http://www.woodreview.com.au 49PROFILEByron is not a fan of acquiring new
tools for the sake of it though. ‘These
are all used’, he confirms.
Byron’s path as a maker started on the
farm – fixing things and improvising
is a known training ground.
Encouragement from a technology
teacher at high school led to furniture
design and making studies at Box Hill
TAFE in Victoria before completing
a degree in furniture design at the
University of Tasmania. Teachers
John Smith, Kevin Perkins and Phil
Blacklow espoused modernism and
environmental imperatives to influence
all who studied there. The poetry
and humanity of Perkins’ work is an
inspiration to this day.
From there Byron took an
independent path, guided by his love
of process and design fused with
ideas and influences drawn from
the stories behind the materials and
machines themselves.Shortlisted for Studio Furniture 2018,
Byron challenged himself to create a new
design for a floor lamp that he now also
makes as a pendant light. ‘The great
thing about that project was carving out a
space to just explore...that was play for me.’His artist’s statement summed up
the ideas which are expressed in his
work. ‘(My piece) is the result of a
love affair with machinery...Despite
the wonders of the industrial and
digital revolutions, craftspeople offer
something that no machine ever can.
Objects unique and imbued
with humanity.’Contact Byron Raleigh at
http://www.artefactfurniture.com.au11,12. Hand tools have their
place too and all are
‘users’. Photos:
Linda Nathan- On the walls and shelves
are jigs, templates and
prototypes for designs
that have been developed
and constructed over
time. Photo: Linda Nathan - Byron Raleigh with his
Glide stool made from
salvaged Otway
Ranges blackwood.
Photo: Fred Kroh
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