Justin Marshall is a designer-maker and acting leader of Autonomatic, the 3D Digital Production Research Cluster at University College Falmouth.

 

 

I studied fine art sculpture followed by an MA in ceramics, which focussed on ceramics for the production of sculptural works. My PhD investigated the use of digital technology for craft and design practice.

 

 

It has broadened my view of what designer-maker practice might be; what you can include, what you reference. My original plasterwork was very sculptural and aimed at gallery installations but had heavy references to ornamental plasterwork. When the opportunity arose to work on a project with industry my interests were translated into functional work. It brought the work full circle and I think there is something quite nice about that.

 

 

People have different methods of creating work and I have always looked out rather than in. My work has been influenced by fields including quantum mechanics, by science, by the nature of something as seen from other fields. My latest project, Automake, uses online generative tools to allow people to create one-off pieces. It questions the traditional design process and uses rapid manufacturing technology to create bespoke craft.

 

 

It enables designer-makers to extend their skill base and start to see potentials they might not have seen before. Craft practice is often process and material driven and Making it Digital will highlight new ways of doing things and treating materials. It is about getting people to open their minds to different possibilities, to re-think what they’ve been doing and to create new outcomes. But there is also a real emphasis on making it happen, on the research, the marketing; everything that goes with a product to make it successful.

 

 

Making it Digital is going to be a short, intense period for everyone involved. It will be a lesson in rapid development and progression, of creating a well considered plan early on and making it happen. The potential to collaborate is a challenge but is exciting, a way of achieving things you wouldn’t be able to do on your own.