Although I have been involved in many aspects of 3D design I come back to furniture and specifically chairs again and again. My first notable chair was designed whilst still at the RCA in 1968, bought by the V&A for their Modern Chairs exhibition at the Whitechapel Gallery in 1970. That experience probably set the pattern.I think of design as a cultural activity every bit as interesting and important as any of the other arts. The fact that it's an applied art makes it additionally important that it encourages a viable future society. Sustainability has been an inspiration for many years and has guided me to steam bending and my preferred medium of fast grown ash. With the latest pieces, a step change in the material's performance in strength, comfort and economy of means are the basis for their appearance.