Allan Collins is a British artist who communicates his ideas through the mediums of haute couture furniture, sculpture and drawing. His works are crafted by the finest artisans using the latest technologies and specialist techniques passed down through generations, and the materials are chosen for their beauty, tactility and ability to age with grace.
How did you first get interested in the design? In your own words, what are some of the signatures of your pieces? I describe my furniture as haute couture. Creating limited edition works for Gallery FUMI means I can play with any idea that comes into my head. I can play with sensual and beautiful materials; I can take advantage of the expertise and skills of the finest craftsmen. For me it is all about fantasy, joy and the unexpected.
You describe your work as âwhere design becomes artââcan you expand on that and what that means to you? I studied Fine Art and call myself an artist. Furniture is the medium by which I conduct my artistic practice and communicate my ideas. Where I tread the line with design is that the works need to function as pieces of furniture, and getting this line right is always an exhilarating dance. The ambition for my furniture is the same as a great painting or sculptureâI want my work to be visually and intellectually stimulating and to touch the soul.
What are the hallmarks of an Allan Collins piece? The excitement for me is waking up each morning and asking questions about what I do not understand and thinking what I can bring new to the world today. I like surprising myself.
What are some of your inspirations and influences? My fascination with design started when I was child with my love of sports and racing cars. In particular, the words of Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, describing the carââA product that is coherent in form requires no embellishment. Iâm fascinated by the art and the architecture of ancient civilisationsâhow a stone vase made in 3,000 B.C. can step out of time and place.
What have been some of the unique challenges when running a furniture business these past few years? My furniture is represented by Mayfair-based Gallery FUMI and for two years global art and design fairs, such as PAD, Design Miami, and The Salon Art + Design in New York at which FUMI would have exhibited my work did not take place. Thankfully these fairs have since reopened, and my work can now be physically seen by a wider audience. During this hiatus, the team at FUMI encouraged me to create new work that pushed technical and material boundaries.
Tell me about some of the materials you use and where you source them from? I choose materials for their beauty, tactility, and ability to age with graceâmaterials like bronze, hardwood, marble, and Arapaima fish skin. I want each material to tell a story. The Scylla bench is upholstered in beautiful Arapaima Gigas (Pirarucu) fish skin, known as the “Amazon Giant.” The freshwater fish is native to the Brazilian Amazon where thousands of families in the region have survival linked to the fishâs capture and conservation. The Descartes cabinet bronze doors are patinated a rich black and marked with bright white gold splashes, inspired by the ancient Chinese technique of gilt-splashed bronze. The Fonteyn chair is made from an oak tree grown in a cattle pasture on a large English estate in the Cotswold Hills. The Kubrick table is made from the purest of all white marbles from the island of Thassos in Greece.
What is unique about British design? Britain has a proud industrial heritage, being the cradle of the Industrial Revolution. That legacy lives on with the British fabricators I work with: Benson Sedgwick engineering in Essex; Lapicida in Yorkshire; Bill Amberg Studio and Bronze Age Foundry in London. These fabricators use the latest technology in conjunction with specialist craft techniques passed down through generations to turn my ideas into reality.
Interiors, design and spaces tell a storyâwhat is the story you want to tell? I want to tell the story of timelessness. My ambition is for my work to elicit the same emotions in 1,000 years time as it does now.