Zoe Robertson is a designer-maker and creative director based in the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham. In 2015 she founded Dual Works with her husband Steve Snell to create bespoke design solutions ranging from art exhibitions and community commissions to commercial projects. Their clients have included National Memorial Arboretum, Sense Charity and Midlands Art Centre. Primarily working in woods, plastic and metals for projects related to interior design and manufacture, Zoe and Steve are multi-skilled makers and together have over 50 years’ combined expertise.
Zoe took a degree in jewellery making, silversmithing and applied crafts from which she went on to a successful career in education. She has taught on foundation courses in 3D Design, at the Design Museum in London and spent 14 years at the renowned School of Jewellery in Birmingham where she progressed to Course Director.
Alongside her teaching career Zoe has developed her artistic practice. She designs through making and experiments with form and materials in the studio. This has led her to create work that challenges perceptions of the way jewellery is usually displayed behind glass in gallery exhibitions, rebelling against this by creating large-scale work that allows, “the audience to touch and interact with it.” This led to a series of exhibitions between 2016 – 2019 called flockOmania which were, “an interdisciplinary laboratory of making which bought together the visual and material practices of contemporary jewellery/sculpture with dance/movement in an experiential, immersive environment.”
Passionate about promoting design and making skills, Zoe has initiated collaborative projects which inspire young people through making. In 2017 she was invited to contribute to FutureMakers, a residency at the Midlands Arts Centre based in a purpose-built design studio within the exhibition space where the design and making process was displayed to the public. She has also set up Girls with Power Tools, a workshop aimed at giving women the confidence to use tools to make and construct things for themselves.
We chatted with Zoe to find out more about her experience as a woman working as a multi-disciplined designer in what are often perceived as traditionally male disciplines of carpentry and metal work, and to discover more about her artistic process.
How did you first become interested in working as a designer maker?
I’m a Blue Peter Kid and loved making things whilst I was growing up. Design, making and solving 3D problems is a personal strength and I realised this was a gift which I should cherish, practice and explore.
Can you tell us how you got to where you are now?
My career has evolved in many ways but making has always been at the heart. It has primarily involved combining a full-time teaching career along with my own work as a practising jewellery artist. 2015 was a pinnacle year in which I created a body of work for a solo exhibition called flockOmania. This collaborative project sparked many opportunities and a desire to become a full-time designer maker.
Dual Works evolved from the need for a space to make and store large-scale artefacts for this exhibition, so it began life more as an artist’s studio. The workshop location in the Jewellery Quarter has allowed our business to grow, evolve and develop by word of mouth via recommendations and referrals. This has led to a transformation in the kind of projects and commissions we pursue. We are multiple material makers and projects are now more related to interior design and manufacture.
I’m always curious and have learned to listen, observe and evaluate what is working and what to leave behind. I’ve been open to opportunities, not followed any particular trends and instead found confidence in my own vision and abilities.
How did you go from working on a small-scale jewellery to producing large scale installation pieces?
Good question! I don’t really have a concrete answer to that, apart from that I love experimenting and trying new things. I design primarily through making and my work evolves out of using materials and form in the studio. It just got bigger and bigger. I don’t like being labelled and sometimes find it hard to define my practise in terms of my career. Is it artistic or commercial? At the moment it’s primarily commercial, working to client commissions but we’re still enjoying creating artistic projects. I don’t see myself as fine artist. I’m a maker and it’s the process of making that has formed and evolved into my work.
Can you tell us about how you got to put on your own solo exhibition flockOmania?
When teaching in higher education there is an expectation that you develop your own research and creative projects. I had always produced pieces for contemporary jewellery exhibition. But I wanted a different way to exhibit jewellery that would produce more audience interaction with the jewellery. Jewellery is meant to be handled and worn, not looked at in a glass case and so I decided to put on my own exhibition flockOmania.
How has being a woman impacted your career? (positively and/or negatively)
Both! We are a design duo and a husband and wife team and it’s interesting at times how that dynamic plays out. Woodworking is often regarded as men’s work, especially using power tools and I’ve encountered situations where clients directed the conversation to my husband, Steve, on the basis of that assumption. This has been especially so at trade shows when we are looking at power tools and materials. The stand holders often assume Steve is the builder and I am the PA. I’ve directly experienced this at a construction industry trade show, when the salesman directed the conversation to Steve. I could see what was happening, so I asked him to speak to me as I am the director. The man in question did go bright red and I did feel empowered in that moment!
