Not only is Laurie an incredible talent with an amazing attention to detail, he also believes in the value of collaboration - as has been demonstrated in work with Lionel Smit, Wim Botha and Atang Ashari amongst others.
I was privileged to be invited to explore his studio earlier this year and what a joy that was. It is pristine, well organized and an installation in and of itself. The attention to detail both aesthetic and from a production perspective is inspiring. Laurie and his team work magic in this space and he has transferred wonderful skills to his staff.
When a special friend whose son Bernard is finishing school at Waldorf this year showed me a chair that he had made for an assignment, I contacted Laurie and asked if he would be prepared to have a conversation with him and give him some feedback.
Without hesitation he agreed and the result is that with his input, Bernard has completed a table and a stool which is not expensive to manufacture, pleasing to the eye and practical. Bernard was inspired by working with Laurie and I believe that Laurie will continue to be a great mentor to this young talent.
To get ahead in life, I believe that we all need to look at what we can give and how we can support one another and share some of the wisdom that we have. To see Laurie ‘pay it forward’ has been a real inspiration to me, and I am thrilled that he is one of the 3 nominees for the 2015 Arts and Culture Trust Impact Awards in the design category. We will know the outcome at the beginning of November and I am holding thumbs…