Meet the YFM exhibitors – Jean-Philippe Clark

The Young Furniture Makers exhibition, our special one-day event showcasing furniture, lighting and textile designs from emerging designer-makers to employers and key players in the furnishing industry, returns to the City of London this October.

The event, which is principally sponsored by Tizo  with logistics support from Celtheath, will take place on Wednesday 2 October at Furniture Makers’ Hall and the Dutch Church in Austin Friars, London.  

In the run-up to the exhibition, we’ll be meeting some of this year’s exhibitors who are looking forward to meeting our members and people from industry.

Name: Jean-Philippe Clark

Exhibits: Settle and Little Cabinet with a View

Tell us about the products you’re exhibiting. What’s the story behind it?

Settle: I designed Settle to honour the tradition of the Arts and Crafts movement. I chose to come to the UK to study furniture for two reasons – first I wanted to learn more about the making, design and craft of furniture. Secondly, I am enamoured with the human history and evolution of how we have managed to create magnificent things in wood. For me, the values of the movement exemplify the best of humanity: truth in materials, honest craftsmanship, and fit for purpose.

In making this piece, I wanted to accent local materials in a way that allows them to sing without any description needed. I wanted to show exactly how I made it, from through-mortise and tenons cut by hand, to hand chopped dovetails that you may not see until you look closer. The design was meant to be strong, stout, and practical in use. I imagine this in a home that has little storage – in your front hallway. As a parent, I can see the drawer full of jackets, boots, loose odd gloves, and all the scarves and caps to keep us warm. Additionally, I wanted to challenge the traditional settle layout from having a traditional hinged seat (notoriously covered in sacks and jackets) to using a modern push to open/soft close drawer.

In keeping with the movement, the hands of the maker are shown throughout the piece. However, I was eager to learn techniques that aid my work and help me evolve to be the best maker I can be. Throughout the process I learned how machines worked, safe operation of them, and maintenance of them, making benchwork more enjoyable and competitive in today’s makerspace. Additionally, I was able to bring CAD design and CNC work into my making, but only after everything was initially drawn by hand and sketched out.

My goal with Settle was to highlight traditional craft in the modern world and I’m proud to see an iconic movement in furniture represented in this year’s showcase.

Little Cabinet with a View: In this piece, my goal was to bring a version of my home to a body of work. Growing up in the desert landscape around the Grand Canyon, I found myself drifting from shade patch to shade patch to watch the world drift by. Through dusty naps, parched lips, and sore feet, I have had the opportunity to explore both the natural world and my own existence within it. I have a love for that environment, so much so that for most of my career I brought people to this arid ecosystem – guiding and teaching in outdoor education. However, when I discovered this craft, I seemed to let go of that part of myself that yearned for vistas.

While in school at Chippendale, and now with a bit more experience, I decided to merge my worlds into this little cabinet with a big view. The tree is an alligator juniper tree, with its chunky, block-like bark and dying limbs. The succulent is an agave century plant, blooming only once in its long life. The back image is a photograph taken from a viewpoint at Grand Canyon, intended to add depth to the landscape. The drawer fronts are carved in a floral pattern, to remind me that life exists in hard places. The silver leaf gilded clouds brought light to the landscape in an otherwise dark scene.

The purpose of the piece, its intended use, is as an occasional cabinet. Full of whimsy, I can see it stuffed with books and other unique possessions. The dimensions do allow for bottles of liquor and glasses as well for those that are inclined. With lock and key, it is not out of question to store whatever you choose. Because it is simple on its outside and dynamic within, it can live in a home without being the main attraction, unless you want it to be.

My additional goal with this cabinet was to introduce new techniques – marquetry, lasered imagery – to my own vocabulary and trial a few newer techniques in the trade as a whole. With that in mind, those techniques add to the unique story of this piece:

Overall, this piece was a labour of pure love, reminding me of my home and helping me realise why I love this craft.

What was the most challenging part of bringing them to life?

The most challenging part of bringing my work to life was trusting the process and believing that I have it in me to design furniture. I frequently get in my way as you might have guessed. Yet, once I began to believe that my work was valuable and enjoyable, the rest came naturally. I trust myself to glue bits of wood together and I am learning to trust myself in the arrangement of those pieces.

What do you hope to get out of being part of the Young Furniture Makers exhibition?

My biggest hope for the exhibition is to learn from the other makers and develop my community of makers. I think that the experience is an amazing opportunity to interact with both new makers such as myself and to expand my network to industry leaders. I intend to learn all that I can, ask good questions, and get inspired to make.

Who is your design hero and why?

There is a cabinet maker and designer who passed away recently by the name of Nancy Hiller. Of all the people that I follow, draw inspiration from, and try to emulate, I think Nancy Hiller might take the lead. Without giving her full bio (look her up), she moved to the UK and ended up in a trade school which led to jobs with furniture workshops around England. When she returned to the states, she eventually set up her own cabinet making shop. She was also a writer and teacher, writing books on design, making, and living. As lovely as her bio might be, it is her approach to design that resonates most with me.

What are your career aspirations? 

My career aspiration comes in two parts. My first goal is that I want to make. My tutor at Chippendale said something to the effect that making is like breathing to us, we must do it. Few things bring me more joy than making something, especially if it is for someone else. With that in mind, working as a furniture maker and designer is a realistic aspiration that I am actively pursuing.

My second goal is more important. I want to teach. This craft has given me so much. I have loved learning, growing, exploring, playing, and getting frustrated, and it is in my nature to share that experience. Coming from a previous career in education it makes sense that this is where I would like to take my career. For me, my greatest joys are encouraging and leading people on their own adventure. This, above all my other aspirations, is the one that I know will lead me to where I want to be. Making might be something that I need to do, but education is who I am.

Which company would you love to work for one day?

I don’t have a company that is first on my list. A goal of mine is to learn from all that I can. I think all the organisations out there (makers, designers, educational institutions, etc.) have something valuable to offer. I wouldn’t mind taking a world tour to learn from people that specialise in particular aspects of the trade, starting from the tree surgeons that decide what is a good tree, to the finishers and polishers, and everything in between. I would love to have a more holistic and comprehensive view of this trade that I am so passionate about.

How do you think you’d react if you won a Young Furniture Makers Award?

In this unlikely event, I would be delightfully surprised. I am more excited to watch makers that have worked hard, poured themselves into their work, and invest in themselves be proud of what they have accomplished. The awards are just an excuse to bring these exceptional people together.