
As I mentioned last week, the London Design Festival is on at the moment, but for me the highlight was the Anti-Design Festival, centred on Redchurch Street, in East London. The brainchild of graphic designer Neville Brody, it encourages risk-taking, experimentation and dismisses the notion that every creative act has to have a polished, commercial end product. For the visitor, used to the beautifully presented gewgaw, it may have been a bit of a shock, for me it was a breath of fresh air.

Officially part of the London Design Festival, but more like an offshoot of the Anti-Design Festival was a week of ‘Design Against the Clock’ events held at The Duke Street, St. James’s gallery of Established and Sons. I was involved on Wednesday when I was teaching the artist Gavin Turk to throw pots. The day went really well, Gavin was focused and determined and by the end of the day he had produced a couple of dozen simple bowl forms. The outcome was the experience and will definitely not be polished and highly finished range of commercial products.
Some visitors and staff members had their first experience of throwing pots and were all completely captivated. I have long maintained that creative expression is instinctive and part of the human make-up. For the lucky few who find an appropriate vehicle, great things can be achieved; for a large number it can be channelled through hobbies, including gardening and appreciation of the natural world, and perhaps for an unlucky minority who have never had those opportunities, a life of frustration.

Assemble Conference- some thoughts

The Crafts Council organised a conference timed with the launch of new reports on the vision for the future of Craft in the UK.
I was one of the panellists invited to make a short presentation and discuss our place as makers in terms of the portfolio lives that many of us lead.

The choice of the 22nd June for the Assemble conference was completely appropriate as I’m sure everyone remembers, it was the day of the ‘Axe and Tax’ emergency budget.
The audience in the lovely, converted St.Lukes church was made up of a good number from craft and art organisations who would have been wondering what effect the chancellor was having on their immediate futures at that precise moment. I suspect the feelings amongst the makers amongst the audience were a little more ambivalent. For one thing, the conference acknowledged that Craft is definitely out there in the zeitgeist, making is happening all over, from informal groups of pals creating their Christmas gifts for each other, to Louis Vuitton bringing makers of the bespoke into their flagship stores.
The design world now acknowledges craft and some would say, feeds off the hard won skills of makers. You don’t have to travel far down the high street to find industrial ceramics imitating hand thrown pots. But is that necessarily a bad thing? Isn’t it all part of an educational process, awakening the buyer to Craft?
Where does this interest come from? Is it a reaction to the period of austerity that we are apparently entering, or a reaction to the ‘hands-off’ digital world that most people’s lives revolve around?
Making stuff, growing stuff, getting your hands dirty isn’t just about economics or fashion; it’s an outlet for an innate force that we all possess. It gives us ‘agency’ as Matthew Crawford articulated in his ‘provocation’. It gives a real shape to our lives; it connects us, both to natural laws and to each other in very real ways. Why are there long waiting lists for allotments? It’s not just about fresh food; it’s about sharing, about human interaction and according to Martin Raymond of The Future Laboratory, it’s about anarconomy.
For CJ O’Neill and Andy Cathery the effects of ‘agency’ were extremely tangible, giving focus and a sense of ownership to young people in Stoke-on-Trent and a future to a group of disaffected youths in Cornwall. Fantastic work, making a real difference to peoples lives, but for the ‘moneymen’ listening to George Osborne, how do you put a value on self-esteem? Maybe we need adopt the GNH (Gross National Happiness scale) instead of GDP?
We were all in agreement that Craft Matters and Craft has Value, but how do we get that across to an audience ranging from policy makers to the public. The public is largely behind us, as vast amounts of statistics from Gerri Morris prove, but the craft items that the public buy is mostly made by practitioners who were trained when Colleges still had workshops and taught material and process knowledge. That still happens in a precious few institutions, but the policy makers have to be made to understand that it is a serious mistake to erode what little there is left any further.
‘Thinking through Making’ is not an empty mantra, it is a fundamental part of the creative process that has brought about robotic arms for the Space Station from a maker of automata, as just one example of the way in which this approach encourages transferable and lateral thinking. If the economy of the UK is to have a significant income from intellectual property, then those closed workshops need to be reopened.
Whilst I’m on my soapbox here’s a few more ideas- There should be a return to subsidised apprenticeships, as away of ensuring the handing on of skills. Independent businesses should pay less business rates than the ubiquitous big names that have helped to make our town centres so anonymous. These suggestions are part of a way to ensure a future where consumers can connect with their locality, where young people can remain or return to the community in which they grew up. This may sound all rosy and middle-class, but aren’t these ways to create a C2C sustainable society?
So how can we make this happen?
As Mike Press, the chair of Assemble so passionately said: ‘”We can seize or squander this moment”, and advocated that we all get out there and tell our stories. But to whom, and what stories?
Craft, as Assemble clearly demonstrated is far more than the making of exquisite, hand made objects, consumed by a certain section of society. At it’s most inclusive it is “the desire to do something well for it’s own sake” as Richard Sennett defines it; it’s also an approach, a way of thinking.
So the stories that need to be told must demonstrate how Craft shapes our daily lives, how Craft gives meaning to our lives, how we are all dependent on Craft, how Craft is fundamental to the sciences as much as to the arts, and how Craft is instrumental to most parts of the economy.

