Mark Laban

Mark Laban is an experimental furniture designer living and working in London. Fundamental to this occupation, He's a maker.

Making is intuitive to how he works and implicit in his understanding of material. Underpinned by a process of research and development, his approach to design is rooted in hands-on material exploration and direct engagement with manufacturing methods to explore hidden variables that produce unexpected results.

His practice is situated at an intersection where traditional and contemporary craft converge. He looks to question the relationship that time-honoured making techniques and tacit knowledge have with contemporary industrial manufacturing processes, considering what the hand of the craftsperson means today.

Mark Laban, Future Heritage 2016 Alumnus

Working principally with wood, he is interested in the natural, historical and cultural language that this renewable utilitarian material is entrenched in. Through a contemporary lens he seeks playful and progressive new ways of augmenting traditional knowledge and practice to create innovative expressions of furniture.

Mark Laban develops uniquely crafted commissions for private clients, interior designers and architects, undertakes residencies delivering educational and designs research outputs, and also has a keen interest in the development of products for commercial production.

Rustic Stool By Mark Laban

At Future Heritage

Mark Laban made three benches in solid oak timber.

These pieces developed through an unconventional approach to the material and manufacturing tool of choice, namely a 3-axis CNC router. By manipulating the subtractive nature of this digital fabrication process, he was able to utilise the underexposed capability it has for imperfection to influence the design.

Computer generated slabs informed by the silhouette of wood grain were carved from stock timbers. The slabs evoke the state of the material in it’s raw form and characterise the assembled furniture with a hybrid aesthetic, nuancing rusticity through the language of the machine.

“Thinking about what I learned at the time, and the subsequent development I’ve undergone since, Future Heritage may have been the most important catalyst in my journey as a professional practitioner.” - Mark Laban

Current work

Recent projects include a series of 5 stools produced by similar technique to the oak benches exhibited in 2016, whereby an assemblage of digitally manufactured elements are carved using a CNC router before being constructed into a variety of stool compositions using traditional rustic furniture making tools and methods. Originally showcased in 2017, the Rustic Stool collection went on to feature in several exhibitions and was recently acquired by the Crafts Council’s permanent museum collection.

In 2018/19 Mark Laban moved to Japan for six months to undertake a design research residency at Kyoto Design Lab, part of Kyoto Institute of Technology. While based there he developed a project that questioned how traditional Japanese timber materials that are often fixed by esoteric cultural contexts could be innovated through the application of digital tools and manufacturing technology, specifically robotic fabrication.

Since moving back to London his current activity has been largely engaged by a staple of bespoke commissioned work for private residences and commercial premises. Alongside this he has also been working to build a community orientated making space at a meanwhile site based behind the British Library in Somers Town called MAKE @ Story Garden. Led by Central Saint Martins in collaboration with a number of external partners, the project aims to bring together local communities around a programme of arts activities, projects to address local issues, and skills development.

Rustic Bench By Mark Laban

If you would like to make an enquiry about Mark Laban and commissions, get in touch here or visit his website www.marklaban.com