THE NEW ALCHEMISTS
Madeleine Boulesteix, chandelier made from found objects. Photograph: British Council Collection
Transformation through craft.
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USED TEABAG, a plastic milk bottle and an empty sardine tin. These may
seem strange and unexpected muses for artists, and yet, it is precisely
these common, everyday objects which are inspiring a group of designers
and makers in Britain today. Hailed in the mid-1990s as the 'New Alchemists',
these makers and designers are metaphorically turning rubbish into gold
through their imagination, resourcefulness and fresh approach to design
and contemporary craft.
These makers are aware of and influenced by worldwide traditions of recycling
and are inspired by concepts of designing and making outside, as well
as within, Britain. However, it is still often assumed that using recycled
materials is due largely to difficulties experienced in obtaining new
materials, with the implication that using recycled materials is the second
choice.
There is a common assumption that recycled design is synonymous with
ecological design. There can be no doubt that makers are aware of environmental
issues and it is indeed true that some designers and makers are passionate
advocates of environmental responsibility and place this at the core of
their work. As chandelier-maker, Madeleine Boulesteix states, in working
with recycled materials she is "definitely rebelling against current
outrageous consuming habits". But others have questioned the tendency
which exists to impose an environmental meaning onto all objects made
using recycled materials. Walter Jack has gone so far as to say, "I
think there is a sometimes spurious ecological justification for work
using recycled materials."
It is perhaps the frustration at the inability of galleries or the media to see beyond green issues that leads the New Alchemists to stress the other reasons for using recycled materials. What particularly inspires these makers and designers are the unique qualities of the materials themselves as well as the resourcefulness and imagination required to transform these low-status objects into new, desirable articles of beauty and style.
AN UNDERSTANDING OF Marcel Duchamp is particularly crucial to the story
of recycled design, for it was this French artist's creation of 'readymades'
(involving the re-presentation of everyday articles) in the first decades
of the twentieth century which led to a radical change in the way many
artists felt about using apparently everyday articles in their work and
in doing so, questioning the very status and meaning of mass-produced
objects. This idea remains central to the way the majority of designers
and makers approach using recycled materials in Britain today.
In a sense, it should come as little surprise that these makers and designers
are drawing from such a wide and varied base of ideas and influences in
their work. It is not uncommon for makers to move from one craft, art
or design area to another and this flexibility has enabled them to become
aware of design, craft and fine art history in a particular way. Indeed,
one of the chief hallmarks of contemporary craft in the nineties, across
the board, not simply in recycled design, has been variety. There is a
confidence in the work of the established designers and makers working
with recycled materials; they may be experimenting but it is an assured
form of experimentation. They may be open to the ideas of free association
with recycled objects but they are, nevertheless, masterful in their handling
of materials.
Whilst the influence of certain key movements in art and design has shaped
these makers, they cannot be said to be adhering to a shared aesthetic
approach. Perhaps the chief factor which is notable in all designers and
makers is their passion for and acute awareness of the potential of their
materials. Some, such as Madeleine Boulesteix, express this as "loving
objects with character" whilst others refer to the inherent beauty
of objects that have gone through their lives.
The idea of breathing new life into what was lifeless, creating permanence in something which was designed as temporary, is a particular challenge these makers relish. Val Hunt speaks of her jewellery as the "reincarnated end results" of working with old beer cans; furniture-makers Vicki Govan and Richard Warner speak of a "symbolic renewal of what was lifeless". In essence, these makers are expressing through their work the age-old concepts of reincarnation and alchemy - of constant renewal and transformation, mirrored in the growing political focus on urban regeneration and the strengthening of community spirit, as much in rural areas as in cities.
WHAT OF THE FUTURE of recycled design in Britain? If the impact of these
makers is as considerable as it would seem, then their way of working
is already becoming a mainstream option. Both Walter Jack and Madeleine
Boulesteix speak of recycled design as an established genre. It is their
confident belief, increasingly confirmed by the recognition of the buying
public and by official craft and design bodies, that using recycled materials
is a valid form of creative activity and a quite legitimate first choice
for designers and makers.
There can be no doubt that a whole generation of students has been influenced by the ideas and styles of this group of makers and the future of working with recycled materials ultimately rests with them. The challenge for future makers is not to emulate the styles of current makers nor to follow their lead in working with particular kinds of recycled material, but to strive to create their own personal style of making based on the realization that the true spirit of freedom in working with recycled materials lies in the relationship between maker and materials, combined with the ability to respond to the particular spirit of the age in order to create designs which are truly objects of our time.
Adapted from Reclaimed - Contemporary British Craft and Design, published by The British Council, 10 Spring Gardens, London, SW1A 2BN price £9.95.
Anna Champeney combines creating handwoven textiles and Spanish folkcraft research with running Casa Dos Artesans, a holiday cottage with optional craft courses in rural Spain. Tel. +34 988 20 74 04. www.casa-dos-artesans.com
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