Copying. We would be absolutely no where if we didn’t copy. Taking what someone else has made, and following it to perfection is almost admirable if imperceivable. Just look at Beltracchi. The guy is a master. He can replicate anyone from any period of time, yet he was persecuted for selling counterfeits. That takes genius to pull off.  Illegal, yeah. Somewhat immoral, sure.  But amazing never the less. Where I run into a problem is when an interior designer sees an item in a interior design magazine, let’s say a wardrobe or dresser, that “literally has” to be in their client’s space, and tears the photo from a magazine and then gives that clipping to a local (the ONLY saving grace here is that it’s local) manufacturer, so that they could copy and make that item, right down to the same details (and details are everything, right Mies?).  Perhaps the interior designer doesn’t want to pay the original maker’s price or can’t put their 40% mark up on the object and still have a happy client. EVEN if by some miracle, the client is willing to (and even more so, understands why they have to) pay a justified sum of money for a “designer” item, is it not truly wrong for the manufacturer to copy another object?  The makers cannot feel accomplished for their hard days work, after all, they are re-doing something that has already been done. They cannot brag about this piece and put it in their portfolio or website.  The only ones it satisfies are the manufacturer’s CFO, the interior designer, and the client that doesn’t care where the object came from as long as it is in their house before they host that very important dinner.  Perhaps people should think twice before asking for copies. Perhaps not.

You know when something is made well. You can literally feel it. We learn early in life that certain thin materials are fragile, while some others that are thicker, are stronger. Later on we learn that gold, one of the most valuable elements in the world, has a specific gravity of 19.32.  Did you know that the cast iron skillet in your cupboard has a specific gravity of only 7.87? [It's amazing to think about that skillet weighing almost two and a half times what it does now.]  The density of an object is noticeable to the hand.  Feeling the momentum of that object when we weigh it in our hands and the amount of effort it takes to lift something that is small in volume, but heavy in mass, is something that is striking to the brain.  It is not common for us to interact with these objects, especially now, when most things are made to be as cheaply as possible, sparing any and all overhead costs to deliver a product with high profit margins. Double points if it breaks in a year and the consumer has to buy another, because it cannot be fixed (if they even tried to fix it).  Does this mean titanium has no place in the world of quality objects? That would certainly be backwards thinking; no, it absolutely holds it's place.  It's just not what I'm about. Good thing I'm not an aerospace engineer.

The value of an object is one that is set by both the maker and the consumer.  There are, however, objects in this world that supersede this judgement and gain incalculable value in the eyes of their owner. These objects carry history; memories of moments, happy, sad, placid, that are felt, almost, at one time when the owner interacts with that object. A maker can only dream of this, and has no control over whether or not this concept develops. It is a fortuitous happenstance that occurs, most often, long after the maker is no more, and usually, only in the hearts of those who obtain said object.

By the way, the above photograph was taken by my grandfather, Harold A Milbrath, to showcase the amount of work he had completed to receive his MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art in 1954(ish?).  From furniture, to textiles to silversmithing and ceramics, he learned a lot.  It's incredible to me how much each student was taught regardless of concentration...  

I want to be bring objects into this world that make it a better place, and not fill it with garbage.  I come from a sculptural background, which I believe makes me a better designer.  To work with form, one must know how the material wants to be worked, and if possible, break that, to create something truly mesmerizing... just had to write down a passing thought.