Material Craft -- Session 6 included presentations by Chris Lefteri and Chris Taylor

Summary
This was one session that combined two speakers perfectly under one heading.
Material Craft defined their identity and unique skills within their expertise in materials.Their lectures were articulate, confident and straight forward. They both had the same first name....I didn't make a mistake.

It was rather refreshing in retrospect that they didn't have any social agenda, amateur knitting, or stuffed animals. They considered themselves EXPERTS with complete professionalism.

 

The difference between these two speakers is that Chris Lefteri seemed to relish his investigation into a variety of materials (hence his books, left and  below), while Chris Taylor was a technical expert in working with one material, glass.

In this post I will cover Chris Lefteri. The next post will be about Chris Taylor.

 

 

 

 

What did I learn?
Chris Lefteri is a leading authority on materials and their application in design. Lefteri has published eight books on design and material innovations, including the highly acclaimed Materials for Inspirational Design” series (RotoVision, 2001–7), and METALS, and Making It: Manufacturing Techniques for Product Design (Laurence King, 2007).

 

These books look really interesting, but I can't find them in my local library. (I really wish that the Craft Forward Symposium had a table with the books by all the speakers.  Before I buy a book, I want to know that it will continue to serve as a reference.)  


 Cris22  

 

Chris Lefteri's lecture had a structure with a number of key points. Unfortunately he showed far too many "key" points to keep track.  Instead, I have found example images that relate to the lecture content.

 

Click on any image and read about the context of the image. 

 

In12-make-magazine Lefteri explained a multi-dimensional approach to materials. He said that "industrial designers have lost the skill of making", lacking a love and understanding of the materials. His books and blog look like they are designed to be resources for the industrial and manufacturing professions.

 

Ss3 Lefteri was also very interested in the way materials and the process of "craft" were explained and  cited a range of sources from  cookbooks and MAKE Magazine to the BMW car showroom. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Image of food  and BMW showroom taken by emiko oye during Chris Lefteri lecture.

 

What were the thought provoking issues raised?
I would agree with Chris Lefteri's assessment that since designing has become all CAD (Computer Aided Design), the "hands on" component of fabrication and first hand knowledge of materials is lost for industry. Academic programs in Engineering, Industrial Design and Architecture are struggling with just this issue. 

Sandwichstructures and materials This is a really ironic point that may have been lost in front of an audience of makers devoted to their natural instinct with materials rather than technical understanding or working with CAD/CAM manufacturing.

Sandwichofmaterials My opinion is that it is rather unfortunate that so little cross fertilization occurs between makers and industry. Makers rarely get to experiment and apply their instincts with materials to new industrial processes which are so far from our studios. I assume that this was Chris Lefteri's objective as he showed us multiple experiments with materials.

 

 

 

 

 

 


Material "sandwich" image taken by emiko oye during Chris Lefteri lecture. While this concept of a material sandwich was a new term to me, it seems that this is a common practice in industry to incorporate multiple material properties. Think skis, snowboards and building materials as a few familiar examples.


I wonder....Is this Craft Forward?

Bare In retrospect, I would consider his lecture one of the few  that exemplified the fundamental concept of Craft Forward in the whole conference! If only industry could invite artists to play with the materials, processes and technologies available in manufacturing. This would advance Craft Forward to fabulous proportions.

 

 

 

 

 

Background about the Chris Lefteri:

Lefteri

Chris Lefteri has both a web site and a blog. The web site looks like it is under construction with unfinished pages....and the navigation is confusing. Skip it unless your are really interested in Industrial Design, new materials, and have a lot of patience. The blog isn't really all that interesting and doesn't have enough posts. One post for 2011, four posts for 2010 just doesn't cut it for a blog.

Chris Lefteri is the editor of Ingredients Magazine an online magazine with 5,000 subscribers bridging the gap between designers and material manufacturers.

Materials for Inspirational Design” series (RotoVision, 2001–7), 

 

METALS, (Materials for Inspirational Design)

 

 

Making It: Manufacturing Techniques for Product Design (Laurence King, 2007)

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Replies to This Discussion

Wow - tons of leads here and much food for thought. This post made me wish I were there! Thank you. I too feel strongly there's a need, almost an imperative, for linking industrial resources with craft sensibilities. Hope I live to see it!
Thanks for the report! I have most of these books and love looking up information in them!
Wish I was there!

Really! I wish I could see these books. 

Are they really helpful? It what way do they function as a resource for you.

Harriete

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