Materials and Techniques

15. “Focussing just on the constraints of materials and how to assemble them removes the need for me to sketch out a design; the aesthetic style that results is out of my hands.”8 You have underlined the importance of materials. Could you comment on how they fit into your work process?

MSz: Material is an important factor amongst several others. It dictates your approach, how you envisage working, taking account of past practices, connotations, its physical constitution and usages. Materials are like living organisms, each with their own intrinsic characteristics. They are like books that need to be opened and read. Objects used to be made mostly from single materials (clay, leather, wood, etc.) or else by assembling and juxtaposing different materials together. It is only relatively recently that a revolution has come about by using glue to produce mixed or “composite” materials. The overall strength is greater than the sum of individual components which, in their combined state, can be considered as a new material with novel properties. Each combination therefore promises an infinite range of possibilities. Consequently, in some cases we can even choose materials that match an object’s requirements rather than having to adapt the object to existing materials – a profound shift in the way a project is handled.