Matt Robinson, a collaborator
Matt Robinson
Object and space designer-maker, Matt applies a combination of experience and knowledge to an ever growing interest in design. Throughout his experience at TMDC he reacted to the changing time with ideas and collaborations.
Here at TMDC we are always happy when we find the right collaborators. Working together to keep the workshop at its best. And giving the right advice to other members in their making process. Our collaborators are of key importance. In 2019 we had the chance to welcome Matt in our team and we are glad for the time we shared together!
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?
Matt: I worked for TMDC for 10 months in total, arriving in early September 2019. I heard about TMDC through a friend (Marley) who helped out a year or two before. I wasn’t so much set on coming to Spain in particular but the project looked interesting and related to what wanted to explore.
At the time I probably had projects that I wanted to do but looking back I feel like the best were less planned and more spontaneous.
How would you describe your experience at TMDC in 3 words?
“Productive, Eventful, eye-opening ”
What do you study in the UK? And how did the experience at TMDC enrich your further studies?
I study Product & Furniture design at Kingston school of art, London. So the fact that I had ten months of producing my own work for TMDC and clients outside was ideal as an experience. Pedro was always open to ideas for the projects set to me, so it was nice to have my own creative direction in the process and outcomes.
You describe yourself as 'Designer maker' on IG, which of these two parts take the most 'space'? The process of designing or the making of it? And from where do you get your inspiration?
I feel like the title ‘Designer maker' can be so vast and interpreted differently. I like to think the two things interlink within the project, as I tend to run with a thinking through making mindset. One thing that is certain is as I improved one side of the process, the other naturally developed too.
As for the Inspiration, materials have been and probably will always be the running influencer for ideas.
What does it mean for you to design and build your own furniture from scratch?
It means I got to understand what parts of the whole process I enjoyed and wanted to develop on. I am very humbled for the opportunities given to me and only wish I’d spent more time pushing and exploring more.
“I’d describe TMDC to be about supplying and opening up opportunities for the creative people of Barcelona, whether you’re new or you’ve been in your profession for years. ”
You have experimented and created several furnitures at TMDC which are now part of our interior decor, thanks a lot!! ;) When you created these pieces what challenge were you looking for or did you want to learn a particular technique? Which of these pieces you created were the most challenging and why?
Haha you’re welcome. I had projects that I wanted to do that either developed or slightly changed as they interlinked with what was needed for the TMDC space. The workspace table was probably the biggest challenge to make, simply due to the shear size of it. But I think every project had a new problem or technique to learn, a lot of which helped for freelance work I did later on.
The community of TMDC is very vast as the projects each person is working on. You were daily in contact with them as you knew the workshop by heart, what's the atmosphere like and how would you describe to someone what TMDC is about?
The community at the workshop is something that really makes it I think. To have people to constantly chat with and ask for advice on something is invaluable. I’d describe TMDC to be about supplying and opening up opportunities for the creative people of Barcelona, whether you’re new or you’ve been in your profession for years.
Any of the pieces you made you would have liked to take with you back to the UK? ;)
Yeah I should’ve try to steal one of the ABC chairs, I hope to make more of those in the future.
Thanks Matt !
Some of the projects he was part of during his time at TMDC more here
