Michael Healey
MISH
Furniture maker
Kinsale, Ireland
Layers of strength
- Michael uses bamboo to achieve strength and intricate patterns in his furniture pieces
- As an artisan without a traditional background, he draws on his own vision to build his works
- He has developed his own techniques to create the chequered effect in his woodwork
From building LEGO towers as a child to handcrafting furniture today, Michael Healey has always been making. Before turning to full-time woodworking, Michael worked in technology. His personal journey into woodwork and furniture allows him to approach his craft outside traditional lines and blend his own techniques into long-standing making methods. "When I began to explore sustainable woodworking, I came to appreciate the properties of bamboo," he explains. "When people put down bamboo flooring in their house, you only see the top grain, but the side grain is far more intricate." In pursuit of harnessing the full visual aesthetic of bamboo, Michael developed a stacking method to create pieces with a distinctive, brickwork-like composition.
INTERVIEW
There are things that I did not realise I could make, until I made them. I began to visualise all my designs in 3D on the computer, and over time I discovered I could live in two worlds: the technical, digital world, and a world where things are made of wood and will break if dropped on the floor!
I use sustainable bamboo panels and cut them into flat pieces about 2 cm thick. Traditionally, if someone were going to create a cabinet, they would put four flat pieces together to create the box shape. I turn this concept sideways, and stack the wood. Every metre I create contains about 50 pieces.
I am often not thinking about what the finished piece should be, but rather about how far I can take the techniques. For the ECHO collection, I wanted to push bamboo’s strength. I wanted to be able to dive through it!
I used to build video game arcades! Conceptually, I asked why everyone builds clunky arcades when the hardware technology is so much smaller now. I started with a couple of table tops, and then made a full-sized standing cabinet arcade that also acted as a bookshelf and could hold a record player.
Michael Healey
MISH
Furniture maker
Kinsale, Ireland
ADDRESS
Address upon request, Kinsale, Ireland
AVAILABILITY
By appointment only
LANGUAGES
English
Homo Faber Finds is a new service aiming to inspire admirers of craft to connect and collaborate with exceptional artisans.
We invite you to submit an enquiry here.
