George Watson
London, United KingdomI come, as much from an creative background as I do from construction, and am most satisfied when I’m taking part in projects that push both faculties. Growing up on boats on the river Thames gave me a firm hold on trade skills that I’ve improved throughout years of work on residential projects and in my art fabrication role at MDM props. Meanwhile a degree in art and spatial design has informed a creative practice that sees regular commissions for the fashion industry.
I feel most alive when I’m taking part in the conceptualisation of new projects, and love to ride that wave all the way through the design and making processes where I can shape ideas into life. I feel that its often within the latter phases of making that you can really imbue the project with something special, and so like to reserve room for a bit of design improvisation throughout.
My broad skill-set has equipped me to be a versatile part of any team and I enjoy negotiating between parties to procure the best outcome. Collaborations have been invaluable to me; bringing new vision, understanding and capabilities to any projects and boosting my grasp of respective disciplines. It is through such collaborations that I have gained confidence in electronics and mechanics, and custom built systems that will drive a vast array of LEDs or sequence motors, bringing objects to animated life.
I truly love what I do, and am always on the lookout for new experiences. GET IN TOUCH!
I feel most alive when I’m taking part in the conceptualisation of new projects, and love to ride that wave all the way through the design and making processes where I can shape ideas into life. I feel that its often within the latter phases of making that you can really imbue the project with something special, and so like to reserve room for a bit of design improvisation throughout.
My broad skill-set has equipped me to be a versatile part of any team and I enjoy negotiating between parties to procure the best outcome. Collaborations have been invaluable to me; bringing new vision, understanding and capabilities to any projects and boosting my grasp of respective disciplines. It is through such collaborations that I have gained confidence in electronics and mechanics, and custom built systems that will drive a vast array of LEDs or sequence motors, bringing objects to animated life.
I truly love what I do, and am always on the lookout for new experiences. GET IN TOUCH!
Work Experience
Bad Marriage
Designer, fabricator
Bad Marriage is a fresh new design business from the incredibly talented and all-round super-hero Dan Ainsworth.
Keeping a playful, fluid design process alive throughout production helps Dan achieve stunning effects and win new clients straight off the back of each job completed.
At Bad Marriage we take the view that anything is possible, and with our close network of friends with fascinating expertise, we've pretty much got it all covered. There is a clear aspiration to update the practice to embrace new technologies and thus offer our clients and audience a brand new experience.
Keeping a playful, fluid design process alive throughout production helps Dan achieve stunning effects and win new clients straight off the back of each job completed.
At Bad Marriage we take the view that anything is possible, and with our close network of friends with fascinating expertise, we've pretty much got it all covered. There is a clear aspiration to update the practice to embrace new technologies and thus offer our clients and audience a brand new experience.
London, United Kingdom
MDM Props
Designer / Fabricator / Lead Fabricator
***SEE BELOW FOR PROJECT LIST***
MDM props is a wonder-factory of bizarre and beautiful artworks for top contemporary artists in Britain. I worked there solidly for nearly two years making a wild range of things for display in some of the worlds most prestigious and visited art museums. It was a hell of a lot of fun, incredibly varied and always challenging and demanding. You could not break your teeth in a more stimulating environment. Everything is possible.
Clients include:
Raqib Shaw
Marc Quinn
Fiona Banner
The Victoria and Albert Museum
Jake and Dinos Chapman
Mark Wallanger
Rolf Sachs
Anish Kapoor
The Design Museum
MDM props is a wonder-factory of bizarre and beautiful artworks for top contemporary artists in Britain. I worked there solidly for nearly two years making a wild range of things for display in some of the worlds most prestigious and visited art museums. It was a hell of a lot of fun, incredibly varied and always challenging and demanding. You could not break your teeth in a more stimulating environment. Everything is possible.
Clients include:
Raqib Shaw
Marc Quinn
Fiona Banner
The Victoria and Albert Museum
Jake and Dinos Chapman
Mark Wallanger
Rolf Sachs
Anish Kapoor
The Design Museum
February 2010
- October 2012
London, United Kingdom
George Watson
Designer / Fabricator
As a self employed designer and builder (later 'fabricator') I have undertaken many residential contracts, mostly for bathroom and kitchen fitting, and earlier to refurb the interior of a 45' barge in southwest London.
I'll be happy to discuss these projects in more detail.
I'll be happy to discuss these projects in more detail.
May 2005
- January 2013
London, United Kingdom
Education
Central Saint Martins College Of Art And Design
BA (hons) Art, Design and Environment
BA ADE was a young and ambitious corse that made many design disciplines and ideologies available to me. I was surrounded by many talented and driven individuals who often had very different backgrounds and interests, making for a fascinating experience during crits and presentations.
