ROBERT Foster,
leading Australian designer, was killed last Wednesday July 13 in a tragic car accident.
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| The late Robert Foster with 'the jug' |
Foster graduated with a BA (Visual) in Gold and Silversmithing in 1984 and completed a Post Graduate Diploma in 1986 from the Canberra School of Art, Australian National University.
In 1986 he immediately set up a workshop in Canberra and
commenced work privately. His first solo exhibition – “Between Earth and Sky” –
was held at Makers Mark Gallery, Melbourne that same year. He exhibited in many
group shows in Australia and internationally for the next several years and
held a second solo exhibition in 1991 – “Vessels” – at Studio Noko in Sydney.
Foster travelled to Europe, studying techniques, studio
methods and design, returning in 1988. He undertook contract work at the
Australian National Mint in Canberra for several years, and worked as a
technician in the Glass Workshop and the Gold and Silver Workshop at the
Canberra School of Art, adding valuable skills to his talent for design
innovation.
In 1993, Foster established FINK + Co, the first product
being one with which we all so familiar: “The jug, that from which to pour”,
commissioned by The Republic, an edgy restaurant in Canberra. FINK was always
intended to support and be part of a network or company of artists and
designers.
Foster learned under the expertise of Ragnar Hansen and
Johannes Kuhnen in the Gold and Silver Workshop. Here he learned the
traditional skills of hollowware, and they were integral to his body of work.
He had also experimented with anodised aluminium, chosen initially as an
alternative to more expensive metals, such as silver. The first jug was a small
edition, made using found materials and a simple press. He recognised
immediately the potential for production processes for small scale production
of functional objects – many of which are quirky but all of which function
perfectly.
By 2013 over forty designs had been developed, some of which
were produced in very small runs. Foster had collaborated with at least ten
artists in developing the designs, which included diverse materials such as
glass, jewellery and moulded plastic.
Robert Foster experimented continuously, always seeking
another way of making or another object that could be made more easily or more
efficiently, or which could be given a fillip.
All potential designs were given extensive research and
development. He always had a deep knowledge of tool making and made most of his
own tools, and other artists learned from his tooling practices.
Foster used his experiments and one-off designs to develop
multiples – he never drew a distinction between exhibition works and production
lines. Those who worked with him benefited from this knowledge and approach to
making. Sean Booth, who developed a line of tableware for the Hyatt’s three
restaurants at the National Museum of Australia when it opened in 2001, and
manufactured at FINK, identified many lessons learnt on the studio floor,
including economic use of materials and efficient time-management.
One of Foster’s first collaborators at FINK was Scott
Chaseling, a highly-regarded glass artist, and they created “The Fink Large
Bowl” in 1994, made from spun, powder-coated aluminium with thermo-formed
acrylic. Other artists he worked with include Elizabeth Kelly, another glass
artist, creating the “Fink Citrus Squeezer” in 1995 and the “FINK Shot Glasses”
in 1999. FINK, in association with others, created a range of jewellery
including brooches, bangles, pendants and earrings using diverse techniques.
These collaborations were highly valued by all those
involved. Artists took their experiences of cross-fertilisation of skills and
processes back to their individual studios, where they continued to develop and
create works of art. Foster was generous with his experience and was willing to
share – both through mentorships of younger craftspeople, or by inviting others
to design for FINK. Artists retained copyright in their designs and their names
remained associated with the product, being highlighted in advertising. They
earned valuable royalties while establishing themselves and gained a
professional reputation through their association with FINK. He also opened his
studio and allowed others to use his equipment.
Robert Foster initially sent his products to Sydney to be
anodised but there was a high attrition rate. Eventually, he set up his own
anodising plant and offered this service to other industries in Canberra.
FINK went on to foster design and small production. The
generosity of spirit that Foster extended to young graduates working in metal,
glass and wood is a major legacy from which the Australian community will
continue to benefit. They will be losers from his untimely death.
Foster began working with lights as early as 1997, when he
created the “Fink Blink Lamp”, which used his fascination with magnets. Hanging
lights followed in 2005, with perhaps his most recent project being the
installation of two lights in the newly refurbished Members’ Lounge at the
National Gallery of Australia, in the second week of July.
Foster was commissioned to create “The Journey” for the then
new ActewAGL building in the city, launched in 2010 to celebrate the company’s
tenth anniversary. This ever-changing light sculpture is a landmark work of
public art in the city of Canberra.
Gretel Harrison, Foster’s partner, joined FINK in 1997 and
has been the “frontline of the business” according to Elizabeth Kelly. Her
strong background in marketing and graphic design helped create a range of
promotional materials. She maintained an international presence at trade fairs
and gained valuable research, product development and customer feedback – a
vital element of the process of product development. Her work is always clean,
elegant and imaginative, and the use of artists photographed with their work
gave an accessible, human touch to the objects.
The principles of ‘play, challenge, and inspire’ lay at the
heart of Robert Foster’s practice. It is impossible to quantify the impact he
has had on Australian, and indeed international, design over the last thirty
years. He has influenced probably hundreds of artists in countless ways. He was
once described as having the ‘natural inquisitiveness of an engineer with the
creativity of a designer’.
Robert Foster will be missed by the visual arts community in
Canberra, in Australia and around the world, and by those who appreciated his
beautifully made, whimsical and functional works of art.
He is survived by his partner Gretel Harrison and their two
young daughters.
Date of Birth: August 23, 1962, Kyneton, Victoria
Date of Death: July 13, 2016, Kowen, NSW
This obituary first appeared at citynews.com.au on July 15 2016
