When Function and Form Lend Imperfection – Henry Wilson

Henry Wilson is a designer of furniture, lighting, accessories and components in metal, stone and glass. His work prioritises form and function and recognises the beauty that comes from objects made by hand.

Originally from Sydney, Australia, Henry has travelled extensively and lived overseas. However, Sydney is the place he habitually retreats to and where he feels most creatively unfettered. During his studies at Australian National University’s School of Art, he specialised in woodwork and graduated with first class honours. As part of this degree, Henry participated in an exchange program at Rhode Island School of Design. Subsequently, he gained a master’s degree from Design Academy Eindhoven in the Netherlands.

His work is characterised in part by utilitarianism, giving precedence to form and function. However, the embodiment of feeling is also important.

His work is characterised in part by utilitarianism, giving precedence to form and function. However, the embodiment of feeling is also important. Henry is interested in the imperfect beauty that comes from objects made by hand and in the creation of pieces that retain a sense of individual charm while not compromising the robust framework required for manufacture.

Each of Henry’s designs begins with concepts and forms gleaned from constant excursions into art, nature and heavy industrial areas, which he documents in photographs, notes and drawings. The resulting sketches and simple cardboard or plasticine models evolve through the use of 3D software and printing technology.

Henry’s work is influenced by the Australian landscape and its diverse geography and sun-drenched nature, its multiformity and the quality of its light.

Henry regards longevity as one of the simpler forms of sustainability he can hope to achieve as a contemporary designer. This has led him to foster long-term collaborations with select like-minded suppliers and manufacturers, including artisanal European stonemasons and a local foundry that manufactures elements cast in bronze and aluminium.

Henry’s work is influenced by the Australian landscape and its diverse geography and sun-drenched nature, its multiformity and the quality of its light. Nothing remains perfect in Australian conditions, and Henry draws on the belief that weathering is to be accepted and valued even up to the extent of affecting subtle imperfections during manufacture.

What also appeals to Henry is how Australia affords a freedom to pursue ideas without the burden of an indurate historical aesthetic.

What also appeals to Henry is how Australia affords a freedom to pursue ideas without the burden of an indurate historical aesthetic. Although, he acknowledges and appreciates the sophistication imparted by centuries of technological development, design practices and philosophy in Europe and throughout the industrialised world.

When it comes to forming ideas, Henry describes how sometimes concepts lie dormant before finding application and awaken when directions shift – a design for a lamp meets an obstacle, for example, and a hook, bookend or chair eventuates. Henry remains open to this dynamic and believes that following the particular energy of a project reliably bears fruit. Likewise, editing and occasionally discarding concepts and designs as they evolve is part of his process.

For Henry, material selections often speak for themselves. They evoke an intuitive response connected to their physical properties and design heritage.

For Henry, material selections often speak for themselves. They evoke an intuitive response connected to their physical properties and design heritage. He hypothesises that contemporary designs and production methods stem from ideas that have come before, but the act of design is a fluid exchange between inspirations, materials and production.

Henry’s work is available online, at his Sydney studio and in design showrooms around the world. His exhibitions and permanent collections can be found at the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences in Sydney, the Art Gallery of Western Australia in Perth and in the exhibit ‘Sempering – Process and pattern in architecture and design’ at MUDEC in Milan, Italy.