Alfred Nassoro

Alfred Nassoro on his current projects, his views on circular design and thoughts on community.

Can you tell a bit about yourself and your professional background?

My name is Alfred Nassoro and I'm a 41-year-old designer. I’d say I do a lot of things design-wise, as my creative journey has led me to explore various forms of expressions. However, I mainly create different furniture designs, interior objects and sculptural pieces such as mirrors, chairs, tables etc. I’ve also had formal education in woodwork and done apprenticeships in both Denmark and Sweden. 

What kind of projects and designs do you make?

Currently I’m prototyping some mirrors, which is part of a collaboration with someone who is going to sell them for me. I’m also making some chairs, coffee tables and side tables as well. Collaboration is a big thing for me, which is why I’m also in the talks about some collaborating designs with other designers at Maker. There are a lot of talented designers with different backgrounds, strengths and weaknesses, so I’m hoping to work together on a few different projects soon. I have one exciting collaboration with a fellow member after the summer, which I’m really looking forward to.

Can you tell me about a recent project you’ve made here at Maker?

I recently made a chair, in one single day! That is also one of the reasons why I’d describe it as one of my favorite projects. I combined a lot of different technologies and modalities in the sense that I was using both the laser cutter, different woodworking tools in the workshop and oil area as well as working both inside and outside. It’s a bit of a funny chair to me actually, as it has become the chair in my bedroom. You know, the chair that always ends up covered in clothes. So actually, you rarely get to see it. However, when you do see it, it is more of a sculptural piece rather than functional - unless of course, you classify it as a place for your clothes. 

What inspired you to create this chair?

I’d say I find my inspiration both externally and internally. I look up to a lot of inspiring men and women in woodworking, design and sculpting. In Denmark there is a place called Egeværk in northern Zealand consisting of two pioneers in sculptural objects and furniture. Another big inspiration for me is this guy named Morten Stenbaek, who is a very accomplished sculptor. He makes beautiful designs and has established partnerships abroad as well. I’m very inspired by his craftsmanship and  the longevity of his work. I went to a design exhibition where he brought his 10 year old designs, which was a great testament to the longevity of his furniture.

Abroad I find inspiration from Nuge, Allison Crowther and Gustaf Westman, to name a few. I’m not only inspired by their use of different materials and craftsmanship but also their strong brand identity and their way of telling stories that goes along with their furniture and designs. That is something Gustaf Westman is particularly good at. He truly figured out the right recipe for creating an engaging online presence surrounding his designs, and that is something I dream of doing too.

What have been your biggest challenges on this project?

The biggest challenge for me has always been to keep it simple. I think this is something a lot of designers struggle with. Less is more. It takes a lot of discipline to keep it simple. Let’s say I’m 90 percent finished with a project and I need to give it a surface treatment, either oil or color. When I start this part, I can’t really go back, so I have to follow through with the direction I took. However, I also see my struggle with keeping it simple as both a blessing and a curse, as it forces me to try again if I’m not satisfied.

How does your work contribute to a more circular approach to physical entrepreneurship?

Maybe 90 percent of the materials I use are sustainable. I do that because I want to make the Co2 carbon footprint a little bit smaller for the future generations and hopefully inspire others to be curious about using sustainable materials in the production. We have so much waste in the traditional production methods today. There are large companies that have practices where they make certain objects with limited shelf time or make fairly good furniture. But if you take the furniture apart and put it together for just a couple of times, it will be ruined, and you need to buy new ones. And that’s a big waste in my opinion. I also do think that legal and financial measures should be taken to force larger companies to take more responsibility. In that way, a more sustainable practice would change much faster than it does today. 

One of the reasons why working with 90 percent sustainable materials is possible for me, is because Maker has a lot of great memberships with places that sell surplus material from productions. It gives you much easier access to materials like wood, plastic, textiles, metals etc. Even though the material might have some cuts and bruises, it is completely worth the small amount of extra time you have to put into it to make it look good. Also, most people probably wouldn’t even notice the bruises anyways. I also source materials on my own and upcycle them. Finding different types of wood from old furniture has given me a lot of motivation to keep going in that direction. There’s simply just so much beauty to be made out of these materials.

Is there something in your field that you find particularly interesting at the moment?

Right now I’m very interested in textured surfaces. I get very inspired by a Japanese wood sculpting technique called Naguri. I also follow a few accomplished Japanese woodworkers that do a lot of work with this texture-technique. This technique is very tactile. If you put this texture on any type of surface, it just changes how you relate to it. I’m still exploring this technique and trying it on different objects. 

I used to be very into smooth, clean and organic surfaces. The texture that I’m doing right now, is more rough. It looks like it’s somewhat cut, and kind of resembles a rock that’s been broken. There’s sharp edges in different places. So that texture I’m very into at the moment.

What are your dreams for the future regarding your work?

I’d say one of the dreams I have for my work is to branch out in different collaborations. Especially with the members here at Maker, and also future members and maybe even previous members as well. I see a lot of potential in the work that we’re doing separately that could become even bigger if we combine some of our strengths together. And also combine the different materials that we’re working with.

I also want a more sustainable business practice, where all my materials have a positive impact on the carbon footprint in general. I want future generations to be able to buy furniture, objects, sculptures etc. that have a more sustainable production, and for most parts, are locally sourced. 

I would also love to see myself grow into an inspiration for other sculpture makers. When you have a more formal background it can sometimes be limiting because of the frames and tools you’ve learned. I think it’s important to continue to be curious about the work that you do. That’s why I think Maker is a great place for a designer, as you do not only get to be curious about your own work but also about the work that other people are doing. It can create a bigger potential, expand your horizons of materials that you can use and increase the complexity of your work, as you can get courses in different machines and tools. If you find the right connections and the right ways of working together, you can create work on a much larger scale that you would be able to do by yourself. So that is definitely one of my goals on my entrepreneurial journey here at Maker.

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