Adam Nathaniel Furman at designjunction

With this year’s designjunction just around the corner, we met up Adam Nathaniel Furman who has collaborated with Turkishceramics to create an immersive experience for the visitors of designjuction. Gateways will be a ceramic installation consisting of four gates that draw people to wander through and experience the various vies at the centre of the enfilade perspective.

Set to be the central feature for Granary Square with Central Saint Martins (UAL) as backdrop, the 4m-high and colourfully-tiled gates reference architectural interiors and facades from London’s famous Underground Stations to the beautiful facades of Ottoman architecture, in a bold and contemporary language.

“Ceramics are used in jet engines, space craft, and are 3D printed in architectural experiments, but they are also present on the thousands of year old gates of Ishtar from biblical Babylon”

Why ceramics? What does this material mean to you?

It is the most historical of materials. From the moment civilisation began, humans have been making ceramics, so the story of ceramics is actually the story of civilisation, old as the most ancient of ancient cities. And yet it has consistently been a hi-tech material, it is always at the forefront of technology. Ceramics are used in jet engines, space craft, and are 3D printed in architectural experiments, but they are also present on the thousands of year old gates of Ishtar from biblical Babylon. It is that simultaneous quality, of cutting edge ancient-ness, which I simply cannot get enough of.

How have you found the collaboration process with Turkishceramics?

Utterly thrilling, I cannot have asked for a more interested, understanding and passionate client and broader team of suppliers and fabricators. It has all had to happen very quickly, and has been complex, with specially-produced hand-made tiles coming out of Istanbul, digitally printed ceramics from Kale, and a range of other tiles coming from other Turkish companies, all being brought together in London at the contractors workshop.

How is the build coming along?

Smoothly so far, thanks to everyone involved taking the job extremely seriously. We just did a first test where we lifted some of the panels up onto their steel frame, and it was a real thrill to get a sense of the rather massive scale and heft these are going to have in Granary Square when they’re installed.

If you could sum up ‘great’ design what would it be? And why?

I couldn’t sum up great design for everyone, everywhere, I think there are lots of different types of great design. However for me, in my work it is to bring a sense of sensuality, joy and fun, together with an admixture of critical reflection, and historical and cultural depth to urban spaces and quotidian environments.

You can register to visit designjunction here