Hannah and Justin Floyd on wool (and the new material they've created from it).

Material Matters with Grant Gibson

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Graphic Design

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Obscurities

1
The Lead Masks Mystery: Death on Vintém Hill 5:58

26 dagen geleden5:58

Later Afspelen

Lijsten

Vind ik leuk

Leuk

5:58

In 1966, two Brazilian men were found dead on Vintém Hill under bizarre circumstances that continue to perplex investigators and conspiracy theorists alike. Lying side by side, their bodies were discovered wearing matching lead masks—shields with no eyeholes—alongside cryptic notes. Were they victims of a cult ritual, a failed experiment, or something even more otherworldly? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .…

3 jaar geleden 48:41

MP3•Thuis aflevering

Hannah and Justin Floyd are the creators of an intriguing material, called SolidWool. The composite is made up of wool, which is used as the reinforcement, and bio-resin that acts as a binder.

The wool itself comes from the Herdwick sheep found in the Lake District that was once a staple of the carpet industry but which has recently fallen out of vogue. According to the Floyds, some farmers have taken to burning fleeces because they were fetching next to nothing on the open market. So instead, they set about finding a new use for something increasingly considered as waste and imbuing it with value.

The finished result is beautifully smooth and probably best compared to fibreglass. When Grant first came across the duo at a show in Milan almost a decade ago, they were displaying a range of items made from the material, including: knives, sunglasses, a table and, perhaps most importantly, the extremely elegant Hembury Chair.

After a serious health scare, the pair sold their company to Roger Oates Design in 2020. It put a new version of the Hembury back into production, with Justin staying on as a consultant.

In this episode we talk about: how SolidWool is made; the importance of beauty; issues with Herdwick wool; taking inspiration from where they lived; the desire to produce ‘products with purpose’; the importance of play; why designers love chairs; working together; overcoming cancer; selling the company; and Justin’s unfinished business with SolidWool.
And a reminder that to visit Material Matters 2022, which runs at Bargehouse, Oxo Tower Wharf from 22-25 September you need to register here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/material-matters-2022-tickets-373171364597

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130 afleveringen

#Society #Grant Gibson #Graphic Design #Arts #Fine Arts #Craft #Makers #Material #Leather #Glass #Ceramic #Pottery #Woodturning #Handmade #DARN #Textiles #Timbers #Wood

Material Matters with Grant Gibson

Hannah and Justin Floyd on wool (and the new material they've created from it).

Material Matters with Grant Gibson

89 subscribers

published 3 jaar geleden

MP3•Thuis aflevering

Hannah and Justin Floyd are the creators of an intriguing material, called SolidWool. The composite is made up of wool, which is used as the reinforcement, and bio-resin that acts as a binder.

After a serious health scare, the pair sold their company to Roger Oates Design in 2020. It put a new version of the Hembury back into production, with Justin staying on as a consultant.

Support the show

130 afleveringen

#Society #Grant Gibson #Graphic Design #Arts #Fine Arts #Craft #Makers #Material #Leather #Glass #Ceramic #Pottery #Woodturning #Handmade #DARN #Textiles #Timbers #Wood

Усі епізоди

Material Matters with Grant Gibson

1
Tim Minshall on manufacturing, tariffs, silicon, and green hushing. 1:09:04

9 dagen geleden1:09:04

1:09:04

Tim Minshall is an expert in manufacturing and innovation. He is the inaugural Dr John C Taylor professor of innovation at the University of Cambridge, the head of the Engineering Department’s Institute for Manufacturing and a fellow of Churchill College. Importantly too, he has published a new book. Your Life is Manufactured: How we make things, why it matters and how we can do it better does exactly what it says on the front cover, working as a primer for our complex global manufacturing system and illustrating how we make, move, and consume the materials we extract, grow, or create. In this episode we discuss: different nations' attitude to manufacturing; Covid’s effect on global supply chains; how he treated a hospital like a factory during the pandemic; tariffs; lettuces; why reducing waste has led to fragility in our global system; manufacturing and trade-offs; the effect war has on innovation; not being a fan of GDP; the history of the shipping container; material change and the kettle; silicon and the digital revolution; creating too much data and AI; making things more sustainably; green hushing; and saving the planet through manufacturing. Support the show…

