Meet The #Salone17 Speakers: Henry Wilson

In the lead up to the ultimate industry edit – the Indesign x Habitus x LightCo #Salone2017 Review – we take the time to introduce you to our illustrious panel of speakers one by one! Today: Interior and Industrial Designer, Henry Wilson.

Who is Henry Wilson?

Henry Wilson a designer living and working in Sydney. He studied at the Australian National University School of Art in Canberra, graduating with first class honours in visual arts, specialising in woodwork. During his time at ANU he went on exchange to Rhode Island School of Design. He then moved to Europe to complete his Masters at the Design Academy Eindhoven before returning to Sydney to set up his eponymous studio in 2012.

Wilson designs furniture, lighting, accessories and components, working together with a range of suppliers and manufacturers. In particular, he has built a close relationship with a local foundry for cast elements in bronze and aluminium. He sell’s his work directly and in a number of design showrooms around the world. In addition, Wilson has designed the interior for two Aesop stores in Sydney.

Wilson’s work combines a rational, democratic utility with an element of sculptural expression. There is a clear form and function in my products, but it’s important they also have feeling. He is interested in the awkward beauty that comes from something made by hand. He likes to explore how imperfection can be introduced into an industrial process, to make something at scale that retains a sense of individual charm.

During his time in Europe Wilson was fascinated by the flea markets in the Netherlands and Germany. Discovering well-made things from the past was like tracing ancestors of contemporary design. He talks about the anthropology of design, recognising that it has a linear narrative and that ideas today are developments of those that have come before. He also understands design to be an evolutionary process of refining, learning and improving. Well-made things last. Wilson believes this is one of the simpler forms of sustainability that we can hope to achieve as designers today.

The deets:

The Indesign x Habitus x LightCo #Salone17 Review

WHEN: Thursday, May 18 2017 at 6pm for a 6:30pm start

WHERE: Hosted at the LightCo Showroom, 100 Collins Street, Alexandria

PANEL HOST: Stephen Todd

FEATURING: Adele Bates, Todd Hammond, Henry Wilson, Roy Doron