around the world.’ Ceramics became Furman’s gateway into an alternative design history.

While studying at the Architectural Association, he was constantly designing things that he conceived of in ceramic, including a porcelain chapel. Subsequently as a lecturer, he taught the first architectural ceramics course. ‘My particular obsession is ceramics, but I don’t want to make them. I only get my hands dirty to understand what I am then going to be doing with other craftspeople. I’m very respectful of other people’s skill sets,’ he explains.

Nevertheless, he was one of the first designers to experiment with 3D printing, creating objects that were practical and beautiful, as opposed to just technically clever. He set himself up on one of the first platforms for selling 3D printed objects online. It helped him win a Designer in Residence at the Design Museum from 201314. Then, in 2017, he won the competition he clearly relished, to work with Turkish Ceramics for the London Design Festival. For which he created a brightly coloured

One of Furman’s main concerns is to bring art into the public realm in a way that is relatable, non-intimidating and practical and patterned series of tiled archways, called Gateways, which were erected as the entrance feature for the Design Junction exhibition in London’s King’s Cross. MAKING OPPORTUNITIES Furman never quite fits in anywhere, so he has had to make his own opportunities, working on small-scale vessel projects with individual manufacturers, often in Italy. ‘Fundamentally, the biggest challenge has just been not having a path to follow, not fitting into a professional category,’ he explains. ‘You are always falling between the gaps.’ He has had to make his own path, often taking part

14 May/June 2022