Material Matters with Grant Gibson

1
Seetal Solanki on olive tree roots, cooking, and why materials matter. 57:19

6 weeks geleden57:19

57:19

Seetal Solanki describes herself as a materials translator and has been in the vanguard of material thinking since she launched her practice, Ma-tt-er, in 2015. Three years later she produced the hugely influential book, Why Materials Matter , and she has gone on to work with a variety of brands, including Nike, Selfridges and Potato Head in Bali, as well as teaching at institutions such as Central Saint Martins (where, incidentally, she graduated from the Textile Futures MA) and the Royal College of Art. Her latest project saw her joining forces with designer Jorge Penades in Madrid for Uprooted , an exhibition that explored Spain’s olive oil industry. In this episode, we talk about: helping people build a relationship with materials; why she’s working with olive tree roots; interviewing materials; her fascination with cookery (and her love of a cheese soufflé); growing up in Leicester and feeling rejected from her home city; the spiritual side of materials; being ‘broken’ by Central Saint Martins as a student; material discrimination; how her practice was built on frustration; and why she’s in a hopeful place. Support the show…

Material Matters with Grant Gibson

1
Callum Robinson on wood and his new book Ingrained. 53:38

8 weeks geleden53:38

53:38

Callum Robinson makes all sorts of things out of wood, as well as being the creative director of Method Studio, the company he established with his wife, Marisa Giannasi, 15 years ago. In 2024, he published a fascinating, lyrical memoir. Ingrained: The making of a craftsman , tells the story of his lifelong fascination with his material of choice, his relationship with his woodworker father, and running a small business in straightened times. Essentially, it’s a pean to the joy and importance of making things with your hands and to nature itself. In this episode we talk about: converting an old saw mill into his workshop; publishing Ingrained ; the relationship between writing and making; getting into a ‘flow’ state; growing up with wood and how it makes him feel ‘at home’; the material’s ability to ‘radiate nostalgia’; why elm is ‘the tenacious, swaggering dandy of the forest’; the danger of woodworking; machine tool vertigo; his pivotal relationship with his father; opening his own store; and re-training his hands. Support the show…

Material Matters with Grant Gibson

1
Neil Brownsword on clay and safeguarding skill. 58:49

10 weeks geleden58:49

58:49

Neil Brownsword is one of the most intriguing – and uncompromising – ceramic artists currently practicing in the UK. His work is inspired by the de-industrialisation of his home city, Stoke-on-Trent, and, appropriately enough, his career in ceramics began when he worked as an apprentice in the Wedgwood factory as a 16 year old in the mid 1980s. Subsequently, he went on to study at the University of Cardiff and the Royal College of Art. Neil’s research examines the manufacturing histories of North Staffordshire’s ceramic industry, and the effects globalisation has had upon people, place and traditional skills in recent decades. Over the years, he has won numerous awards and exhibited across the globe, while at the same time maintaining an important career in education. He is currently a professor of ceramics at the University of Staffordshire. In this episode we talk about: his latest show at the Crafts Study Centre in Farnham, Surrey; historical copying in the ceramics industry; inducing failure; working at Wedgwood on a YTS scheme; being good at art in school; creating his early, sexually-charged pieces; not selling pots; why his work changed radically at the turn of the century; escaping the ‘stranglehold’ of narrative; becoming ‘a post-industrial factory manager’; bridling against ‘factory tourism’; putting industrial artisans on a cultural platform; investigating the ‘marginalised potential of the past’; and why it’s important to safeguard rather than preserve skill. Support the show…

