Product Design

Melbourne, VIC, Australia

Fred Ganim

In a world groaning under the design weight of chairs, tables, shelves, cabinets, bookcases, and lights, the sensible answer to the question of ‘do we need another chair?’ is ‘no’. But once in a blue-moon, pieces present that say and do something new. They typically display a formidable skill; reveal the inherent property of a material and evidence a quality of making that assures a lifetime of service. And, in this digitally driven age, as diversity disappears and the ephemeral defines nearly every experience, they are nearly always made by hand. The best articulations of this slow-cooked craft dovetail past memory and future inquiry, ergonomic efficiency and emotional authenticity, and they know how to nourish head, hand, heart and eye. They are few, but they are fleshing out a new definition of luxury as: time-loaded, fully embodied craft that hides a complexity of critical thought and contemporary concern. It’s why the best designers are forgoing the furniture showrooms (filled with the usual suspects of design) and seeking out the back-street ateliers where the art-end makers work. This is where you will find Fred Ganim, the 32 year old Melbourne-based artist, whose DNA has determined that he would one-day do something of design consequence. And that day has come! Attempting the design triple-pike, Ganim has hand-crafted a collection of fine furniture that is timeless, but of its time; that nods to past movements while saluting 21st century Australian style; that speaks of our cultural sophistication while serving basic human needs. “Fashions may change,” he says. “But the human form doesn’t.”