Chair Man Of The Board
The Sun Herald
Saturday August 14, 1993
WITH names like Grub and Pancreas, Andrew Martin's furniture designs are destined to capture the imagination of unconventional art and furniture lovers world-wide.
Martin, 30, recently won an Italian design competition and his pieces are exhibited in galleries around Europe. But although he now works in Paris, some of his designs retain an Australian feel.
Born in country NSW, Martin grew up in Sydney's northern beaches area where he made surfboards as a teenager. This initial work with fibreglass has heavily influenced his modern furniture designs with some, like Crescent Pearl, (pictured right) looking like transmogrified boards.
Martin's other forms of inspiration come from the study of the human form and morphology, the structure of organisms.
"It's the structure of the body and how it is put together that really interests me," Martin said.
"The bones and skin ... I try to simplify these ideas and show that through my furniture.
"The Pancreas best describes my philosophy of morphology, and people instantly recognise the connection."
When most of us look at a chair we see four legs, a seat and a back, but Martin's designs take the viewers' imagination a few steps farther.
"My furniture contains ribs, legs, a spine and a body," he said.
"Most people don't think twice about a chair. Usually they just sit on it and forget about it. I'm trying to get people to look deeper."
Martin studied architecture at the University of Technology, Sydney, but realised he wanted to design objects on a more human scale. He then went to London where he worked for well-known architect/artist Will Alsop.
"At university I was designing buildings and I couldn't relate to that," he said.
Whereas it may be more commercially viable to work as an architect, Martin said he would never find the time to design furniture.
"I see myself more as a designer now rather than an architect and at the moment that (designing furniture) is all I want to do."
Unfortunately Martin's work hasn't attracted the same interest in Australia as it has in Europe.
"In Europe a lot of the manufacturers are so large they will take you on, but at the moment there really isn't a market for this kind of furniture in Australia," he said.
"I'd love to have an exhibition in Sydney to make people more aware of my work but it is very expensive to transport my pieces over there. But I'm not giving up on Australia yet."
After Martin won an Italian design competition, a company has plans to manufacture one of his newest designs, Iliaque.
"Iliaque - which is Latin for hips - is very much like the Pancreas except it is a dining chair," he said.
"It's like a small version of the Pancreas on three legs and is made out of polyurethane foam so it is a lot more comfortable in terms of using it every day."
With price tags like $3,500 for the Crescent Pearl and $7,000 for the Pancreas it's not surprising that a person cannot just pop down to Ikea and pick up one of Martin's pieces.
However, he hopes his work will become more "reachable" when he finds a company to manufacture them.
"The Grub, Pancreas and Crescent Pearl are the three designs I'm trying to manufacture," he said.
"If you are making limited series furniture it is not commercial like office or everyday domestic furniture. It is very difficult to make any money
"At the moment they are quite expensive and that is why I'm in Europe because I'm trying to find a manufacturer to commercialise the designs and make them more reachable."
While Martin admits his designs are "foreign" and "look a little crazy", he says they are both practical and attractive.
"The initial reaction to my furniture is shock, and there is always a quiet smile," he said.
"My pieces are very practical but you don't sit on them in the regular way- you find your own comfort on these chairs.
"The Cresent Pearl is made out of fibreglass and looks and feels hard but everyone who sits on it loves it.
"I use it as my television chair and sit on it for hours."
* Andrew Martin has a collection of work in Sydney. For more information, phone (02) 552 4388.
© 1993 The Sun Herald