I have been dreaming up The Bright Angle for a few years now. My intention with it was to create a business that bridged the gap between design and craft - that presented an avenue for studio artists to introduce their work to the design marketplace. Using efficient systems of production we are able to reach a wider audience with handmade objects. I define The Bright Angle as a handmade design brand with a backbone of a handmade design facility.
There have always been the people in the village that create the objects. The potters, the metalsmiths, the builders. Today, even though we have the machines and technology to make the items quickly and efficiently, we still are in need of designers. At The Bright Angle we choose to not only design the items but choose to make them ourselves, which incorporates designing and handufacturing. One may see what we do as artists and craftspeople as a privilege, (superfluous, unnecessary) but it’s more than making art. It’s about making the things around you that you need or want rather than having a bunch of disposable “stuff” that is made in a different country by unknown hands or machines.
I have several goals for The Bright Angle, some of which are abstract and some of which are concrete. One, to have a space or facility that can allow my friends or fellow artists to realize an idea from mind to two dimensional drawing to three dimensional object as easily as possible. I would like our studio to be a facility for translating plans to objects.
Secondly, I would like our studio to be a place to incorporate design with handmade. So many objects in our lives are disposable because most of the time the designer is disconnected from the maker and material. Most ceramic ware is designed on a computer by people who have never made a pot. In these cases, the designer has no concept of the material and may never even touch the item that they have designed. They have no grasp on the material they are designing with or the process in which it will be made. This is a very tangible disconnect.
Third, my hope for The Bright Angle is to promote optimism and hope for a thoughtful and considerate life full of handmade things. It is my belief that handmade pieces promote empathy because you feel connected to another human who made the things you love. Empathy is a necessary practice to find an optimistic perspective. When you’re collecting handmade objects to encourage habits you want in your daily life, it makes you more thoughtful and considerate in your daily life.
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