The Arts and the Election

Following on from my thoughts about the mutual benefit of art and science working together as a way of maintaining funding for the Arts, I listened to the debate between Ben Bradshaw, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and Jeremy Hunt MP, his Conservative shadow, broadcast live on the RSA* site on Tuesday.
It was encouraging to hear both politicians agreeing that Art, and Culture in general are well worth Government support. Apparently, for every pound the government invests in the Arts there is five-fold return.
They both agreed that there isn’t much point in reducing Arts spending to help save money, as the amount is miniscule in relation to overall government spending. Not only does it give such a healthy financial return, it also helps to maintain the Arts as a vibrant symbol of the Culture of the Nation.
It should be interesting to see whether all these positive words are adhered to after the election.
I am conscious that I am discussing the situation in the UK (excluding Scotland), so it would be very interesting to hear how Arts funding and the relationship between Art and Science operates in other parts of the world.

* Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufacture and Commerce The broadcast is available online here.

The Midwife and the Gravedigger

Having spent a few more days thinking about the Craft Matters campaign the more strongly I feel that the Crafts Council should encourage a more inclusive definition of craft and its place in society.
As I said before, Craft is not just concerned with exquisite, hand made, bespoke objects. Though there is a need and place for work of that type in society, if craft is to matter when it comes to its recognition, promotion and support by governments, the public needs to know how craft affects them in almost every area of life.
As Glenn Adamson says, "Craft only exists in motion. It is a way of doing things, not a classification of objects, institutions or people"*
As such, both the midwife and the person that buries you are craft experts, they have developed the tacit knowledge and skills necessary to safely bring you into this world and to leave it with dignity. At every stage in between craft shapes our lives, it is what differentiates us from the other species on this planet. Craft has even helped to shape our bodies, both in an evolutionary sense and in the way our bodies are affected by physical activity.
In getting this message across a recent Radio 4, Point of View programme could be very helpful. It was the last of a series by Professor Lisa Jardine who used the example of crystallographer, Dorothy Hodgkin to demonstrate how science and the arts can both benefit through collaboration. Lisa jardine referred to a letter to the Observer signed by many eminent thinkers who are concerned that future government spending cuts will sacrifice the arts in favour of the sciences, a policy that appears extremely short-sighted.


Adamson, G. Thinking through Craft. Berg 2007, p4.

Does Craft Matter?

I went along to the Crafts Council launch of 'Craft Matters' at the House of Lords on Tuesday and an interesting tea party it was.
The campaign aims to raise the profile of craft in the mind of the public, in education and in business. The speeches focused on the making and acquisition of exquisite hand crafted objects and each of the speakers described why craft matters to them. You can say why craft matters to you here.
My contribution applies a much wider definition to the notion of craft, the short version being that 'Craft matters because it is the fundamental building block of the creative industries'. I used that term because of its association with DNA and the fact that craft skills are needed in many areas of science as much as they are in the arts and crafts.
The longer version is:
'Craft matters because it is not only the fundamental building block of the creative industries, but is a process that brings together the hand, the head and the heart in order to engage with, explore and interpret the world around us.'
The longer I am involved in creating work using advanced technology the more strongly I feel that successful pieces rely on a combination of my pottery craft skills, the development of new skills plus a developed sensibility to the 3 dimensional form. Together, a new world of creative possibilities has opened for me, neither superior nor inferior to my previous practice.
As an inveterate maker, concerned with the the use of materials and processes for expressive purposes, I am now more fully engaged with the notion of craft than I have been for some time and it matters.

