JACK DRAPER
"It’s the continuum of possibility that keeps me going. I like to think of myself always at the start of my journey and always evolving. In the future I aim to fuse my knowledge of traditional craft with robotics.
I see the meeting of these two polar opposites, age-old techniques with technology, as an area where new possibilities exist that I hope to be able to develop and push boundaries."
CONTACT
Studio: Unit 1, Browns farm, Nettlecombe, Bridport, Dorset, DT6 3SS
Email:
twitter/instagram: @_jackdraper
I was born in Dorset in 1981 and originally trained as a carpenter. I have pushed my journey as a craftsman forward by working on a variety of different projects with a range of people with varying skill sets, inspiring me on the way. You may say ‘self taught’ but I like to call it an ‘informal apprenticeship’ learning from those around me, making sure I’m there to absorb their lessons.
My work is driven by utilitarian design guided by form and proportion that has a distinct respect for the material that it is made form. I believe in traditional craft and challenging the mass-produced furniture market. I do this by choosing materials that deserve to be transformed into beautiful functional objects, designing pieces that have the individual in mind using time tested and new age methods. I mainly use native timbers such as Oak, Ash and Elm, which I source through specialist sawmills.
It’s the continuum of possibility that keeps me going. I like to think of myself always at the start of my journey and always evolving. In the future I aim to fuse my knowledge of traditional craft with robotics. I see the meeting of these two polar opposites, age-old techniques with technology, as an area where new possibilities exist that I hope to be able to develop and push boundaries.
I also work as project manager/technical consultant at Hooke Park where I lead architectural students through the making process to realise their visions, which is part of the Architectural association’s ‘MArch Design & Make’ program. My knowledge of craft and experience in making serve to help deliver complex and challenging projects but also enrich what the students learn through their making and contribute to a culture of design which fuses tacit knowledge and haptic design processes with cutting edge technology.
In 2015, I won the Marshwood Arts Awards Furniture category. My workshop is at Browns Farm where there is a community of other makers, which is great because I’m always running out of milk!
