26 May 2011

Building contacts works out as well as Lorri hoped they 'wood'

Pic shows Lorri with some of her Degree Show pieces

Off cuts of wood and other materials salvaged from building sites in the Dundee area have been transformed into furniture by a graduating student from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design.

Lorri Smyth (23), who has just completed a degree in Textile Design at DJCAD, part of the University of Dundee, used family contacts in the construction industry to explore how building materials could be used in a decorative way.

Using laser-etching, sanding, spray-paint and resins on chip board, plywood and other materials, Lorri has created a number of surfaces which can be used in interior design schemes. These include a chair made from oriented strand board (OSB), and a number of panels which could be used as doors, tabletops and various other items.

She has also constructed screens to act as an exhibition space for her drawings, and the entire project will go on display at this year’s Dundee Degree Show.

Lorri's father is an architectural technician whilst other members of her family are employed as joiners, electricians, and plasterers. She interviewed them about their working processes and materials, as well as asking them to keep diaries and take photos.

Using the understanding of the various aspects of the building trades that she gained, Lorri began the process of using waste materials to create eye-catching and unique pieces of furniture and to shape interior design schemes.

As well as receiving sponsorship from Bentleys, a Dundee shop-fitting company, who provided Lorri with off cuts and other services, she also spent time persuading workers at building sites to donate any waste pieces to her.

'Its perhaps unusual that someone who studies textile design should end up being pretty handy with a jigsaw and other power tools, but that’s what happened to me,' she explained. 'Bentleys were great, but I also acquired a lot of materials off my own back, going out to the workies any time I saw a building site and asking for off cuts. I think it helped that I was female!

'I never felt a total affinity with fabric, but I see the fact I’m using wood instead as part of the wider surface design area as we’re still dealing with colour, texture and pattern. In a sense, that’s strange because my Grandmother was a seamstress. She must’ve had amazing skills to pass on, but because I was never that interested in fabrics I never pushed her about this.

'After she died I started thinking about what other skills were in the family and the building trades stood out. I spoke to my dad, uncles, cousins and members of my partner’s family who work in the construction industry and took inspiration from the materials and processes they used by looking at them from a surface designers perspective.

'I learned a lot about their work, how they worked with each other, what it involved and how they saw their work. I stepped back and looked at the materials they used in an aesthetic rather than structural way, and explored how these could be used.'

Furniture design is an area that Lorri would like to explore after graduation, and she will be looking to land placements that provide her with experience of that field. She will also be attending upcoming trade shows in London in an effort to make contacts and create more interest in her work.

Lorri will also continue developing the project she has spent the past year immersed in, and thanked her sponsors for all the assistance they have given her.

She continued, 'I definitely think there's a market for these simple structures. My research showed that many people really liked them and indicated they would be interested in a statement design. Creating one-off pieces using these materials is perhaps something that could be done in collaboration with furniture makers.

'I really can't thank Bentleys enough for everything. They had supported students in the past and my tutor recommended I get in touch with them when he heard about the nature of my project. From day one they were absolutely fantastic and not only provided me with wood whenever I needed it but came out and delivered it that day.

'They recognised that this was a good way to re-use building materials, which are sourced in the most sustainable methods anyway, and helped by putting the matt finish on some of the items and giving them a more professional look. If nothing else, I can say I went to design school and learned how to work a jigsaw!'

Notes to editors:

Dundee Degree Show
21st - 29th May 2011 (Preview May 20th)

Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design
University of Dundee
13 Perth Road
Dundee DD1 4HT
T 01382 385330
E exhibitions@dundee.ac.uk
www.dundee.ac.uk/djcad/degreeshow

Exhibition open:
Saturday, May 21st (10am-4pm)
Sunday, May 22nd (10am-4pm)
Monday, May 23rd (10am-8pm)
Tuesday, May 24th (10am-8pm)
Wednesday, May 25th (10am-8pm)
Thursday, May 26th (10am-8pm)
Friday, May 27th (10am-8pm)
Saturday, May 28th (10am-4pm)
Sunday, May 29th (10am-4pm)

Graduate work on display:
Animation
Art, Philosophy, Contemporary Practices
Digital Interaction Design
Fine Art
Graphic Design
Illustration
Interior Environmental Design
Jewellery & Metal Design
Product Design
Textile Design
Time Based Art & Digital Film

For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
Press Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384768
E-MAIL: g.hill@dundee.ac.uk
MOBILE: 07854 953277