Jack Allfrey , a collaborator
Jack and Sofia came both from Kingston University London, and arrived at the same time at TMDC. Even tho they have the same training, similar age and background, they are as different as it gets. It is inspiring to see how, so many things being equal, personality plays such a massive role in their work.
Jack Allfrey
Jack is the person that makes it happen. Even if he likes experimenting with some materials and forms, you see him at his best when he has a clear goal. He ain’t afraid of challenges and he is always up to improve his skills and knowledge to make it happen.
instagram - j.allfrey_design
TMDC: You have been working at TMDC for almost a year. How came your choice to come from the UK to Spain and especially to TMDC? Did you have a special project in mind?
Jack: It was always a strong desire of mine to come and work in Barcelona and explore the amazing culture and art and design scene for myself, after hearing so many amazing things about the city. In searching for places to work in Barcelona, TMDC very quickly stood out at the top of my list. Through hearing and understanding about the work environment and facilities available to me it became the place in which I simply had to go for.
What do you study in the UK? And how did the experience at TMDC enrich your further studies?
I am currently undergoing a degree in Product and Furniture Design at Kingston University. My experience at TMDC has not only allowed me to massively improve my technical making skills, which will be hugely useful for my final year, but also have developed as a young designer through being immersed within such a creative environment.
How would you describe your experience at TMDC in 3 words?
“Inspiring, eye-opening, exciting”
Which part of the process do you prefer, designing or making? And from where do you get your inspiration?
I think both parts of the process should be valued equally, however I have always loved the physical aspect of the design process and being at TMDC has allowed me to be more hands on with materials and more involved with the making side of things. I find most of my inspiration comes from the material itself through experimenting with it and finding the various different applications in which it could be used. This is seen in my personal projects at TMDC were I try to show off the material qualities of foam and metal in both the chairs, where I have only used one type of material in its entirety.
“ I wouldn’t say I have a particular favorite combination of materials to use when creating furniture. ”
What exactly were your tasks at TMDC and was there any type of project/experiment that marked you specifically? And why?
I was a workshop collaborator which involved assisting members and completing general tasks and projects for the workshop. I don’t think there was any singular project which marked me specifically, however I think that the foam and metal chairs gained the most attention as they were completely my own personal project, so other members could have an understanding of my style and design aesthetic.
Having said that I do believe that earlier projects in the year, such as the CNC dust extractor system and the concrete table which I made for TMDC, marked my technical skills and my ability as a maker within the workshop.
What was challenging when using foam as a material? And what is your favorite combination to create furniture with?
It was definitely a bit challenging to work with foam as a material, however the whole process of using and experimenting with foam was very exciting to me as I had never worked with the material before and wanted to explore the potential unexpected applications for it. In my experiments I mainly focused on creating a strong structure without compromising the lightweight quality of foam. This led me to using expanding spray foam, which was where most of the challenges were found as it was hard to accurately control, and definitely a messy material to work with! I wouldn’t say I have a particular favorite combination of materials to use when creating furniture. When I’m working on a project, I tend to like to mainly focus on one material to firstly simplify the design and I believe its more aesthetically pleasing to have a product consisting of one dominate material as it enhances the form.
Any of the pieces you made you would have liked to take with you back to the UK?
I definitely would have loved to have brought both my foam and metal chair home with me, however I also think it’s very fitting for it to stay at TMDC where it can be used by the other members.