Material Matters with Grant Gibson

1
Zandra Rhodes on pattern, colour, and textiles. 50:27

15 weeks geleden50:27

50:27

Zandra Rhodes is one of the most recognisable and influential figures in fashion, as well as the founder of the Fashion and Textile Museum in London. Describing herself as both ‘chaotic’ and ‘fastidious’, she possesses a unique sense of colour and pattern. Over the years, she has dressed some of the world’s most famous people from Freddie Mercury, Elizabeth Taylor, Debbie Harry and Diana Ross to royals including Princess Anne, Princess Margaret and Princess Diana. She has also appeared on TV shows such as Absolutely Fabulous and Masterchef . Zandra was made a Dame in 2015, while this year, she published an intimate biography, entitled Iconic: My Life in Fashion in 50 Objects , which shines a light on an utterly extraordinary career. In this Yuletide episode, we talk about: Zandra’s ‘more is more’ home and studio; the importance of working with your hands; festive fun with cult actor Divine; her collecting habit; becoming interested in textile design at art college; her love of drawing; nearly meeting Andy Warhol; why pink is a ‘complicated’ colour; how print leads the garment in her work; breaking America; Lauren Bacall stepping on a pin in her studio; working with the royal family and dressing Freddie Mercury; the influence of friendship and travel on her practice; dealing with cancer; and founding London’s Fashion and Textile Museum. Support the show…

Material Matters with Grant Gibson

1
Aaron Betsky on why architects should stop building (and reuse instead). 57:28

18 weeks geleden57:28

57:28

Aaron Betsky is a US-based writer, educator and critic, who has served as director of the Cincinnati Art Museum and the Netherlands Architecture Institute, as well as a curator of architecture and design at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. He has also written over 20 books with subjects ranging from Zaha Hadid, Frank Lloyd Wright, and the Dutch architecture practice MVRDV to the relationship between architecture and same-sex desire. He is about to publish another. Don’t Build, Rebuild: The Case for Imaginative Reuse in Architecture implores the construction industry to refrain from doing what it does most – building – and, instead, find new ways to use the materials and stock we already possess. In this episode, we talk about: the trauma of election day in the US; how we can reuse buildings imaginatively and effectively; working with relics of the industrial age; why the digital world is changing the architect’s role; making spaces more egalitarian; squatting; what architects can learn from artists; urban mining; taking inspiration from music festivals; hanging out in the legendary Studio 54; the importance of loft living; and much, much more. (This episode was recorded on election day in the US.) Support the show…

Material Matters with Grant Gibson

1
Nicole Rycroft on viscose and her mission to save the world's endangered forests. 59:11

19 weeks geleden59:11

59:11

Nicole Rycroft is the founder and executive director of the award-winning environmental not-for-profit, Canopy. Since it launched in 1999, the Vancouver-based organisation has worked with more than 950 companies – including Marks & Spencer, Tesco and Puma – to ‘develop innovative solutions and make their supply chains more sustainable to help protect our world’s remaining ancient and endangered forests’. It started by looking at the book industry and persuading publishers to use more recycled paper, before turning its attention to packaging and fashion – shining a light on the industry’s use of viscose, in particular. Nicole has won a slew of awards and was recently named in the Business of Fashion’s top 500 most influential people. In this episode we talk about: being a ‘professional treehugger’; dealing with textile waste in India; how viscose is made and its negative effect on the environment; developing new manufacturing models for the material; working with major fashion brands to help them become more circular; her journey from physiotherapist and rower in Australia to activist in Canada; how contracting a life-threatening virus changed her life; running her first environmental organisation at nine years old; documenting human rights violations in Burma; and successfully greening the Harry Potter books with JK Rowling. Support the show…

Material Matters with Grant Gibson

1
Mark Hearld on collage. 59:56

20 weeks geleden59:56

59:56

Mark Hearld is an artist and designer who has a fascination with flora and fauna and has worked in a range of different media – including lithographic and linocut prints, painting, ceramics, textiles and tapestry. However, he is best known for his collage pieces. A graduate of Glasgow School of Art and the Royal College of Art, he has curated installations and exhibitions at York Art Gallery and Compton Verney and is an avid collector of objects. Over the years, he has been a huge advocate for the importance of mid-Twentieth century British artists such as Edward Bawden and Eric Ravillious and the role of craft in the fine art world. Another edition of Mark’s book, Raucous Invention – The Joy of Making, will be published by Thames and Hudson in 2025. In this episode we talk about: his fascination with paper; his need to be around other people when he works; collaborating with Edinburgh’s Dovecot Studios on a new series of tapestries; the process behind his collage work; the ‘mystery, poetry, joy and darkness’ of Hans Christian Andersen; why collage is like stepping onto a dance floor; writing a collage manifesto; how edges contain exuberance; having imposter syndrome at the Royal College of Art; and swimming against the art world’s tide for many years. Support the show…

