Interview with Andrew Fisher Tomlin about Miniature

Miniature is a new garden show opening in Central London in March that will be featuring 3D models of miniature gardens. The mini garden models on display will be designed by some of the UK and worlds most talented garden designers.

Just to declare London Stones interest, we are sponsoring one of the ten mini show gardens that will be on display at Miniature. After agreeing to sponsor one of the mini show gardens I realized that I had loads of questions to ask about the event and thought it would be fun to interview Andrew Fisher Tomlin who along with Tom Harfleet and Kajsa Bjorne is the driving force behind the miniature. Here is part 1 of the interview. Hope everyone enjoys reading it

Andrew Fisher Tomlin is one of the UK’s most well known and respected garden designers. His experience includes public spaces as well as residential gardens both as a designer and horticultural consultant. Andrew is also a Director of the London College of Garden Design, a Fellow of the Society of Garden Designers and regularly acts as Chairman of Judges for the Royal Horticultural Society.

London Stone have worked with Fisher Tomlin & Bowyer on a numerous projects over the years. The most recent one that I was personally involved with was “The Garden Pad” which won silver gilt at Hampton Court 2013.

So when I recently saw an email in my inbox from Andrew Fisher Tomlin I was expecting to find a drawing or specification for a landscaping project. When I opened the email I was surprised to see that the contents were something completely unexpected.

I don’t know an awful lot about 3D printing apart from what I had seen in the media but I had started to hear more and more about the concept. When I hear about anything new the first thing I will do is look for relevance. With 3D printing I just couldn’t see relevance to my world and because of that I had never really paid it much attention.

Now my ears pricked up as I read that Andrew Fisher Tomlin and Tom Harfleet were launching a new garden show that embraces 3D printing technology and were seeking sponsorship. This sounded like an interesting project and a light bulb went off in my head and I could immediately see the potential impact that this could have in the world of garden design. I always make decisions quickly and before I had even finished reading Andrew’s proposal I had decided that London Stone would be sponsoring one of the ten individual display gardens.

So what is miniature all about?

Ten international designers have been chosen to create unique designs for development into miniature 3D models. Each model will be accompanied by an explanation of the ideas behind the design, the techniques, process and the realization of the garden. There will also be live 3D printing happening in the how 3D printing works.! All this will be taking place in Central London in early March

The Ten designers chosen to create designs are:

Myles Baldwin (Australia)

John Brookes (United Kingdom)

Jamie Dunstan (United Kingdom)

Sarah Eberle (United Kingdom)

Jim Fogarty (Australia)

Adam Frost (United Kingdom)

Jihae Hwang (South Korea)

Andy Sturgeon (United Kingdom)

Jo Thompson (United Kingdom)

Wilson McWilliams (United Kingdom)

I had loads of questions that I wanted to ask about Miniature and I figured that if I wanted more information then so would everybody else. What better way than to speak to the man himself, Andrew Fisher Tomlin. Here’s what he had to say about miniature.

SW: Who was the brainchild behind Miniature?

AFT: I first had an idea about 2 or 3 years ago about model making and models as a show because I have always loved them and I think it’s really interesting that not many landscapers nor landscape designers are doing this. I looked into it with a colleague Graham Hubbard and it was just too expensive to have good models and produce enough of them for a show at the time. When Tom (Harfleet) and I were in Australia last year Tom had been talking with Kajsa about the opportunities for 3D printing and they said wouldn’t it be great to do mini gardens and I thought ahh, here we go and our ideas came together that we could actually put on this show at a reasonable cost all be it that 3D printing is still in its infancy and can still be expensive at the moment.

SW: The next question was going to be how long has this exhibition been I the planning but I know from seeing your tweets that you were in Australia quite recently so I suppose the answer to my question is not that long?

AFT: Yes, we knew that if we were going to catch peoples attentions with it we had to act quickly because I personally feel that in 12 months time everybody will be using 3D printing, its moving at a phenomenal rate and if you look what’s happening even one of the big pasta companies in Italy has now got a 3D printer that restaurants can have and they can print personalized pasta for someone’s birthday and that’s a development that’s happened in the last 2 weeks. So we thought lets move forward with this while it’s in its infancy and experiment with it

Hobbs 3D were very keen to show people in the landscaping world what you can do because architects are using it quite a lot. Hobbs work for the likes of Norman Foster but its not really out there in the landscape world apart from a few people who are out there talking about it. So we wanted to investigate it and we approached it with the mind set of if nobody comes, then nobody comes but we’ll enjoy ourselves. So we moved quite quickly on it, as soon as we got back from Australia in September we started to get people and things in place.

People like Paul Hensey have been talking about 3D printing but not many people have picked it up, it’s still a bit pricey. The models we have are costing in the region of £800-£1000 each but I think if you are working on a premium project like Chelsea then this is something that you might want to pick up and use. Actually the materials are very expensive, the models can be made from a number of materials, there is a glass like material available but most of them are made from starch that is biodegradable so you can put them on your compost heap!

