My work has been driven by the desire to bridge the boundaries between craft, art and object design. I investigate the possibilities of structure as it pertains to functional and aesthetically based objects, exploring furniture and home ware design and construction. Underlying my creative practice is the development of new forms through sculptural experimentation with a focus on the manufactured object for commercial use. Both new and traditional methods are explored, alongside the use of materials and objects normally found outside of traditional craft and design arenas. I present unexpected uses of the handmade alongside their potential for commercial application.
On a personal level I have sought to explore the inherent value within objects that have the potential to fulfil peoples spiritual, physical and psychological needs, to explore deep materialism – a spiritual connection to our material world and the changing relationship with objects and their making as a form of identity creation.
An excerpt from a recent study:
The term silos has become a shorthand critique in discussions about academia and creative disciplines, often used to describe the isolation of individuals or fields. While it draws attention to real barriers that stifle collaboration, the metaphor itself has become a thought-terminating cliché. Rather than sparking deeper inquiry into how specialization and collaboration can coexist, it shuts down the conversation, reducing complex dynamics to a binary: silos are bad, and collaboration is good.
This oversimplification ignores the critical role that specialization plays in creative disciplines—design, music, art, fashion, screen production—where mastery within a field is essential for meaningful contributions. The danger of the silo metaphor lies in its framing, which discourages us from seeing the value of deep expertise in favour of unstructured, often superficial collaboration. What we need is not to tear down silos but to replace this limiting metaphor with richer, more nuanced ones that better capture the interplay between individual mastery and collective creation. I propose we think instead of orchestras and ecosystems—metaphors that honour specialization as the bedrock of impactful collaboration.
An orchestra is a perfect example of how specialization enhances collaboration. Each musician is a master of their instrument—be it the piano, violin, or trumpet—and this mastery is hard-won, requiring years of focused dedication. The violinist does not dabble in percussion, nor does the pianist attempt to conduct; instead, they each bring the highest level of expertise to their craft.
It’s this commitment to specialization that makes collaboration not just possible but meaningful. When these musicians come together, they don’t dilute their unique abilities. Instead, their mastery enables them to contribute something rich and irreplaceable to the collective performance. In creative disciplines, this is equally true: the fashion designer’s sensitivity to texture and silhouette, the graphic designer’s understanding of typography, and the filmmaker’s command of visual storytelling each enrich collaborative projects. Without this foundation of expertise, the collective work would lack depth and authenticity.
Collaboration in this model is not about flattening differences or erasing boundaries. It’s about elevating them, harmonizing diverse skills and perspectives into something greater than the sum of its parts.
An ecosystem demonstrates how specialized roles contribute to the health of a larger system. The bee’s mastery lies in pollination, the tree in producing oxygen, the fungi in recycling nutrients. Each thrives in its niche, but none can fulfil every role. It’s the interdependence of specialized contributions that makes the system adaptable, resilient, and productive.
In creative fields, this metaphor is particularly powerful. Collaboration thrives not when everyone is a generalist but when individuals bring something distinct and honed. The furniture designer who understands ergonomics and materials, the musician who masters composition, and the fashion designer fluent in construction techniques are like species in an ecosystem. Their mastery enables them to create something that could not exist in isolation.
Like the ecosystem, collaboration in creative disciplines depends on a balance between depth and connection. Without specialization, the ecosystem collapses; without collaboration, it stagnates.
Both the orchestra and ecosystem metaphors remind us that collaboration is not the antithesis of specialization but its ultimate purpose. The silo metaphor, while useful for critiquing isolation, is too reductive. By framing specialization as a flaw, it discourages us from recognizing that mastery within a discipline is not only valuable—it is essential.
In creative disciplines especially, where depth and identity are paramount, the pursuit of specialization should be celebrated as the foundation of meaningful collaboration. Richer metaphors, like orchestras and ecosystems, allow us to reframe this conversation, inspiring new ways of working that embrace both individual mastery and collective creativity. Only when individuals bring their fully developed skills to the table can we create work that is innovative, transformative, and truly greater than the sum of its parts.