Pippa Murray

I am a research- and materials-led designer who champions the necessity of grassroots industries in response to the challenge of a sustainable future and how we must change our everyday outlook towards design.

Objects have stories that have impact far beyond the end consumer, and it is with this consideration that my projects are developed. My work explores the potential of functioning solutions that harness ecological processes and materials without compromise.

British hardwoods have provided a diverse resource for industry through the ages. As a furniture maker I find British hardwood to be a constantly surprising and rewarding material to use in my designs. During this project I have enjoyed the opportunity to investigate possible applications for hardwood in today’s context starting at the beginning of the material’s story, the woodland.

'Moulding our Woodlands' uses wood shavings, an otherwise waste by-product from existing woodland practices and utilises the inherent properties of the material throughout the process, from its energy output to its self-bonding capability. By developing a method of moulding wood, this project demonstrates an achievable batch production for cost effective objects. By increasing the commercial potential of our unmanaged woodlands as a renewable resource, my project looks to bridge the gap between bespoke craft and the mass market.