Through a new series of interviews, ‘Makers at Work’ celebrates Scotland as a place of making, capturing a diversity of disciplines, practices and making spaces.
We visited Marc Sweeney at his workshop in a boat yard on Loch Lomond to chat about the value of design, the importance of failure and Scotland’s craft history.
How did you get started working in your craft?
For as long as I can remember I’ve always cared about how things looked, whether it’s fashion, architecture, furniture or everyday objects. I’m lucky that I grew up in a house that valued design. My dad’s a wooden boat builder by trade so furniture and internal joinery was often built and not bought. His love of making rubbed off on me. It wasn’t until I was in my late 20’s that I decided turn my passion into a career by enrolling in a Masters degree at Istituto Marangoni London. After graduating in 2022, I returned home to Loch Lomond to start my own practice. Since then I have exhibited work in Scotland, London and Milan.
What was your experience of craft education in school?
I suppose it was the same as anyone else who grew up in Scotland, the choice was either technical education or baking scones in home economics. It was an afterthought subject that no one took seriously, which is a terrible disservice, not only to the tutors, but to young people who do not have the aptitude for the more academic subjects that we like to celebrate. I myself am dyslexic and was never given the opportunity to shine in school.
What is most challenging, and most enjoyable about your practice?
The most challenging and most enjoyable aspect of my practice are the same, failure and overcoming it. The nature of my work is very experimental, there often isn’t a playbook for how I approach any given material or process. Mistakes are inevitable but very necessary. Its here that you download what went wrong reassess and try again. When it finally pays off there is nothing like it. Recalibrating your relationship with failure can be quite powerful.
What would improve your life as a maker or what support do you think is missing?
More customers, more opportunities to sell my work. Design is rarely democratic. It’s expensive to produce and it’s financially risky to develop new work which might not come to anything. In today’s climate it’s hard to convince people to invest in design.
How do you view Scotland as a place for making, selling, exhibiting and celebrating craft?
I love Scotland. I love being Scottish. We have a long history of invention and industry. I feel like we’re at the beginning of an exciting time for Scottish craft with the opening of places like Bard in Edinburgh championing Scottish designers.
Marc Sweeney is a Scottish product and furniture designer. Growing up with a father who works as a wooden boat builder and runs Sweeney’s Cruise Company on Loch Lomond sparked his early interest in making and materials. He studied Fine Art at the Glasgow School of Art before shifting his focus to design, completing a Master’s in Product Design at Istituto Marangoni London in 2022. In 2023 he returned to Scotland to establish his own design studio alongside his father in the boatyard at Loch Lomond.