RICK IVEY
SCULPTOR / FURNITURE DESIGNER
TORONTO
http://www.rickivey.com/

Today Woosta.com got cozy with steely furniture designer Rick Ivey. As we sat back with that expression of shock and awe we pondered on the sum of his experiences that would eventually lead to such piece of fine art.

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in a small town called Orillia. Its about 2 hours north of Toronto. It’s a great place until you’re about 11, and then again when you’re in your late 60’s…not so great any time in between.

What did you do for fun there?

Fun Hmmm Well, every year, there was about a two-month fun window in the summer where my friends and I would live on the lake. But I think there is a city by-law prohibiting fun before and after those two months.

Ya, fun is over-rated anyways, work is the new fun! So when did you decide that you wanted to be a furniture designer?

I actually went to Sheridan for Advertising from 1998-2000. After working in Advertising, I realized that it wasnt what I wanted to do, so I decided to go back to school for something Id really enjoy. In 2002, I enrolled in the Crafts and Design program there to take Glass, but the way the program is set up, you have to choose two out of four studios for your first semester. The choices were Glass, Furniture, Textiles and Ceramics, so I chose Glass and Furniture. At the end of the first semester, I decided that Furniture Design was more where I wanted to be, so I made Furniture my chosen studio.

Where did you go to school?

I went to Sheridan College in Oakville.

Your work entitled 1825 has grabbed our attention have others noticed too
I havent received a lot of feedback about this chair yet. Ive just graduated, so I havent had a chance to promote it too much. However, I have been asked about possibly renting it out to be in a movie. Not sure what theyd be using it for yet, but Id be very interested in seeing!

The juxtaposition of your lounge chair Stainless Steel really hit us, what inspired you to come to this design?

Initially, it wasnt my intention to create something comfortable like a lounge out of something uncomfortable like steel. It just sort of happened that way. In this case, stainless steel was really the only material that would work for what I needed it to do. I needed something that could be cut and formed easily, joined together, and would be structural, because I wanted to experiment with intuitive furniture design. This is an idea for a process I had where I didnt want to start out with a set design, but more an idea of form. From this idea, I began by cutting out two pieces of steel, which I then riveted together. I continued to build onto these two pieces until I had enough of a surface to start forming it into the shape I wanted. For me, it was more of a sculptural piece than a furniture piece, but having said that, I did want it to be functional as well.

How long, did it take to design and build Is it fully functional or just steely heartthrob eye candy?

It took about 300 hours to make. It was more time consuming than I could have possibly imagined! And yes, it is functional. Theres no understructure. Its just what you see, and its hollow inside. That was a bit of an adventure, in that I didnt know if it was going to be rigid enough to support someone sitting in it until I was finished riveting on the last piece. It was a leap of faith sitting on it for the first time. Partly because of the tremendous amount of time I had put into it and not wanting it to be wasted, but also because I dont imagine it would be too comfortable if it had collapsed under me. But it ended up being surprisingly rigid. Its got a little bit of flex, which adds to the comfort, but it hasnt shown any sign of weakness.

Is this just a onetime prototype?

I havent decided if there will be others yet. Because of the huge amount of time required to make it, Id have to first see if there is a market for this one. I would like to try it again, possibly using different materials.I was marketing it to people who would be looking for a somewhat unusual, one-of-a-kind piece. Because of the time consuming process involved in making it, I definitely didnt intend for this to be put into production.

And what life experiences did you bring to the piece?

I dont think I brought anything tangible to this piece that was directly related to a life experience. It may have happened subconsciously, but I think this piece, like any of my work, comes from the sum of my life experiences.

The wood shop must be a ravenous place, did any one get hurt in the making of this chair?

Surprisingly, no. Luckily only I got hurt…Many, many times. It was only minor cuts, but there were millions of them, and I was pulling tiny metal slivers out of my hands for weeks after!

So I guess there was a lotta blood, sweat and tears lost eh Will they ever be recovered?

There was definitely some blood lost. A good amount of sweat was lost. More tears than Id like to admit were lost. However, I dont think Id ever like to recover these things. Theyre gone for good, and I think Ive made my peace.

Nobody wants rusty blood with steel stuck in it anyways, but if you had a choice between passing out on a park bench and passing out on you chair, which would you choose?

Well, that depends. This park benchis it one of the ones thats partitioned into individual seats If so, Id have to say my chair. But if its one of those comfy wooden park benches, thats a different story!

Yes those park benches offer up some great wood slivers and those slivers are a bit more comfy. So, describe a day in the life of Rick Ivey .

Ah, this question couldnt have come at a worse time! I just graduated, so Im taking a little time off before I jump into work. Im normally much more interesting, I promise! But lately, my day starts off by waking up at about 11, heading downstairs to find some food, and then lounging on the couch to watch some tacky daytime TV. I usually then wrestle my dog for a bit, which I try to convince myself is adequate exercise so I dont actually have to get a gym membership. Embarrassed and defeated, I go upstairs to sit and stare blankly at my computer while I look for work. This usually consumes the better part of my day. So Ill go back downstairs, and spend the rest of the night watching TV.

Time for the question weve all been waiting for; any tips for the aspiring designer ?

Ha! I dont really think Im in any position to be offering tips to aspiring designers! Actually, if any aspiring designers have any tips for me, Im all ears. But seriously, this whole scene is pretty new to me. Im just experimenting with the possibilities of what I think furniture can be, and Im just applying to anything I think I might have a chance of getting into, whether its shows or work. Its a really fun process, and I think the only advice I can offer at this point is to not take it too seriously. Dont get discouraged by rejection.

In that case, where do you think your heading in the industry?

Thats a tough question. I think it might be a little too early to say for sure, but I think Id like to get into making custom and one-off pieces.

Not that we care but where do see yourself in 5 years ?

In 5 years, I hope to have my own shop, where I can make one-off pieces for exhibitions and competitions, as well as work on commissioned pieces. I personally like the idea of working closely with my clients in order to give them something they will cherish for a long time, instead of designing something that will be put into mass production. Dont get me wrong, there is something to be said for designing for production, but I dont think its for me. But at this point, I cant say with any certainty where Ill be in 5 years. Im trying to keep a very open mind about the future.Who knows where itll take me

Ok Rick, I think we found what we were looking for and I hope you do too. Alls well that ends wellwhatever that means!

Posted: December 31st, 2007 under Rick Ivey.
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