James Walsh
Studio
Sydney-based furniture and industrial designer James Walsh relishes the unpredictability of learning by doing.
Sydney-based furniture and industrial designer James Walsh relishes the unpredictability of learning by doing.
Since James Walsh won the 2020 Australian Furniture Design Award, the spotlight has been shining brightly on his studio practice. The Sydney-based furniture and industrial designer, who graduated from RMIT University in 2017, is daring in his materials-focused approach and commitment to process-driven outcomes. “It’s about finding a clean balance between natural materials and old and new processes to produce original, exciting objects,” he says. “And while testing ideas and learning by doing is often the most unpredictable part of the design process, it’s also the most thrilling.”
His award-winning Anthropic Bench not only blew the judges away with its intelligent assembly, it also stands as testament to his mastery. Using a combination of rammed earth and recycled glass filings, James handmade the robust form’s legs and finished it off with a solid timber top that sits in place without fasteners or adhesive. It’s an exquisite study in refined detailing and perfectly highlights his rigorous approach, which in this case reimagines an ancient technique with sustainability front of mind.
The bench may be one of his more ambitious pieces, but his smaller objects are no less adventurous. Spaghetti Bowl, for example, is handmade using a groutbased caulking gun, lending each finished vessel a unique appearance, while the Igneous Wall Light (in collaboration with designer Ash Allen) was developed through the re-forming of volcanic rock. James didn’t even do an initial sketch, let alone try to predict how the light would turn out. Rather, he allowed the material to guide the outcome: a slim, circular form with striking natural patterning.
Every one of James’s designs, regardless of scale, has a distinct architectural sensibility to it. Strong angles, curves and lines characterize his portfolio and imbue his pieces with a conceptual resolve that acknowledges past traditions, while revelling in a very contemporary aesthetic. Unsurprisingly, James finds inspiration in nature too. As he explains, “So much can be learnt and so much enjoyment can be felt from simply sitting in a natural environment and reflecting.” In regard to other designers, he’s inspired by those with an arts-based approach, such as Max Lamb, Formafantasma and Maarten De Ceulaer, and admires the work of studios like Form Us With Love.
As part of his Australian Furniture Design Award win, James is currently developing a new design for production and distribution. He continues to work as an industrial designer at Vert Design and is participating in upcoming group exhibitions as well. If his recent success is any indication of what the next year holds, then James is in for quite a ride and all expectations surrounding his new work are entirely justified. jameswalsh.studio