LDF Network Evening 2015: Sean Sutcliffe

London – You can take the craftsman out of the workshop, but you can’t take the workshop out of the craftsman, says Benchmark co-founder and furniture-maker Sean Sutcliffe.

Speaking to LS:N Global at last week’s Design in the Age of Anti-authenticity Network Evening, Benchmark’s co-founder and managing director explains why an expert knowledge of process is vital to good design.

‘Whether its a 5,000-year-old spearhead or a digitally made vessel, they both contain that witness of process that is the mark of a craftsman,’ he says.

Regardless of the labels affixed to a product, either rightly or wrongly, people will always be fascinated with the way things are made, says Sutcliffe. The future of craft, he says, will be found in the engagement in that revelatory moment.

The Big Picture: Misappropriated by brands, words including ‘craft’ and ‘artisanal’ have lost their meaning for consumers. To learn more about Anti-authenticity Marketing, book your place at Beyond Borders, our Autumn/Winter 2015 Trend Briefing.