Material Matters with Grant Gibson

1
Todd Bracher on light (and designing Net Positive products). 1:06:18

21 weeks geleden1:06:18

1:06:18

Todd Bracher is a US-based product designer who has worked with brands such as Humanscale, 3M, Herman Miller, Georg Jensen and Issey Miyake through his eponymous studio, winning a slew of awards along the way. More recently, he created another company, Betterlab, in which he collaborates with scientists and innovators to, in his words, ‘shape emerging research and foundational technologies into game-changing products’. The company has taken a particular interest in the potential of light, for medical and other, perhaps unexpected, uses. Todd’s latest project is a book. Design in Context , which is out now, illustrates how design – and design-led thinking – has the potential to change and shape every facet of business. In this episode we talk about: generating value for different clients; the importance of collaboration; why he launched Betterlab; how he’s using light to combat myopia; finding truth in design; how light becomes a material; learning to shape rather than style it; working with UVC and creating extraordinary products for health environments; leaving the US to study in Copenhagen; working in Milan; learning the ‘business of design’ under Tom Dixon; and designing net positive furniture for Humanscale. Support the show…

Material Matters with Grant Gibson

1
Zena Holloway on grass roots. 46:41

24 weeks geleden46:41

46:41

Zena Holloway is a bio-designer and founder of Rootfull, which creates exquisite clothes, lights and sculptures from grass roots. She started her career as an underwater photographer, doing extraordinary high-end fashion shoots, as well as working with the likes of Kylie Minogue, Tom Daley, Katie Price and numerous other celebrities. At the same time, she was capturing the effects of pollution on the UK’s river beds. So how and why did her career shift so dramatically? In this episode Grant and Zena talk about: how she came to work with wheatgrass; early lessons with other materials; why her process is like a school experiment; how beeswax provided a Eureka! moment; ‘collaborating’ with her material; roots’ potential in industry; working with Kylie; giving up underwater photography and becoming a full-time bio-designer; creating new products with fashion designer Phoebe English; being fuelled by optimism; oh and stealing her son’s Lego. Support the show…

Material Matters with Grant Gibson

1
Alkesh Parmar on orange peel. 45:07

30 weeks geleden45:07

45:07

Alkesh Parmar is a designer and researcher. Over the years, he has hollowed out champagne corks and turned them into chandeliers, as well as transforming traditional Indian terracotta cups into light fittings. But he is best known for his work with citrus peel in general – and orange peel in particular. Using a material generally thought of as waste, he has created a variety of extraordinary products including a juicer (for obvious reasons) and a lampshade. His practice combines craft with critical design and, it’s fair to say, he was a relatively early adopter in the design industry of working with local materials and questioning the effects of globalisation. When he’s not working with waste, he is also a teacher at the Royal College of Art. Alkesh was one of the stars of the Material Matters fair when it launched in 2022 and he’s returning to Bargehouse when the doors open for the 2024 edition, which runs from 18-21 September. In this episode we talk about: why he’s researching the history of oranges for the Material Matters fair; the properties of orange peel and how it can behave like leather; how he sources his material of choice; the importance of failure to his practice; not wanting to run a large company; coming from a family of shoemakers; and his relationship with light. The Material Matters fair is free for trade but you must register in advance here: https://registration.iceni-es.com/material-matters/reg-start.aspx Support the show…

Material Matters with Grant Gibson

1
Sanne Visser on human hair. 57:01

31 weeks geleden57:01

57:01

Sanne Visser is a Dutch-born, London-based designer. She describes herself as a ‘material explorer, maker and researcher’, who is best known for a string of installations and products using human hair. Since graduating from Central Saint Martins a little under a decade ago, she has exhibited all over the world and been nominated for a number of awards. Happily too, she will be one of the stars of this year’s Material Matters fair – taking place at Bargehouse, Oxo Tower Wharf from 18-21 September – with an installation called, Locally Grown, that invites visitors to explore their hair as a new material. Essentially, people will able to have a free hair cut and then (if they stick around long enough) watch it being spun and turned into rope. Sounds kind of interesting right? In this episode she talks about: her installation at the Material Matters fair (obviously); how she became fascinated by hair in the first instance; the processes she puts the material through; its (quite) extraordinary properties; the ethics around ownership of designing with hair; creating new material systems; collaborating with makers, hairdressers and scientists; the products it’s possible to make with hair; coming from a creative family; finding school testing; and the importance of teaching to her practice. And remember the Material Matters fair is free for trade but you must register in advance here: https://registration.iceni-es.com/material-matters/reg-start.aspx Support the show…

