Following the completion of 'Sun Egg No. 7' on the west lawn of West Dean College, we sat down for a chat with artist in residence, Alice Kettle. In this brief interview we discuss how she began weaving sculptures, her design philosophy and how she ended up in the Swedish woods. 

Could you introduce yourself and what you do?

I’m Alice Kettle, I'm a British material designer and maker based in the Swedish woods. My background is in product design, I studied at Edinburgh College of Art. After briefly working with ocean plastics I found myself wanting to work with my hands and especially with wood. I found a master's in wooden furniture design in Sweden, at a place called Dals Långed, part of the University of Gothenburg. So I left what I knew and moved here to the woods 7 years ago. As it turns out I didn't end up making a lot of furniture and I ended up making these large baskets, known as Sun Eggs, that invite you to lie down and look at trees. Something I have just built at West Dean this summer as part of the artist of residency.

What drew you to weaving and constructing Sun Eggs over more traditional furniture making methods?

Good question. It came from looking at the role of the designer and the responsibility that we have given that 70% of waste comes from the design stage. I questioned why we were making more things we don't need and became really interested in why we’re so stressed and if you're very stressed, how do you invite people to be less stressed? Naturally, I ended up lying on the floor with a paper cone on my face! I felt so relaxed! So I started weaving different cones and inviting other people to lie down on the floor with the cone and we all agreed that it was very relaxing. I wondered if there was any science to this and came across the world of environmental psychology. An institution in the south of Sweden introduced me to the idea of the fascination factor and attention restoration therapy. The idea being if you can get the brain to be fascinated, then you can allow it to rest. So, I looked at transforming these cones into outdoor installations with the idea of framing trees to become these endless fascinations and encourage moments of rest. It’s comparable to looking into a fire or watching wind on the water, these moments of endless motion and kinetic movement.

Weaving these large installations came about by following your curiosity then?

That, but it’s also problem solving. That's the design background in me, we work with this idea of making tools and I think nowadays designers may be less about the product and more about the experience. The Sun Eggs invite us to be less stressed and to connect with the idea that we are part of nature and not separate from it. Making them from willow is always amazing too, it’s such a wonderful material, you get to grow it, harvest it and it turns back into a mushroom when you finish with it!

You’ve obviously stayed in Sweden since completing your masters, was that an easy decision?

I love it here. The first week I came people invited me to go mushroom picking because that's just what they do. The outdoor lifestyle is so ingrained in the culture here. They have a connection with the land and the seasons that I feel is less common in the U.K. I really enjoy how they live life here, but also for my practice and artistic activities, I feel they're very supportive in this country.

Have you always wanted to be an ‘artist’ in that sense?

Um, good question, I still don't probably call myself an artist and I don’t think it was ever about being an artist. I think it was about working out the process of how things were made and how the world works. That was the curiosity that drove me to my masters, I had a desire to know how things were made so that I could then make it myself.

Has the path been as straightforward or have there been times where life as a maker has tested you?

Massively, oh the amount of times you think, what am I doing? And when you’re struggling to pay rent and you question is this worth it? Do I go back to the 9-5 job? Do I go back to security? But then you have these sweet moments when you're doing the thing that you dreamt of doing and it dissolves everything.

It's worth it then?

Oh absolutely. I think the flexibility is amazing. It's forever a rollercoaster, I think you have highs and lows and times of questioning when the bank balance isn’t aligning with what you're doing. But I've never been driven by money, yes, it's stressful not to have it, but as long as I'm well and I'm doing things that I love, I think that outweighs anything else. I think that’s why its so important to have a community around you doing similar things and facing similar challenges, you don’t feel that you're doing it on your own.

What advice would you give aspiring makers and designers at the beginning of their careers?

Stay curious, stay true to what you believe and be brave. I think that’s the biggest one, none of this comes without bravery and courage to do these things and step forward without fear. The first time I did a lecture in front of people was terrifying and now it’s normal. I think determination is a big thing too, to not give up even in the lowest moments and to stick to a goal, my goal has always been to feel connected to the land and connected to how things are made.

For more information on our basket making, willow weaving & chair seating click here.