A carpenter, sitting at his workbench, unhurriedly knocking and sawing away his piece of undefined wooden block. Perspiring whilst contemplating the final carvings for this showpiece. Buffing and polishing to smoothen the rough edges, and at long last, a coat of paint and lacquer to give this final handmade object the admiration it deserves. This woodwork is the authentication of a carpenter’s workmanship. The individuals of Smart Works would undoubtedly share similar sentiments of pride and joy, in knowing that hand-made work is still very much prized.



Smart Works Design and the Handmade
Publisher: Powerhouse Publishing, Sydney
Editor: Grace Cochrane

Smart Works, Design and the Handmade is the collaboration of 40 Australian and New Zealand designers and makers which explores what ‘handmade’ means to these talented individuals in relation to modern design.

The Tools

This 191-page book commences with three essays written by Editor Grace Cochrane, Ewan McEoin and Douglas Llyod Jenkins. They provide insights to historical and provincial frameworks to understand the process of hand making for individual designers.

Old Hobbits New Habits: a New Zealand Perspective, one of the essays penned, reflect the design culture of New Zealand, in its colorful scene and its global recognition since The Lord of the Rings.

What has the handmade to do with design and industry these days? The reach industry is increasingly global, and the handmade is, well – so personal and local. Or is it? - Grace Cochrane

The Craftsmen and Their Polished Showpieces

Jewelry and Metalwork

F!nk and Co, a design and production company founded by Robert Foster in 1993, was shaped by two key aims: To produce the F!nk water jug which in which he garnered an overnight recognition, and to establish a business that would support his one-off handmade works. He explains, “ I don’t draw an ideological line between my one-off works and F!nk. I have learned to see them as notions of operation, that dwell on a sliding scale between objects only made possible by handmaking, through to the objects only made possible by manufacturing technology.” F!nk objects are sold globally, making its presence known in the UK and the USA. His popular water jug accounts for 80% of their export business. Foster isn’t in a desperate hurry to expand though, for he is a true advocate in quality over quantity.

Oliver Smith expertise lies in culinary equipment. Hailing from a family of jewelers and metalsmiths, it is not surprising that this Visual Arts graduate would be gifted with the talents of his ancestral roots. He has developed an interest in putting his one-off items of silver cutlery into production of stainless steel. “My passion is for making… I need to apply the same creativity and problem-solving I use in making objects to all aspects of the production design process.” Currently a lecturer at the Sydney College of Arts, he had previously joint forces with F!nk to produce F!nk Fatware, a pair of cheese knives and board. He also had a long lasting collaboration to produce a ‘banquet’ range with late restaurateur and potter, Anders Ousback.

This section also boasts many other talented and dedicated designers such as Donna Marcus, famed for producing the Steam spheres in Brisbane Square in 2006 and Rohan Nicol who produced a range of unique hand formed and carved prototype bags in the same year.

Ceramics and glass

Jonathan Baskett, best known for his eclectic multi-colored glass tablewear, first outsourced his glasswear designs in 2001 to Nouvel Studio in Mexico, where all the pieces were handmade, being blown into moulds and then cut and polished. Nouvel wholesales its products to departmental stores such as Saks fifth Avenue and Lane Crawford, enabling Jonathan to gain due praise for his colored cut glass bowls. Ever optimistic and versatile, he expresses,“ The advantage with being a small producer is that people can plagiarize my work but I can keep ahead. I have to position my work ahead or above what they can do.”

New Zealander Jeremy Cole’s commitment to the hand-making craft is noted right from the beginning in his biography. “I am a creator who loves to express my ideas and, luckily, have found a market for my work. My goal is to leave a body of work of all the ideas I have.” His forte in aloe lighting has allowed his business, jeremycole, to take off despite some major homeware companies have been seen selling replicas. He remains firm but unfazed by this. Based in London, he sees the cosmopolitan city a a stimulating place to nurture his creative talent as a designer-maker.

Fashion and Textiles

Donna-May Bolinger’s handmade nature of her work has been an asset as well as a hindrance. While her one-off shoes attract a steady stream of clients, a lack of available experienced, specialist impedes the production. Since 1992, she has been making shoes for leading Australian designers such as Wayne Cooper and Easton Pearson, as well as for fashion houses including Versace and Sergio Rossi. In 2005, her workshop produced over 8500 pairs of custom made shoes.

Renowned Akira Isogawa and innate his gift to design dance costumes is highly commended amongst his peers. Born in Kyoto, Japan, Akira arrived in Australia in 1986 on a working vacation and has not left since. Working primarily on high-end fashion, his pieces range from one-off custom wear to ready-to-wear collection. His collaboration with Sydney Dance Company (SDC) has been a highlight of his career, and has also played a large influence on his design style.

Furniture

Standing out from his counterparts, David Trubridge began making furniture after graduating in 1972. Trubridge moved to New Zealand with his family in the 80’s and started to make furniture there. Relying on his distinctiveness in work for success, he has established some of his work through exhibitions, teaching stints and licensing. Some of his unique work includes using hoop pine plywood to produce light shades and rocking recliners. In spite of the technological advancement in these recent years, he cites that acquiring ample knowledge of the different materials and how they work is nevertheless still very important.

This book celebrates the simplicity and complexity of handmade objects. No one ever said it was going to be easy, but these designers and makers value the worth and exclusivity of handmade items, so much so that they have long understood that although technological advancement may help in the production sense, it would still never hinder their craftsmanship roots.


Famous Australian designer Marc Newson once said, “I’m not really that interested in the process of creation so much as the process of learning about how things work and function. My work is about a direct link between my head and my hands.”















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