'WHERE THINGS COME FROM AND HOW THEY'RE MADE'

The Milan Furniture Fair is over. According to Sight Unseen the documentation of the manufacturing process was evident throughout the show, something M&I was pleased to hear:

'The only trend worth writing home about was the diaristic glimpse into process that so many designers chose to offer this year, supplementing their finished products with sketches, models, and real-time demonstrations. Droog, Tom Dixon, and the Belgian gallery Z33 turned manufacturing into a spectator sport, churning out saleable objects on the spot, while the young Berlin duo Studio Hausen decided to forgo actual products entirely, outfitting their Satellite booth with a vitrine full of experimental bits and bobs from recent research projects. Certainly in some cases the conceit helped mask a lack of new production pieces, an economic consequence that plagued the fair in general, but mostly it celebrated curiosity, storytelling, and a growing interest in where things come from and how they’re made.'

(Photo from Sight Unseen)

TALES OF THE UNSKILLED

Two stories have caught the eye over the last week or so. The Financial Times reported that luxury goods houses are lamenting the lack of skills amongst workers. Meanwhile, Katie Allen in The Observer wrote about politicians competing to support the manufacturing sector. Allen's article touches on the lack of skilled workers in the UK today.

Picture credit: Humphrey Spender/Getty Images

(Employees at the Austin car factory in Birmingham in 1939.)

GONE PICNICKING

What with this fine weather M&I's mind is turning towards the great outdoors. We read about the intriguing work of Williams British Handmade last week and are particularly fond of the sturdy looking picnic hamper case.

TENUE DE NIMES X GRENSON - VIDEO

An informative tour of the Grenson factory courtesy of Tenue de Nimes. We enjoyed from 8mins onwards and especially valued the contribution made by the gentleman in the blue jumper.

*Thanks to Menno van Meurs for alerting us to the video's existence.

THE ONLY UK MADE TRAINER

Bolton's Norman Walsh is releasing these rather handsome 100% Made in Britain trainers this week. Kindly, Walsh documented the process and granted us access to the photos.

MAURICE BROOMFIELD: PHOTOS OF INDUSTRIAL BRITAIN

Paper making in Northfleet

A furnace at Dagenham

Weaving in Derbyshire

A great article on the photographer/factory worker, Maurice Broomfield by Nina Caplan in the Financial Times (20th February 2010) here. Mr. Broomfield's engaging photographs will be on display in Chichester and Derby later this year.

ONE FOR THE LADIES

Stratford upon Avon's finest bicycle manufacturer, Pashley, is celebrating the coming of spring by offering its classic Princess model in three new colours. In a nod to the company's manufacturing process taking place in the UK, the Brittania bicycle range comes in red, white or blue. We plumped for the red to match the masthead, obviously.

BOOK OF THE MONTH

Picture from Photo Histories

TIME FOR THE WEEKEND WITH SMITHS CLOCKS

Smiths clocks were made in Cricklewood, London. Mr.Barrie Smith knows an awful lot about the company's history (and is rather fond of comic sans.)

Image from Museum Victoria, Australia

ADVERTISING: RUDGE BICYCLES

'Dan Rudge built the first Rudge High bicycles in 1870. In 1894 it merged with the Whitworth Cycle Co to form Rudge-Whitworth. They made an excellent reputation for themselves over the next twenty years for producing a full range of beautifully made machines with many clever and unique features and ridden by King George V and family.

Their road racers were widely used and they diversified into motorcycles in the early 20th century. In 1935 they were bought by EMI (the record company) and under Jack Lauterwasser¹s direction produced some superb top end racers as well as more mundane machines. EMI however soon decided that cycles were not for them and Rudge was sold to Raleigh in 1943. Raleigh had acquired Humber in 1933 and were to acquire many others after WWII and soon used the Rudge name to badge engineer what were essentially Raleigh machines with Rudge pattern fork crown and chainwheel. Hence there were Rudge versions of the Lenton and of the Clubmen.

The name was finally killed sometime I think in the early 60s in Britain but may well have been used in export markets later. In Britain the name used on rebadged Montague folders in about 1989.'

Hilary Stone on Classic Rendezvous, 26th June 2000

Image from Jim Langley's treasure trove of a site

THE WEEKLY REVIEW

Plenty of doom-mongering doing the rounds regarding the situation on Teeside but some fascinating images courtesy of the BBC here: Corus steel plant

'Industrialists must inject "capital, brain power and passion" into manufacturing if they want the sector to regain dominance from financial services, according to Nestle's UK chief': Yorkshire Post

A noise row threatens 160 jobs at a factory in Derbyshire where they make parts for Rolls Royce as well as other aero-engine manufacturers: The Star

ERCOL SAYS... SIT DOWN

We visited the Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green today and thoroughly enjoyed the current exhibition, 'Sit Down: Seating for Kids', sponsored by Ercol. Designs by Charles and Ray Eames, Robin Day and Thomas Chippendale are amongst those featured. The main hall also plays host to the Ercol chair arch (pictured), commissioned by Wallpaper* magazine and previously exhibited at the V&A in South Kensington.

Curators Catherine Bornet and Noreen Marshall have created a show that brings a potentially dull subject to life, helped greatly by playful illustrations by Emma Houlston and 3D design from Wells Mackereth.

The show deserves extra praise for its efforts to engage children (and adults, of course) in the chair manufacturing process:

'The earliest of these seats (1680) look back to a tradition where designer and maker were the same craft worker. Even when individual furniture designers became fashionable and well known, like Thomas Chippendale (1718-1779), they usually began by learning practical techniques. More recently Harry Bertoia (1915-1978) was a jeweller and sculptor as well as a designer and Verner Panton (1926-1998) trained as an architectural engineer.'

Sit Down: Seating for Kids closes on 5th September 2010. Admission to the exhibition is FREE. V&A Museum of Childhood, Cambridge Heath Road, London E2 9PA. Nearest tube: Bethnal Green. Open daily: 10.00 – 17.45, last admission 17.30. Switchboard: 020 8983 5200

Images from Emma Houlston's site