SPECIAL EFFECTS – Stockholm Design Week

SPECIAL EFFECTS by David Taylor at Bukowskis – an exclusive online auction and exhibition during Stockholm Design Week.

Bukowskis and David Taylor presents SPECIAL EFFECTS – an exhibition and online auction during Stockholm Design Week. The exhibition consists of 25 exclusive pieces created by the Scottish designer and craftsman David Taylor in his signature material, aluminium. The pieces explore David Taylors multidisciplinary approach, design language and material palette, with craft and ornamentation in focus.

Exhibition: February 4–7, Berzelii Park 1, Stockholm. Open 11AM – 5PM.

Auction online: January 31 – February 9

We had the pleasure of speaking with David Taylor ahead of the auction to learn more about his perspective on both the exhibition and his work:

How would you present yourself?

I consider myself a craftsman or a design-artist, perhaps a function sculptor, definitely a material geek. A technique and process interested sudoku-loving tea drinker and former cat owner. I have a very specialized skill set that I enjoy exploiting as a medium for self-expression, However, what comes out of the process of making is perhaps more of a byproduct of a continuous process of exploration.

This show serves as an introduction for those unfamiliar and for those in the know to catch up with my studio practice of the last couple of years highlighting new and recent work that is informing the direction of projects that lie in the near future.

Any specific object that stands out?

All the objects in the auction have their own story and represent different aspects of my practice, but a few works particularly stand out. FLOOR CLOCK is one such example. It combines several central elements in my work and is not only a functional clock, but a sculptural object with strong presence. It has a certain similarity to the classical grandfather clock, but I have taken another path.

The bench, BENT BENCH, is another central piece and marks the beginning of my journey towards larger a scale with robust aluminium profiles. It is simple but powerful in its form and is a bridge between the functional and the sculptural. The bench bears traces of my experimental process and clearly shows how the properties of the material control the objects visual presentation. It represents a shifting format where I begin to push the boundaries of scale and the durability of the material.

The BAR cabinet is another central piece. Technically it is the most advanced in the collection. It is a result a purely experimental process, working in unfamiliar territory, and opening new doors for future projects. I want it to have a provocative and unconventional attitude with details such as the oversized wheels that signal mobility and embossed patterns that suggest the craftsmanship behind the making. It is a visual collision that reflects the tipping points I often seek in my work. A balance between the brutal and the refined. These objects offer a view of the entry and exits to different aspects in my practice.

Your signature material is aluminium, how come?

I work with aluminium for many reasons. The malleability of the material and the light colour remind me of silver. And with my background as a silversmith, I appreciate these characteristics. Aluminium is easy to work with and light. The scrap is reused, and aluminium is easy to recycle. That appealing surface finishes can be achieved by simple methods is important for me as the optics are an integral part of my work and how it presents itself in the space it occupies. But mainly I like aluminium because it is so boring or perhaps neutral is a better word. I think that aluminium is an interesting metal for what it is not. It is not brass or silver, gold or iron. Metals with clear identities that seem to always have always existed. Aluminium feels modern, new and unexplored.

Aluminium is ubiquitous. It is everywhere. It is a standard material that you can buy easily all over the world in a standard format. It is also cheap compared to other metals. You get a lot of aluminium for the money and that allows a greater room for failure, a vital component in all experimental work. Aluminium does not resist or rebel either. Aluminium and metals in general do not have much will of their own. It does as it is told and never takes its own initiative. You leave a semi-finished object in the workshop in the evening, when you come back in the morning nothing has changed. It hasn’t moved, warped, or cracked. It has not reacted to moisture or the cold or anything that I haven’t specifically done, I like that loyalty.