So, does craft matter to you?

Jonathan Ive on Rapid Prototyping - the root of all evil?

In a recent Design Week magazine (30 April) Jonathan Ive of Apple asserts that RP is distancing designers from the physical process of design and creating 'a lot of lousy design'.
And in the following edition of the magazine numerous commentators are asked for their reaction. Most just echo Ive's sentiments
I agree with Matthew Lewis (Metropolitan Works) that knowledge of materials and processes is fundamental to successful design (and to any creative process), but it is wrong of Jonathan Ive to blame the tools. RP and now RM (additive layer manufacturing (ALM) or whatever you want to call it) open up enormous creative possibilities, and should be seen as a way of connecting the designer with the consumer in the same way as in pre-Industrial Revolution craft based societies.
As ALM frees the designer from tooling and mould making, there is the potential and the reality of every product being tailored for a specific requirement in the same way that a potter would have served the needs of the farmer or cook. In theory this should fully engage the designer with the complete creative process and the need to understand the capabilities of materials are capable of.
As applied artists/designers/creatives we have new tools in our toolbox. ALM/RP doesn't replace the other tools, it complements them and should be used appropriately.
Jonathan Ive should really be addressing the Colleges and Universities who are closing their 3D workshops and sitting students in front of computers as the cheaper option. It is central to the success of design innovation that knowledge of materials and processes is a fundamental part in the education of the next generation of creatives.

The iPotter

We have the technology...
I have evolved from making ceramics with almost pre-Industrial Revolution materials and technology to manufacturing them using technology from the next Industrial Revolution. In doing so my practice has virtually leapt 250 years.

...and the materials
The majority of my friends from the Studio Pottery world are baffled. My work no longer shares one of the prime motivations of handmade ceramics- the expression of material qualities and processes.
The process I now use prevents me from capturing a moment in time in the same way as I could with liquid coloured slips, but my approach to the design and digital manufacture of pieces like The Wedgwoodn't Tureen doesn't divorce me from the need to engage with material qualities.
So if I loose something that was an important ingredient, what do I gain? Freedom.
I am liberated from some of the restrictions of material properties; I don't have to think about the centrifugal forces that impose their effects on the form of a thrown pot; gravity has no influence.
Most importantly I am freed from the 'baggage' associated with Studio Pottery, whose genesis was the Arts and Craft Movement and its rejection of the dehumanising effects of industrial production and the division of labour.
In fact, the process I employ now has the potential to turn the circle back to the pre-Industrial Revolution days of direct contact between the maker and the customer. 3D printing or Additive Manufacturing (AM) or whatever you wish to call it, is not restricted by the need for moulds or tooling. A design can be customised for customer before it is manufactured.

A blacksmith gains the skills required to choose the right metal for the job through direct experience (tacit knowledge). Materials need to be appropriate to the task asked of them and as AM is primarily a material based technology, with new materials and variations coming onto the market on a regular basis, then those engaged with them surely require the same skills as the blacksmith.

As part of my RCA project I used The Wedgwoodn't Tureen to test the capabilities of the software, hardware and materials of AM and particularly the materials and processes developed by Axiatec. Now that I have acquired a basic understanding, I can go on to exploit the freedom that they give me. Through the design and production of new work I continue my testing and expand my tacit knowledge in the process.
Having divorced myself from the Studio Pottery movement, the approach to my work is bound to be framed by 25 years of making pots, but my new work has been able to take on a more conceptual direction, engaging with ideas that I hope the viewer will find thought-provoking.

(to be continued.....)

05.05.09 - What's new?

Well, it's been some time since I recorded my news and thoughts. In some ways a lot has happened since I finished at the RCA, and in some ways not enough.
My work has been shown by Adrian Sassoon at various Art and Design Fairs in the UK, USA and Belgium. They were shown recently at SOFA in New York and will be at COLLECT in London in 2 weeks time. I'll have some new work on show.
It's also just about to go on display in 'Object Factory' at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York
I have divided my time between designing new work, trying to complete an AHRC Knowledge Catalyst application to undertake another 12 months applied research at the RCA and collaborating with Axiatec and the University of Washington on material tests.