But the prices are going to come down. 2 years ago I was looking at 3D printers that were priced at £15,000 and now you can order 3D printers from Tesco Direct for a £1000.

SW: And I suppose as time goes on the prices will come down again and again

AFT: Absolutely and as a design practice we are already looking to see where we can use it. Also for developers who are building very expensive properties it’s a great tool to show people what the landscape of any property would be like.

I will be posting part 2 of the interview on Thursday. In the mean time why not check out the Miniature Facebook page or follow them on Twitter to get regular updates of this exciting event in the world of garden design and 3D printing?

https://www.facebook.com/MiniatureGardenShow/info

@MiniatureDesign or https://twitter.com/MiniatureDesign

Here is part 2 of the Miniature Interview with top UK garden designer, Andrew Fisher Tomlin. Hope everybody enjoys reading it

SW: In terms of the people who are behind the project, there is yourself, Tom Harfleet and Kasja Bjorne. What roles have you all played in driving this project forward?

AFT: Kasja is a Swedish landscape architect but she also has graphic design knowledge, so she’s been working on the website amongst other things. Tom is the model maker amongst us. He’s always made models for his show gardens and the only show garden he didn’t make a model for was Sydney because we changed things so many times. I suppose I’m there for the contacts (laughs loudly), my background was originally in marketing. One thing we’ve all got is a passion for garden design. Tom and I have been involved in a number of projects in the past and will also be in the future as were both very interested in conceptual gardens. We actually met Kasja in Sydney when she was working on our garden over there and she’s been great because whilst we are all involved creatively she’s been the voice of reason on the team. We need someone to stop us running away with things!

SW. So Kasja provided the balance that every team needs?

AFT: Yes, exactly because Tom and myself are already starting to talk about 4D printing (laughs loudly)

SW. In terms of getting this project off the ground, has it been hard work behind the scenes?

AFT: (Laughs loudly) Yes, you’d be amazed how difficult it is to find a good gallery and we were lucky that we found the Strand Gallery, it’s a great location right in the centre of London. We know that there are going to be people coming from all over the UK to see the show.
It’s been the case that we’ve just kept plugging away and sponsors have come to us in many ways and noticed what we are doing. Tom and I are both really into social media, we love twitter and Facebook and we have used these mediums as a way of launching this and the website goes live next week. It’s great, we’ve had a lot of support from the industry. It’s something different that nobody’s seen before and its in March when it’s quite miserable, so were hoping it doesn’t snow because then nobody will come (laughs loudly). Its interesting thought because since we announced the designers we have had enquiries from other countries to take the show around the world. We’re in conversations about touring Japan, we thought we would go to one place but we have had 3 enquiries. India, Sweden, Holland, probably Australia as well which is great new way for promoting British garden design. When it goes to these other countries we would like to take out 2 of the gardens and then replace them with 2 gardens designed by local designers. This way the exhibition will continue to refresh itself

SW. So, you have scaled the project and you’re already thinking about global domination before you have even done the first exhibition, I like it (laughs loudly)

AFT: (Laughs loudly). That’s always been my intention Steve.

When I got into horticulture and did an HND in horticulture and landscaping I didn’t know where it was going to take me and it amazes me to this day that I am able to travel around the world with it

SW. I can certainly relate to that Andrew. So, to all those people out there asking what Miniature is all about, what would you say to them?

AFT: Miniature is about exploring new ideas in design and giving designers the opportunity to design gardens without the limit of budget, health and safety, that sort of thing. All of the gardens designed for the exhibition are achievable and not just pretty CAD drawings. Some of them will be phenomenally expensive but people will take away that a lot of things are possible. So this has allowed garden designers to explore garden design in a different way and have a play with 3D printing.

SW: Apart from garden designers, who else will benefit form visiting Miniature?

AFT: We know there will be a lot of landscape architects attending. I think generally, people who are thinking what can be done with 3D printing, should come along. It’s going to be fun as well. I know that kids will love it because they will be able to get in close and enjoy it.

There is not going to be any formal judging but we are doing one thing called the peoples vote which is in aid of Streetscape which is an amazing social enterprise that takes long term unemployed people and gives them apprenticeships in landscaping, they are based in South London. It’s a bit like Waitrose, you put your money in a slot and you vote and all the money raised will go to Streetscape.

SW: Finally, what do you hope to achieve and what impact do you think Miniature will have on the world of garden design?

AFT: I’m 50 now Steve, most of the time I just want to have a good time (laughs loudly). We have no great aims for it, we just hope that people will come along and enjoy the show. We know the designers are really enjoying doing the designs and looking at things in a different way. Three of the designers are hoping that the designs they have exhibited at Miniature will be sponsored for a future Chelsea Flower Show garden, so people who come to the exhibition will see them here first hopefully, so for the designers it’s a great opportunity for them to promote themselves. For us, were enjoying the ride and if we get a trip to Japan out of it, well it can’t get better really can it?

SW. So just to clarify this project has no objectives apart from global domination?

