21 December 2007 REAL PEOPLE DOING UNREAL THINGS An individual style By Desné Masie

Designer Gregor Jenkin has given new meaning to avant-garde furniture. His handmade designs are moulded, cut or cast into shape without the use of glue or welding. Jenkin has been designing and manufacturing his functional art since 2004, after completing a bachelor's degree in architectural studies, and already he has carved out a market here and abroad for his sought-after products. A self-confessed "fanatic" for handmade items, Jenkin designs furniture for the home, office and exhibitions at two downtown Johannesburg factories. His work was recently part of William Kentridge's exhibition titled What Will Come at the Goodman Gallery in Johannesburg and will be used in upcoming shows in the US and the UK. "My style is sensitive to how things are made. I believe that the design process informs the end product," he says. Jenkin's pieces are predominantly in steel and made by dry assembly, meaning that no welding or glue is used in manufacture. Imagine a table shaped out of a single sheet of metal. He also dabbles in ceramics and "things like that". He says he draws inspiration primarily from colonial furniture as well as from Johannesburg itself. In SA, Jenkin's work is sold exclusively by Tonic, a store in Johannesburg, and by Deon Viljoen in Cape Town. He is also represented by The Conran Shop in London. Surprisingly, pieces are relatively cheap when compared with mass-produced items such as those kitsch leather-and-mahogany lounge suites, which can cost as much as R50 000. One of Jenkin's tables costs between R10 000 and R20 000 in the domestic market. But his Profile table is available for £2 995 from The Conran Shop. He also exports to Europe. "The ironic thing," says Jenkin, "is that in SA, designer furniture is a niche market, but then someone will see an item in London and inquire about it. Why is it that unless something is good enough for London it isn't good enough for here?" It's an attitude which Jenkin describes as "all a bit provincial". He also believes South Africans respond far too slavishly to trends and fashion when it comes to design. "They are more interested in keeping up with the Joneses than in cultivating an individual style," he says. Unsurprisingly, his ideal customers are people "who know what they like". Jenkin works full-time with a team of three. "Nothing here is mass produced - we even make one-off items. I don't think I will expand beyond that. I think if I expanded I would lose track of new design." He says that sometimes designers who expand too much may find themselves " being far too involved in the business and the numbers, and eventually divorced from design and making". "I enjoy the nature of the game far too much for all that," he says. "I want to make things for as long as I can and concentrate on one-offs and narrative furniture." His interest in colonial furniture has led to Jenkin experimenting with pressed-ceiling panels for wardrobes and other "olde-worlde" materials for his Van Die Stel range. Hybrid steel and wood have been used in his Cape Dutch-style furniture dubbed Kaapentry. His Infrastructure range has miniature street lamps for the home. "South Africans have such a tendency to moan about everything, like infrastructure - but we have so much to be grateful for, and I want to remind people about that." Jenkin hopes we will move into a globalised head space and stop talking about "SA design". He says: "We need to think of our stuff as good, international design."