September 2006
- July 2009
London, United Kingdom
Languages
English (Native),
Skills
Carpentry,
(Trade Skills),
Architectural Model Making,
Autocad,
Electronics,
Illustrator CS6,
Indesign Cs6,
Metalwork,
Paper Crafts,
Photography,
Photoshop CS6,
Plastering,
Plastic Fabrication,
Plumbing,
Polysculpting,
Set Painting,
Sketching,
Sketchup,
Tiling,
Waxwork/Resculpting,
Matthew Williamson - Love Bubbles
This was a baptism of fire (not literally) in electronics. The 2012 VALENTINES window display for Matthew Williamson, Bruton Street.
Eighty-one BMW headlights arranged amongst layers of perspex, and programmed to ripple like raindrops on puddle. See the video in the Love Bubbles project for an idea of how it worked out. I was rather pleased with this one, I must say.
Eighty-one BMW headlights arranged amongst layers of perspex, and programmed to ripple like raindrops on puddle. See the video in the Love Bubbles project for an idea of how it worked out. I was rather pleased with this one, I must say.
Matthew Williamson - Olympic Podia
This was the London 2012 window display for Matthew Williamson, Bruton Street.
Each podium was made of ply, laminated in curves and split in an edgy, shattered pattern. They were also lit with brightly coloured RGB LEDs that illuminate the area at the base of the podia.
Each podium was made of ply, laminated in curves and split in an edgy, shattered pattern. They were also lit with brightly coloured RGB LEDs that illuminate the area at the base of the podia.
MDM - Mark Wallanger 'Diana'
Mark Wallanger - 'DIANA' - National Gallery
It was a real pleasure to work closely with Mark on this one (lovely chap!) to create his contribution to the 'Metamorphosis, Titian 2012' exhibition at the National Gallery. As it turned out, it was a 5 star ***** exhibition at the second most visited gallery in the world, so I think it went down pretty well.
Who would have thought we'd get away with putting a fully functioning bathroom in amongst the priceless artworks of one of the world's most famous painters ever? And throw in a bit of nudity to boot!
I managed the production of this one from the first screw, to the last stroke of a brush - helping to create an artwork that was as close to Mark's vision as possible. This meant a lot of discussions and a very fluid process of trial and error, until everything was 'just right.'
It was a real pleasure to work closely with Mark on this one (lovely chap!) to create his contribution to the 'Metamorphosis, Titian 2012' exhibition at the National Gallery. As it turned out, it was a 5 star ***** exhibition at the second most visited gallery in the world, so I think it went down pretty well.
Who would have thought we'd get away with putting a fully functioning bathroom in amongst the priceless artworks of one of the world's most famous painters ever? And throw in a bit of nudity to boot!
I managed the production of this one from the first screw, to the last stroke of a brush - helping to create an artwork that was as close to Mark's vision as possible. This meant a lot of discussions and a very fluid process of trial and error, until everything was 'just right.'
MDM - 'Digital Crystal' - Swarofski
This was a truly beautiful exhibition at the Design museum with some of the best digital art and design work from the last 10 years or so. Carmody Grouarke really know what they're doing with these things, I really thought it was absolutely stunning.
Made mostly from MDF and a clever use of white muslin, LED lighting, and the occasional bit of black vinyl, I ran the job within the workshop before moving to site and installing at Shad Thames.
Made mostly from MDF and a clever use of white muslin, LED lighting, and the occasional bit of black vinyl, I ran the job within the workshop before moving to site and installing at Shad Thames.
MDM - Chloé, Palais de Tokyo
Judith Clark's design for the Chloé exhibition in Paris involved 13 huge steel cabinets and a lot of other raw, industrial metalwork.
I improvised a lot of the steelwork to make patterns in windows and Art Deco style hand rails and such like. Welding fun!
I improvised a lot of the steelwork to make patterns in windows and Art Deco style hand rails and such like. Welding fun!
MDM - 'British Ballgowns' - V&A
A very well received, popular exhibition, designed by Emily Pugh.
I worked on mainly on the moving elements, making motorised, rotating 'pearls' on which mannequins display the dresses. I was also responsible for making the chandeliers, and fixing fibreglass spheres (oversized pearls) into a string draped across the exhibition.
I worked on mainly on the moving elements, making motorised, rotating 'pearls' on which mannequins display the dresses. I was also responsible for making the chandeliers, and fixing fibreglass spheres (oversized pearls) into a string draped across the exhibition.
