ABOUT
Henry Wilson is an Australian designer who creates furniture, lighting, accessories and components in metal, stone and glass; he has also designed interiors for two Aesop stores in Sydney. He has lived and worked in Sydney for more than 30 years; it is the place to which he habitually retreats, and where he feels most unfettered creatively.
Henry’s work is characterised in part by utilitarianism, with a clear form and function. But it is also important to him that it embodies feeling – he is interested in the imperfect beauty that comes from objects made by hand, and in the creation of pieces that retain a sense of individual charm while not compromising the robust framework required for manufacture. This has led him to foster long-term collaborations with select suppliers and manufacturers who share his approach, including a local foundry which manufactures elements cast in bronze and aluminium as well as artisanal European stone workers.
His inspirations are complex. They come predominantly from Australian natural landscapes, urban topographies and light with an emphasis on resolution of forces to add energy; nothing remains perfect in Australian conditions, and weathering is to be accepted and valued – to the extent of effecting subtle imperfections during manufacture. Further, Australia offers the freedom to pursue ideas without the burden of traditional cultural aesthetics. That said, his work acknowledges the sophistication of centuries of technological development, design practice and philosophies of Europe and the industrialised world.
Designs begin with concepts and forms gleaned from constant excursions into art, nature, and heavy industry, documented in photographs, notes and drawings. The resulting sketches and simple cardboard or plasticine models evolve through use of 3D software and printing technology. Sometimes ideas lie dormant at length before finding application -- directions shift – a design for a lamp meets an obstacle, for example, and a hook, bookend or chair eventuates. Henry finds that remaining open to this dynamic and following the particular energy of a project reliably bears fruit, as does editing and discarding of concepts and designs freely.
Materials often speak for themselves, to evoke an intuitive response connected to their physical properties and design heritage. The anthropology of design has a linear narrative – contemporary designs and production methods stem from those that have come before – the act of design is a fluid exchange between inspirations, materials and production.
Studio Henry Wilson was established in Sydney in 2012
Henry’s work is available on this website, at his Sydney studio, and in design showrooms around the world.
Qualifications
Henry gained first class honours at the Australian National University’s School of Art, where he specialised in woodwork; these studies were augmented by participation in an exchange program at Rhode Island School of Design, and a master’s degree from Design Academy Eindhoven in the Netherlands.
Exhibitions and permanent collections
Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, Sydney, Australia
Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
'Sempering' XXI Triennale, MUDEC, 2016, Milan, Italy
‘Well-made things last. I believe longevity is one of the simpler forms of sustainability that we can hope to achieve as contemporary designers.’
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