23rd May 2016

Interview: One Thing with Max Fraser

We’ve all cursed our seemingly irrational desires to cling to inanimate objects when trying to clear clutter and make the most of our increasingly hard to come by living spaces, but without that unwavering urge to hoard the design industry would operate on an entirely different level.

Curator, writer and editor of the London Design Guide Max Fraser wants us to celebrate our passion for products that, to anyone else, might not seem like much. Visit Clerkenwell London during Clerkenwell Design Week and you’ll find Max in the Wine Keep with a display of objects, chosen by 24 select individuals, based on their emotional attachment to them.

Part of Design Undefined, Max’s contribution to the exhibition will challenge visitors to reconsider the role of emotion in design. With one sleep to go until the launch of Clerkenwell London’s maiden voyage into the creative festivities, we picked design aficionado Max’s brain about design and desire.

What does Clerkenwell Design Week mean to you?

It’s an opportunity for the design community to come together and exchange ideas and if there is booze and sun, all the better!

What role retailers and design destinations like Clerkenwell London play in shaping the future of design?

Retailers don’t operate at the coal face of design but are editors of its output and are responsible for introducing a broader public to new ideas and changing tendencies. If they are outlets for new stuff, they have a responsibility to offer us the best and most relevant products, not just more of the same.

If you could banish one convention, stereotype or label from within the design industry what would it be?

It irritates me that design is still widely considered to be about style and luxury. Design is everywhere and determines the effective and safe functioning of everything manmade in our world, not just the beautiful stuff.

Do you think designers take emotional connections into consideration when creating new products?

Yes, I think the better designers do. I wish more designers would question the need for the product in the first place...

Is there a specific product that you have a strong emotional attachment to?

There are a few! I love my Hi-Pad chair by Jasper Morrison – it’s elegant, comfy and a contemporary classic in my eyes. I sit on it daily and I’ve now worn out the fabric. I also have a funny little lime squeezer that I bought for 50 cents in a Parisian flea market many years ago. For some reason, I just love this little object for it’s purity of function and the memories it triggers of that day. There’s no doubt a heap of others...

What is your top tip for anyone visiting Clerkenwell Design Week this year?

The area is relatively small so grab a map and walk around the streets, encountering the design activities in your path.

Complete your free registration for Clerkenwell Design Week here and keep up with Clerkenwell London on Twitter and Instagram.