Farm describe themselves as “a decidedly British design collective”, consisting of the furniture designers: Alexena Cayless, Giles Miller, Sebastian Hejna and Guy Brown. Distinctive in personality and style, they each excel and specialise in different ways, whilst sharing a similar design language and drawing inspiration from popular British culture. They also strive to challenge the conventions of furniture design. Farm considers materials and production methods as the root of their practice with a commitment to investigating British manufacturing techniques.
As a collective they value and rely on the sharing of information, skills and knowledge to facilitate the design process and have based this as the starting point for their commission for Designers in Residence. Throughout the duration of the residency, Farm plan to set up a temporary studio taking inspiration from visitors to the museum, the design community and their individual networks. They will provide a platform in which to exchange ideas, and ask mixed groups of people to contribute by sharing knowledge, focused on the promotion of British manufacturers. Farm will apply this convergence of diverse expertise to inform four new pieces of work.
The four members of Farm met at Loughborough University on the BA Three-Dimensional Furniture course in 2006. They have continued to work as a collective, simultaneously pursuing independent projects and personal career paths. They now collaborate on different projects, helping with the advancement of ideas and exhibiting together in Milan Furniture Fair ‘Salone Satellite’ and London Design Festival.