Five Minutes with... Nathan Martin

Nathan Martin, *Melancholy coffee table 01*, 400 x 900 x 600, aluminium, Photo: Connor Patterson

We sit down with Kaurna/Adelaide-based artist and JamFactory Associate Nathan Martin of SATURDAY YARD WORK to explore the space between sculpture, craft, and functional design using material experimentation and processes.

Can you tell us a little about yourself?

I create one off experimental furniture and object pieces which are guided by material and process. Although I have a background in industrial design, I’m now much more interested in designing and creating around limitations or material details rather than a brief.

Can you walk us through your metal casting process from initial design to finished piece, and share how your approach might differ from traditional casting techniques used in ancient or industrial contexts?

I try not to have too much control over how the final piece turns out. My Melancholy pieces are made by applying spray paint to foam, which will eat away and manipulate the surface. I find by using a sand casting process for these, the surface texture is highlighted and a contrast of going from something light and fragile to sturdy is created. Most of the pieces I have created have been influenced by or made from items I have around me, such as scrap foam I have collected or wire. I like there to be some evidence of a familiar or existing item and I try to carry this through to when I use sand casting. With common sand casting practice there’s a lot of removing material and cleaning up post casting. For my pieces I like to leave as much as I can as I feel it adds detail and shows evidence of process. In an industrial context, sand casting is often used to create repetitive parts, whereas all of my pieces are made individually.

“In many industrial processes there will always be imperfections and much of my practice has been about trying to display these as features and details rather than remove and avoid them. ”

Nathan Martin, *Wax stool 01*, 580 x 400 x 400, aluminium, Photo: Connor Patterson

Your practice blends sculpture, craft, and functionality - how do you determine the balance between these elements in a new piece?

The balance always changes based off of what I want to explore in my work, meaning some pieces may be more functional than others. Working with scrap foam means the making stage can be very fragile. If anything breaks I don’t tend to re-do or fix the piece, instead I try to work with whatever comes out of it, which has a big influence on the final piece. For the pieces in Melting Point I wanted to show all the different ways I use sand casting in my practice. Highlighting the different processes in my work resulted in pieces that were on the less functional side for this exhibition.

Given your strong focus on process-driven design, how do you approach the tension between planning and spontaneity in your work?

Most of my projects are based off a single detail or technique which could be applied to create any sort of piece. When exploring these in the context of a useable object, I begin with the idea of what I know that object to be, or how people usually perceive it. Deciding on what object to make, size and scale is the only real designing I’ll do to give the piece some restraint and control. Sometimes my designs are also based off how much material I have to use at the time.

The following stages is then completely guided by the material, which leads to really surprising results and unique details in each piece. Because of the uncertainty in how the pieces could turn out, I try not to spend too much time creating the perfect original form, as it will completely manipulate itself once techniques like applying surface texture is undertaken.

The imperfections and intricacies of handmade objects are central to your work - what draws you to these qualities, and how do you think audiences respond to them?

I’m really drawn to pieces, especially in other artists practices, where I have no idea how they’ve created something. This really influences the things I like to make, and I hope others feel that when my work is presented to them.

In many industrial processes there will always be imperfections and much of my practice has been about trying to display these as features and details rather than remove and avoid them. I have often come by little details in material by accident, most of the time its not anything appealing but if it interests me then i’ll try to explore it further and see how it can be implemented into functional pieces.