Here is an image of my test cube designed, printed on the ZCorp 450 in France. It has been treated to make it heat resistant, then I have dipped it in vitreous slip, fired it to 1000C, then glazed and fired it to 1085C with one of our lovely lead glazes.














This test piece is based on my 'Event Horizon' torus piece. Again, it was printed on a ZCorp machine, but in clay, not in the usual 131 powder. It was then biscuit fired to 1000C and treated in the same way as the test cube above.
This morning I sent 2 of the torus test pieces to the Esther Klein Gallery at the Science Center in Philadelphia, USA for an exhibition called 'The FAB Show'. The exhibition will explore Creative and DIY methods of accessing and utilising 3D printing technology. We are working with Evan Malone of Fab@Home on the exhibition, along with folks from MakerBot, RepRap, and Candyfab.

Meanwhile, if anyone out there is interested in my work and research please don't hesitate to get in touch. I am looking for a position, either temporary, permanent, part-time or full time where I can contribute my experience, enthusiasm and knowledge.

11.07.08 – My last week at College…

…for the time being.

I spent the week:

• Finishing off the slumped glass insert for a cylinder piece.
• Sorting out my desk, going through all my amassed written stuff, rationalising all the catalogues, essays etc. that I had collected over the 2 years.
• Meeting up with Nadia and Jeremy from InnovationRCA to discuss other sources of funding as I had narrowly missed the Materials Innovation Fellowship. There’s an AHRC Knowledge Catalyst scheme that seems to be perfect for our project. It is going to take some organising as The College and the ‘Enterprise Partner’, i.e. the French company have to complete the application form. I will be the ‘Employee’ so don’t play an official part in the process.
• Packing all my work, tools, materials etc. and finding a van hire company who charge less than £200 for a one-way journey to Kendal!
• And saying good-bye to fellow students. I’m sure I’ll see many of them again and really hope our paths will cross, as they have been a great bunch of talented people.
• Giving a bit of help to Ray and Jeannette by moving pots & furniture around the house in preparation for the replacement of some floorboards and all the carpets.
• Driving the van north for over 6 hours. It felt a bit strange to have to find places for all my London bits and pieces, especially as I don’t know if I’ll be needing to take it back down there in October.

The weekend was spent sorting it all out, then mowing the lawn, picking raspberries up in the woods and generally easing myself into Parkside life again.

27.06.08 – Research funding

My first weekend at home for many weeks was blessed by terrible weather, cold, strong winds, grey skies and rain. My brother, sister-in-law and new nephew were over from Austria and though they had had a couple of pleasant days, the weather didn’t help in finding things to do with them on Saturday.
Back at College on Tuesday I met Martin to discuss the Innovation Fellowship application. It originally had to be in by Wednesday, but the deadline was extended during the day to Thursday. In one respect I was disappointed as I thought it might reduce my chances, but it meant that I had a bit longer to complete it.
Wednesday was a hectic day, attending the 3D technologies discussion day at the University of the West of England. I gave a short presentation at the end of the day, which attracted some attention, particularly from David Huson, a researcher from Bristol who is specialising in the 3D printing of ceramic materials. At some point in the near future we plan to discuss our projects.
The remainder of the week was focused on the application, Thursday passed in a blur and when Friday came I ran through my application, got some pieces ready for the interview and waited to be called. Eventually the phone rang and down I went to InnovationRCA. Geoff Hollington who I’d met at MaDE was the first of the panel to greet me. From my perspective the interview went well, I think I enthusiastically communicated the important points. Sat writing this on the train north I’m waiting to hear their decision. I’m really not sure of what chance I have, there could be some bright spark who has discovered some whizzy new material, all I can do is wait. It would put my mind at rest to get the Fellowship as I have been promised funds from the French company in order to develop a UK branch of the business. Together I should have a financially secure year ahead, with a very good chance of developing some interesting projects. If I don’t get the fellowship, then it’s back to looking for sponsorship.