This is why we instigated our Girls with Power Tools one-day workshop to empower women! Empowering girls to get on and use power tools and not have to wait for their male partner to put shelves. It’s really about giving women the confidence to have ago and realising it’s not as difficult as it seems and you don’t have to be big and burly bloke to use a saw or a drill.
Recently, there has been lots of discussion in the industry around the gender pay gap and how few women progress into senior positions. Have you experienced this yourself and do you have any thoughts on how we can counteract this imbalance?
I would say: start your own business and be your own boss. Be confident in your abilities and don’t be afraid of difficult conversations. From experience I found it’s better to be clear and confident when talking about money. I used to shy away from discussing money with clients, but I’ve learned to be direct with these kinds of conversations and to value my experience and expertise.
Don’t sell your services too cheaply and don’t be afraid to walk away from a client project if it does not feel right or add up financially.
In your experience, do you think there is equality and diversity for men and women across the design industry today?
I firmly believe that there should be more opportunities for kids from all backgrounds, to play, create, design and make, whether it is in schools, playgrounds, after-school clubs or at home. It’s so sad to hear that so many design and technology and art depts are shrinking or closing. Problem solving is a fundamental key skill which can be learned via trial and error through these activities. Whether or not you become an artist or designer, these skills can be applied to so many careers and vocations. New initiatives and opportunities are needed for kids to learn about the wealth of possibilities and to show them that there are exciting and fulfilling careers in art, design and engineering.
I am hoping that the upsurge in crafts, sewing, baking, gardening that has come in reaction to this Covid 19 crisis will have paved the way for a new generation of entrepreneurs, creative thinkers, designers, artists and makers and be a positive way forward out of these challenging times.
Do you have any words of advice for women considering a career in design today?
Go for it. If you don’t allow yourself to start you won’t be able to look back and see how far you have come. If you set things in motion, then ideas can evolve, and you can grow and learn. Take a risk as you will be surprised where it takes you. It’s an adventure.
Be nice! and have separate social media accounts for your work and home life!
Which female designer/artist/thinker has most inspired you?
There have been many over the years but in recent years Anna Parker who is the founder of Intervention Architecture www.interventionarchitecture.com has been a constant inspiration to me because she is not only a talented creative but a savvy business owner whose drive, determination and passion for her work is awe inspiring. She has fully supported Dual Works and her infectious energy, kindness and encouragement has inspired me to move from part time employment to becoming a full-time director of my own business. She has become a great friend and mentor and I’m continually grateful to share experiences with her.
Three other female creatives currently working in the industry who you find inspiring!
- Artist, Di Mainstone: https://dimainstone.com
- Sculptor and artist, Anna Lorenz: http://annalorenz.com/me.html
- Contemporary dance maker, Amy Voris: https://www.amyvoris.com/
For more info:
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Future Makers | Midlands Art Centre | Dual Works Artist Residency | 2017
We were invited to participate in FutureMakers a residency at Midlands Art Centre, Birmingham in collaboration with Alessandro Columbano We worked with the public to design and build pavilions which aimed to inspire young people through acts of playing, making and building. The residency was based in a purpose-built design studio within the exhibition space exposing the design and making process to the public. Results comprised a number of mobile, wearable pavilions, which were multi-functional and referenced the architecture of the Midlands Art Centre and landscape of Cannon Hill Park.
I Am Me, We are Kindred | Spectra Arts Theatre Company | 2018
We were commissioned to design and manufacture an interactive stage set for Spectra Arts, a performance company that draws on the diverse creativity of its mixed professional and learning-disabled community cast to devise multi-sensory theatre. We designed and fabricated an immersive set as part of a promenade performance whereby the audience travelled around three distinct environments. Each area had a specific sensory experience and included wearable collars made from flocked carpet for audience members to wear which acted like a travelling set, providing a wearable wall of colour, pattern, and texture at each location.
flockOmania | Zoe Robertson solo exhibition | 2016-2019
I initiated a solo exhibition, flockOmania, an interdisciplinary laboratory of making which bought together the visual and material practices of contemporary jewellery/sculpture with dance/movement. These large-scale wearable artworks were meticulously hand crafted using a mix of traditional craft skills in combination with industrial processes. These were exhibited as an experiential, immersive environment and the artwork was specifically devised with the intention of inviting the audience to interact, touch, play, wear, explore and respond.