MDM - My Little Mermaid, the Musical
I prepared several trucks and mechanisms for the heavyweight props in both the West End and Broadway productions.
MDM - Acrylic feature wall - Selfridges
While the fabrication of the 500 complex acrylic bricks was taken care of elsewhere, I took on the role of making the bracketing system that would secure the structure to a supporting wall, not to mention running the job on-site.
This involved an incredibly finite margin within which to erect the wall, fitting the stack in stages; at first during the construction of the floor itself; then at night time between Selfridges' notoriously busy days.
This really was a technical challenge to get right.
This involved an incredibly finite margin within which to erect the wall, fitting the stack in stages; at first during the construction of the floor itself; then at night time between Selfridges' notoriously busy days.
This really was a technical challenge to get right.
MDM - 'Ghost, the Musical'
I was responsible for creating much of the steelwork that supported large props and furniture for both the West End and Broadway productions of Ghost, the musical.
MDM - Freedom For All, Forever - Bristol
This is a large steel, aluminium, plywood, polycarbonate, and LED permanent art installation in Bristol that serves as a reminder of the city's role in the slave trade.
-FREEDOM - FOR ALL - FOREVER-
I made the frames, duplicated the CNC and waterjet cut elements and assembled the lot before it was sent to site.
-FREEDOM - FOR ALL - FOREVER-
I made the frames, duplicated the CNC and waterjet cut elements and assembled the lot before it was sent to site.
Matthew Williamson - 40th Birthday Bash
A centrepiece for Matthew's private party at a huge stately home in Oxfordshire.
Lit acrylic, LEDs and EL wire made this little number the cherry on the cake.
Lit acrylic, LEDs and EL wire made this little number the cherry on the cake.
MDM - Rolf Sachs
By far my favourite experience at MDM involved motors and fans and changing states of matter.
Unfortunately, given its pending status, I am not allowed to comment further.
Unfortunately, given its pending status, I am not allowed to comment further.
MDM - Ceryth Wyn Evans
BEAUTIFUL tubular filament lights arranged in cylinders, and strewn across a gallery floor.
Rewarding, exciting work, but very inefficient and not at all planet-friendly.
Rewarding, exciting work, but very inefficient and not at all planet-friendly.
Fingerposts
The client's exact words were "fingerposts that give the impression of a French aristocrat on the way to the guillotine."
I created some charming signage with a certain comedic value, that were individually printed and written to capture that old time, craft feel.
I created some charming signage with a certain comedic value, that were individually printed and written to capture that old time, craft feel.
MDM - Raqib Shaw - Paradise Lost
A photorealistic scene of carnal desire in the metaphysical world of Raqib Shaw!
This was a huge project that MDM took from its earliest iterations to the finished shining masterpiece in the White Cube, Mason's Yard.
There was so much work within this project that its hard to list, but my responsibilities were roughly:
Re-sculpting and finishing wax miniatures
Finishing the life-sized wax sculpts
Preparing a system to cast oversized waxworks
Creating stands for the finished creatures
Transportation units, devices, crates (timber and steel)
Chasing the bronze sculpts
Welding the 400kg bronze figures together
Welding and chasing smaller, sculptural elements
Chasing, chasing, chasing
Creating a supporting steel frame for the entire piece
Filling and texturing fine detail on surfaces
Overseeing assembly on site
This was a huge project that MDM took from its earliest iterations to the finished shining masterpiece in the White Cube, Mason's Yard.
There was so much work within this project that its hard to list, but my responsibilities were roughly:
Re-sculpting and finishing wax miniatures
Finishing the life-sized wax sculpts
Preparing a system to cast oversized waxworks
Creating stands for the finished creatures
Transportation units, devices, crates (timber and steel)
Chasing the bronze sculpts
Welding the 400kg bronze figures together
Welding and chasing smaller, sculptural elements
Chasing, chasing, chasing
Creating a supporting steel frame for the entire piece
Filling and texturing fine detail on surfaces
Overseeing assembly on site
Love&Money
Love&Money is an online community of creatives who share ideas and contacts in order to make a living from their hobbies and passions.
I developed a large typographic sign - conceived as a form of street art - that would move between several London locations, capture public interest and gain traffic on the web page directly from the street. It worked a charm: loads of people got in touch, the network expanded and new commissions were secured.
I developed a large typographic sign - conceived as a form of street art - that would move between several London locations, capture public interest and gain traffic on the web page directly from the street. It worked a charm: loads of people got in touch, the network expanded and new commissions were secured.