20.06.08 – Still crazy…

I thought that things might have eased off a little after the show and my exam, but the absence of updates to my blog testifies to how busy things have been.
The aftermath of the show has involved responding to a flow of enquiries from magazines from various parts of the world, arranging for collection of work sold and continuing to put together a research project for next year. I have had to delay the Wedgwood work, as my trip to France meant that I couldn’t meet one of the people that I need to see in order to finalise things.
My examiners had asked for a small revision to the Introduction of the written report, so that went backwards and forwards between Martin, Alison and myself during the early part of the week. It was a pleasant feeling to hand in a final printed copy to the research office on Tuesday.
In the evening I had been invited to the Design London networking evening at Imperial College. Jeremy Myerson from InnovationRCA was there and told me about the Materials Innovation Fellowship sponsored by the London Design Festival. The deadline for applications is Wednesday next week, with interviews on the Friday. So short notice!
I also met the Waribashi group from Imperial who have developed a way of converting previously un-recyclable waste into a very useful material. I was interested to have a conversation with them about using the non-fired ceramic coating with their product. They are interested and willing for tests to take place.
On Wednesday morning it was up and off to Standsted for my flight to Limoges where I was visiting the company who produce the materials used in my Wedgwoodn’t project. At the College (ENSCI) I met Youssef, their new director of research who has been undertaking some very interesting experiments, but more of that at some later stage.
On Thursday we took a trip to Moulins-Yzeurre in the Auvergne to visit a Lycee with an amazing glass department. They become the official French National School of Glass in September and wish to form links with the RCA. They run technically based courses with strong links to industry but need to develop their design and innovation side of the teaching.
I managed to get a WiFi connection whilst in Limoges and download the Innovation Fellowship form, so spent some time thinking about that.
On Friday I actually got home for the first time in 4 or 5 weeks, it was a beautiful evening, the low light bringing out the folds in the land below our house. The garden had grown, (surprise, surprise) and was looking great.
My brother, sister-in-law and nephew were across from Austria for a few days and on Saturday I cooked lunch for them. Vicky unfortunately had to work, but we went round to my parents in the evening for a glass of wine with them. The weather over the weekend was terrible, cold, wet and very windy which didn’t help especially as I realised that I was absolutely knackered from all the activity of the past few weeks.

13.06.08 – The Exam

RCA SHOW ONE finished on Sunday evening and everything was packed away, so when Monday came I was free to concentrate on preparing for my exam on Thursday.
I had been advised to re-write my presentation, concentrating on the outcome of the project and future plans, with less emphasis on the background to it.
I discussed the mock exam with Alison on Monday, Liz on Tuesday and Martin on Wednesday, so had pretty consistent opinions of what I needed to say.
When Thursday came I was actually feeling relatively relaxed, certainly far more prepared than for last Thursdays mock exam. I had arranged both test and finished pieces in the Seminar Room and when the panel came in asked them if they would like to inspect the work. The panel was made up of Jeremy Ainsley, the Head of Vehicle Design, who chaired the meeting, Mike Hose, my External Examiner and Alison Britton. My supervisor, Martin Smith sat in as an observer, but couldn’t comment or ask questions. After my presentation, the questioning was good-natured, though I struggled a bit with some of the wording of Mike Hose’s questions. At least I remembered to ask him to elaborate.
After about 45 minutes of questions they seemed happy enough to retire to consider their verdict, leaving Martin and I to discuss the proceedings. They returned ten minutes later and Jeremy Ainsley announced that I had passed. Mike Hose asked if I would re-write the Introduction to my written report as he thought it needed to describe the project in a more engaging way for future readers.
After that I was invited up to the Senior Common Room for a lovely lunch, then almost straight back to it. I had a meeting at Imperial College with Nick Leon and Carolyn Runcie of Design London to discuss my plans for a research project at the RCA next year.
Back at the RCA the research cluster greeted me with a bottle of champagne!
Then Ray and Jeannette cracked one open when I got back to the house!