Material Matters with Grant Gibson

1
Bharti Kher on material alchemy and her fascination with bindis. 1:02:32

32 weeks geleden1:02:32

1:02:32

Artist Bharti Kher was brought up in England before moving to India almost on a whim in the early ’90s. Since then, she has established herself as a major player on the international art scene. Her sculptures talk about women’s place in society and the female body. She has a fascination with mythology and mixing the real with the magical, as well as a profound interest in materials and found objects. She has melted down bangles, used saris, and ceramic figures, as well as casting people with plaster. But she’s best known for her work using bindis, made from felt. And she will be using bindis to create a huge piece on London’s Southbank, which opens in September. Right now, she has a wonderful exhibition at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, entitled Bharti Kher: Alchemies , which shows a range of pieces from 2000-2024. In this episode she talks about: using things she finds – from radiators to bangles; how objects have inherent narratives and why she ‘exhausts’ them; the importance of bindis; breaking things; her fascination with negative space; casting people in plaster; growing up in Epsom and loving art from a young age; travelling to New Delhi on the toss of a coin; and being married to a fellow artist. And remember the Material Matters fair takes place at Bargehouse, Oxo Tower Wharf from 18-21 September. It's free for trade but you must register in advance here: https://registration.iceni-es.com/material-matters/reg-start.aspx Support the show…

Material Matters with Grant Gibson

1
Oliver Heath on biophilic design. 52:22

33 weeks geleden52:22

52:22

Oliver Heath is a designer, architect, author and one of the world’s leading advocates for biophilic design. Along with his team and the sustainable platform Planted, he currently has an exhibition at the Roca Gallery in South London, which focuses firmly on bio design – illustrating what it is, why it’s important, and how it can be used in the spaces we inhabit. Oliver has been a fixture on our TV screens since 1998, working for the likes of the BBC, ITV, Channel Four, the Discovery Channel and Norway’s TV2. He is a regular on DIY SOS and was, of course, one of the designers on the iconic ’90s show, Changing Rooms . In this episode we talk about: his fascination with biophilia and how it affects his practice; its core principles and history; why sustainability is about more than counting carbon; problems with architecture education; his issues with clay; the importance of evidence in his design approach; how wood effects the heart rate; being average at school; getting famous on Changing Rooms ; reinventing himself professionally… and the importance of soup. And remember the Material Matters fair takes place at Bargehouse, Oxo Tower Wharf from 18-21 September. It's free for trade but you must register in advance here: https://registration.iceni-es.com/material-matters/reg-start.aspx Support the show…

Material Matters with Grant Gibson

1
Ernest Scheyder on lithium, mining, and the politics behind going green. 52:36

43 weeks geleden52:36

52:36

Ernest Scheyder is an author and senior correspondent for Reuters. His new book, The War Below: Lithium, Copper, and the Global Battle to Power Our Lives , looks at the impact of the green transition in the US – and, more particularly, the tensions over the increasing need to mine for metals to decarbonise the grid (and power a plethora of devices) against the nation’s desire to conserve the environment. The book illustrates how materials effect geo-politics and the urge for energy security, inform the national debate, and impact at a very local level. It also suggests that becoming more sustainable is anything but straightforward. In this episode we talk about: why lithium and copper are vital to our futures; where the materials are mined and processed; 'material colonialism'; how the pandemic changed perceptions of our supply chains; why some mineral-rich nations are excluding the US; the role of China in the 21st century global economy and the withering of US hegemony; the new ‘green arms race’; why mining is in a ‘perpetual state of decline’; the tension between local desires and global needs; the role of religion and conservation; child labour in the Democratic Republic of Congo; the ‘dualistic’ policies of President Biden; and Scheyder’s issue with leaf blowers… Support the show…

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