Together they discuss John’s decade-old ‘MakeGood’ initiative, in conjunction with the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, as well as his ongoing commitment to sustainable forestry and conservation. The conversation offers a wider perspective on the major themes discussed by all of our artists.

The group illuminates on topics of craft and community as integral to their respective practices. The artists reflect on themes such as place, the Anthropocene, humanity’s ongoing communion with nature, and working in isolation from wider communities during the Covid-19 Pandemic and the impacts of this on their work.

A the forefront of utilising digital technology to enhance their craft practices, questions are raised about the nature and validity of the ‘hand-crafted’ object in relation to those made by machines and the necessity of a thorough understanding of and grounding in materials prior to undertaking any innovative approach to craft.

Together, the artists consider their places as artist-designer-makers, ruminate on the intrinsic value of works of design and ‘heirlooms,' discuss desires for design to be situated within a wider legacy and the intersection of beauty and form with functionality.