08.06.08 – the end of the Show

The last few weeks preparation for the show and my final exam have meant that I haven’t been home at the weekends, hence the absence of blog entries written on the Friday evening train.
It has been a really hectic time, glazing, firing, re-firing, wiring the lighting into some of the pieces etc. After all the effort the show was set up in time and looked surprisingly good. The press visit went well with interest from a number of magazines and independent journalists. The private view was incredibly busy, the Wedgwoodn’t Tureen sold within 45 minutes of the door opening and there has been almost as much interest in the Event Horizon torus piece. In fact, the reaction of people could be included in the evaluation part of the thesis as it creates exactly the ambiguity that I hoped it would. Viewers are unsure of the material used as well as the form. Even Prince Philip was intrigued by my work!
Having my mock exam part way through the show meant that when it happened I didn’t feel totally prepared. I was ‘examined’ by Martin Smith, Alison Britton and Liz Aylieff and it was pretty rigorous. I was at a loss to answer one or two of the questions, so need to prepare answers in case they come up at the real thing on Thursday.
I’ve been chosen to show the Wedgwoodn’t and the Event Horizon piece at New Designers at the beginning of next month. I have never been to the show but am told that it is very useful for making contacts. We’ll see...
On Thursday, after the exam, I had a meeting with Frances and Matt from Wedgwood. It looks like the project to design pieces for the 250th Anniversary is going ahead. There are still some technical issues, but hopefully they will be overcome. First of all, I need to choose the archive pieces that I plan to re-design. My first thoughts are to create a design themed on Charles Darwin’s ‘The Origin of Species’ and current debate about genetics.

SHOW RCA

There's been a great deal of last minute firing and preparation for SHOW ONE which opens on Friday the 30th and runs through until the 8th of June. Alongside Ceramics and Glass there's Painting, Photography , Printmaking, and Gold, Silver, Metal and Jewellery.
There's a break then the Fashion Show, followed by SHOW TWO for the rest of the departments which starts on the 24th June.

Best check the dates and times on the RCA website

16.05.08 – Digital interference

This week I returned to London on Monday, leaving behind the stunning Lake District Spring sunshine. Our eldest daughter, Rowan had come up for the weekend so we went up to Coniston where I had expected to find congestion and parking problems. It was surprisingly quiet and e enjoyed a wonderful walk around Holme Fell, followed by tea and cakes at Yew Tree Farm, the one with the spinning gallery that was used as Hill Top in last years ‘Miss Potter’ film.
In London, I went straight to College and picked up the Wedgwoodn’t Tureen and took it round to show Robin Levien at Studio Levien. He has shown interest in the project and is rigorous in his questioning of what the eco-ceramic actually is. Can it be called ‘ceramic’ if an irreversible heating process hasn’t chemically transformed it? I suggested that it’s time to redefine the word if the eco-ceramic shares all the properties of conventional ceramic. Thorough product testing is required before we get to that stage, but it looks as though it could be necessary.
Tuesday was spent catching up with writing to people and having a look at the latest (June) issue of World of Interiors magazine which has the article about the Wedgwoodn’t Tureen. It has come out well, the facts are all there, and the photography is very good.
I had a meeting with my mentor, Martin Hunt in the afternoon, which was useful for discussing my proposals for next year’s research fellowship. I also had a chance to get some advice about the kind of contract I want to enter into with Wedgwood, if the project goes ahead.
On Wednesday it was up and away in time for the 6.55 Eurostar to Paris where I went to collect the Royal Overseas League Music Award Trophy that I have designed. As usual, it was a last minute affair, Gilles rushing in at the last moment, me with my box poised ready to pack the piece and dash off to the Metro. It was only the following day, discussing the piece with Steve Brown that I had a chance to really look at it. I must admit that my first impressions of the piece were that it looked OK, but Steve was very interested in the fact that it looks like wood, and it has small areas of ‘digital interference’ where it appears that the Zcorp machine has had to improvise. Steve and I discussed how the RM process could be disrupted by letting ‘digital woodworm’ loose in the process. Maybe a ‘virus’ could be written into the design programme, something that creates its own spontaneous growth? Almost like a predatory process found in Nature. It reminds me of the walk on Sunday, pristine Spring growth, and perfect for such a short time before the caterpillars arrive.
Friday brought another early start as I went up to Stoke-on-Trent for a meeting at Wedgwood to discuss the project and access the archive. It was a fruitful visit, they are keen to go ahead, but will get feedback next week after their International Marketing meeting. If there is enthusiasm then I’m in business, if not, then I’m looking for a job at least for the summer.