Graham Powell

Introduction

Hello and welcome

The work shown here represents a life dedicated to design and engineering, derived from a restlessness born out of enthusiasm, passion and perhaps even obsession? The journey has taken me from crafty kid, to apprentice engineer, art school 'up-start' to commercial designer, conceptual exhibitor to design educator and writer, back to professional designer again and now these days mixing up all of the above to suit the management of the design and engineering project.

For as long I can remember I’ve been interested in challenging 'things' and asking "Why?"... to then counter offer "But why not like this instead?". I suppose, design and enquiry has always been in my blood, which probably comes from a long lineage of technical engineers in the family. That and being the middle child, a boy sandwiched between 2 sisters - so generally left to manage my own creative projects. It seems the passion for taking things apart then rethinking and rebuilding them in a completely new way, both literally and metaphorically speaking, has been deeply embedded from my early upbringing onwards.

Design and Engineering are professions that encourage ideas to be challenged, developed, tested and (if they are any good) substantiated in the real world through the offering of new things. A place where left-brain logic colludes with right-brain idealism, serious investigation spars with playful imagination, and technology collides with creativity. This then is my 'thing', and "But why not like this instead?" the common thread that runs through all of my projects.