AFT: As I said earlier it’s about exploring design without the usual restraints. There is one design there that’s very conceptual and its going to be a real talking point and if we can produce a show that makes people talk about garden design and what gardens can achieve then our job is done. There is no great agenda we just want to get people thinking about what they can do with gardens and let’s see where it goes from there.

Replies

Steve London Stone February 4, 2014 at 4:01pm

Here is part 2 of the Miniature Interview with top UK garden designer, Andrew Fisher Tomlin. Hope everybody enjoys reading it

SW: In terms of the people who are behind the project, there is yourself, Tom Harfleet and Kasja Bjorne. What roles have you all played in driving this project forward?

AFT: Kasja is a Swedish landscape architect but she also has graphic design knowledge, so she’s been working on the website amongst other things. Tom is the model maker amongst us. He’s always made models for his show gardens and the only show garden he didn’t make a model for was Sydney because we changed things so many times. I suppose I’m there for the contacts (laughs loudly), my background was originally in marketing. One thing we’ve all got is a passion for garden design. Tom and I have been involved in a number of projects in the past and will also be in the future as were both very interested in conceptual gardens. We actually met Kasja in Sydney when she was working on our garden over there and she’s been great because whilst we are all involved creatively she’s been the voice of reason on the team. We need someone to stop us running away with things!

SW. So Kasja provided the balance that every team needs?

AFT: Yes, exactly because Tom and myself are already starting to talk about 4D printing (laughs loudly)

SW. In terms of getting this project off the ground, has it been hard work behind the scenes?

AFT: (Laughs loudly) Yes, you’d be amazed how difficult it is to find a good gallery and we were lucky that we found the Strand Gallery, it’s a great location right in the centre of London. We know that there are going to be people coming from all over the UK to see the show.
It’s been the case that we’ve just kept plugging away and sponsors have come to us in many ways and noticed what we are doing. Tom and I are both really into social media, we love twitter and Facebook and we have used these mediums as a way of launching this and the website goes live next week. It’s great, we’ve had a lot of support from the industry. It’s something different that nobody’s seen before and its in March when it’s quite miserable, so were hoping it doesn’t snow because then nobody will come (laughs loudly). Its interesting thought because since we announced the designers we have had enquiries from other countries to take the show around the world. We’re in conversations about touring Japan, we thought we would go to one place but we have had 3 enquiries. India, Sweden, Holland, probably Australia as well which is great new way for promoting British garden design. When it goes to these other countries we would like to take out 2 of the gardens and then replace them with 2 gardens designed by local designers. This way the exhibition will continue to refresh itself

SW. So, you have scaled the project and you’re already thinking about global domination before you have even done the first exhibition, I like it (laughs loudly)

AFT: (Laughs loudly). That’s always been my intention Steve.

When I got into horticulture and did an HND in horticulture and landscaping I didn’t know where it was going to take me and it amazes me to this day that I am able to travel around the world with it

SW. I can certainly relate to that Andrew. So, to all those people out there asking what Miniature is all about, what would you say to them?

AFT: Miniature is about exploring new ideas in design and giving designers the opportunity to design gardens without the limit of budget, health and safety, that sort of thing. All of the gardens designed for the exhibition are achievable and not just pretty CAD drawings. Some of them will be phenomenally expensive but people will take away that a lot of things are possible. So this has allowed garden designers to explore garden design in a different way and have a play with 3D printing.

SW: Apart from garden designers, who else will benefit form visiting Miniature?

AFT: We know there will be a lot of landscape architects attending. I think generally, people who are thinking what can be done with 3D printing, should come along. It’s going to be fun as well. I know that kids will love it because they will be able to get in close and enjoy it.

There is not going to be any formal judging but we are doing one thing called the peoples vote which is in aid of Streetscape which is an amazing social enterprise that takes long term unemployed people and gives them apprenticeships in landscaping, they are based in South London. It’s a bit like Waitrose, you put your money in a slot and you vote and all the money raised will go to Streetscape.

SW: Finally, what do you hope to achieve and what impact do you think Miniature will have on the world of garden design?

AFT: I’m 50 now Steve, most of the time I just want to have a good time (laughs loudly). We have no great aims for it, we just hope that people will come along and enjoy the show. We know the designers are really enjoying doing the designs and looking at things in a different way. Three of the designers are hoping that the designs they have exhibited at Miniature will be sponsored for a future Chelsea Flower Show garden, so people who come to the exhibition will see them here first hopefully, so for the designers it’s a great opportunity for them to promote themselves. For us, were enjoying the ride and if we get a trip to Japan out of it, well it can’t get better really can it?

SW. So just to clarify this project has no objectives apart from global domination?

AFT: As I said earlier it’s about exploring design without the usual restraints. There is one design there that’s very conceptual and its going to be a real talking point and if we can produce a show that makes people talk about garden design and what gardens can achieve then our job is done. There is no great agenda we just want to get people thinking about what they can do with gardens and let’s see where it goes from there.