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December 22, 2013

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Briton likes to get hands dirty

Source: Shanghai Daily | December 22, 2013, Sunday | Print Edition

Who is he?

Ian Douglas-Jones is a young British designer who trained at the Royal College of Art London. He has been practicing in Europe, Australia and China, and now plans a move to New Zealand. Douglas-Jones has been in Shanghai for three years working as a design leader for an international architect. His own studio, Atelier INDJ, has no boundaries between design disciplines: Furniture, art, sculpture, installations, lighting and interior design.

Tell us some of your works, and name the one you are most proud of.

Some of my proudest work has been the smallest. An installation for the London Design festival I designed and installed tackled head on the issue of waste and recycling, a meaningful and poetic project that lasted only two weeks but had a profound effect on me in my understanding of what design work really means.

I also spent two weeks in the Arctic Circle hand-building my design at the Ice Hotel in Sweden. Designers seem far too detached from the real process of making and understanding how materials react and come together — this is the real aim of design, a physical space, atmosphere, feeling or object that needs to be experienced and engaged with. There is too much make-believe in the design world! Put down the pen, switch off the computer and get your hands dirty.

Are you currently involved with any project?

I’ve been working on hospitality projects recently with several restaurants for the Urban Harvest and the G experience. G2 at Infiniti Plaza on Huaihai Road has just opened with a wonderful 14-meter jellyfish tank. G9 at Lane Crawford also on Huaihai Road will open next year with an interactive lighting installation with 956 lights over a three-story space.

Describe your design style.

Eclectic — fit for purpose — design should not have a style yet be tuned to each and every scenario. Each project has its own requirements.

Where are you most creative?

During the in-between times. With a forced idleness, that’s when I’m most creative — on the Metro or in a cab or even in the airport lounge, I also find that the shower gives me a great deal of thinking time.

What does your home mean to you?

Home is where I sleep for more than a week! But it is also a haven for my wife and me, and it’s my studio and workshop. At any time, there will be models and prototypes hanging around.

What do you collect?

Sketch books! I get through one every three months. Each book is filled with ideas, drawings, diagrams, contacts, notes and anything that fills me with inspiration. I’m a collector of photographs, too — my iPhone gives me the immediate capacity to capture what has taken my interest.

Where would you like to go most in Shanghai?

I love exploring the factories and workshops typically located in Shanghai’s outskirts. The best part is talking to locals and watching how materials come together. In the city, my favorite is Beijing Road, an amazing array of shops and workshops filled with industrial hardware and interesting objects.

What will be the next big design trend?

The next big trend I hope is no trend. Design is inextricably tied to fashion yet design is undergoing a grassroots revolution, from 3D printing, rapid manufacturing, digital design. Everyone can now be a designer, and design is skipping the shop front directly to the home.

Home and Design


 

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