The Crit #18: Paul Cocksedge
How do designers rate their own work? Which projects do they feel have stood the test of time, and which don’t stand up to scrutiny? The Crit, a podcast from Disegno, has the answers!
Each fortnight, Disegno’s editor-in-chief Oli Stratford invites a leading designer to Kef Music Gallery to review their own work. Our guest reveals what worked best; what failed; what pushed their career to new heights; what feedback most shaped their practice; and what they feel needs to be redesigned.
At the end of each episode, to complete their crit, they’ll be asked to give themselves a grade for their career to date: fail, pass, commendation or distinction.
It’s a design-school crit, delivered every fortnight! Subscribe to the show here, or sign up wherever you get your podcasts from.
Our eighteenth guest on The Crit is Paul Cocksedge, accompanied by show host Oli Stratford.
Episode #18: Paul Cocksedge
Paul Cocksedge is an artist and designer working across public art, sculpture, architectural installation, and furniture and lighting, whose pieces often engender a feeling of wonder and surprise in audiences.
Having established his studio with Joana Pinho in 2004, Cocksedge's work is now in wide demand from brands including Sony, Hermès and BMW, as well as institutions such as the NHS, the V&A and Friedman Benda gallery. His new monograph, Reflections, which illustrates the evolution of his practice, was published by Phaidon earlier this year.
From coal that sparkles like glass to wood planks that undulate like waves, Cocksedge’s work is characterised by experimental processes, often using forms that seem impossible given their material composition. In this episode, Paul visits the studio to talk about the importance of developing relationships with manufacturing communities; the challenges of financing an art and design practice; the case for pedestrianising London’s streets; and Reflections, his new book from Phaidon and exhibition at Carpenters Workshop Gallery.
Show Notes: Paul Cocksedge
Best design: Coalescence
Worst design: Manuscript
Most successful design: Please Be Seated
Most impactful feedback: Ingo Maurer saying he believed in Paul
Dream design: Redesigning London
This episode of The Crit was recorded at KEF Music Gallery London.
The Crit’s graphics were created by Leonhard Rothmoser.
The Crit’s music was created by Yuri Suzuki and Team Suzuki.