20Q: Heath Nash

Heath Nash doesn't need much of an introduction. He makes really beautiful things with recycled materials, and often wonders "but why?".
Posted 5 Oct 10 By Design Indaba Product Design Interviews / Q&A Comments
Heath Nash.
Heath Nash.

Heath Nash makes cool things out of other people’s rubbish. In doing that he also shares his creative skills with others and develops a uniquely African design process.

1. If not design, what would you do? I have no idea.

2. Summer or winter? Spring.

3. Do you recycle? Duh. Yes.

4. How do you know when a design is complete? The question is, how do you know when a design begins…? The “completed” thing is quite a lot about when it’s simple enough to do, it’s job (and when it looks really good).

5. Are you passionate about South Africa? Yes.

6. What's the best piece of design you've seen recently? A stool in the street in Harare last Saturday.

7. What does "inspiration" mean to you? Uplifting feeling. Certainty of the beginning of something (before it begins), something like intuition, like it’s the way forward…

8. What is your drug of choice? I’ve stopped all that. Exercise.

9. What, to your mind, is the lowest depth of misery? Lack of awe in the world around me.

10.  Can design save the world? Save is a strong word. The world doesn’t need saving… I’d say improve or assist us in the world.

11.  What was the first piece of design you ever made and how old were you? Hmmmm. I remember a bridge for my brother’s Scalextric set in high school. But it was probably the couch upside down in the lounge with some blankets on it, a safe space to hang out, a play space.

12.  What's your favourite book? Catcher in the Rye rocks a lot.  JD Salinger.

13. How would you design salt & pepper shakers for blind people? I’d ensure that the person using them couldn’t confuse them for each other, i.e. that salt was salt, and pepper was pepper.

14.  How do you feel about the local design industry? Excited. Interested.

15.  What's the most adventurous thing you've ever done? See question eight above.

16.  What virtue do you most admire in others? Calmness.

17.  What's the question you ask yourself the most? Huh? Hmmmm…? Erm…? Oh, and… “But why?”

18. Where is your favourite place in the world? Cape Town and Tokyo.

19.  Have you ever seen insanity where you later saw creativity? Odd question. Easier for me to say I’ve seen creativity, which turned out to be insanity… Yah, easier that way for me.

20.  What would you save from your burning house? Myself.

Heath Nash makes cool things out of other people’s rubbish. In doing that he also shares his creative skills with others and develops a uniquely African design process.

1. If not design, what would you do? I have no idea.

2. Summer or winter? Spring.

3. Do you recycle? Duh. Yes.

4. How do you know when a design is complete? The question is, how do you know when a design begins…? The “completed” thing is quite a lot about when it’s simple enough to do, it’s job (and when it looks really good).

5. Are you passionate about South Africa? Yes.

6. What's the best piece of design you've seen recently? A stool in the street in Harare last Saturday.

7. What does "inspiration" mean to you? Uplifting feeling. Certainty of the beginning of something (before it begins), something like intuition, like it’s the way forward…

8. What is your drug of choice? I’ve stopped all that. Exercise.

9. What, to your mind, is the lowest depth of misery? Lack of awe in the world around me.

10.  Can design save the world? Save is a strong word. The world doesn’t need saving… I’d say improve or assist us in the world.

11.  What was the first piece of design you ever made and how old were you? Hmmmm. I remember a bridge for my brother’s Scalextric set in high school. But it was probably the couch upside down in the lounge with some blankets on it, a safe space to hang out, a play space.

12.  What's your favourite book? Catcher in the Rye rocks a lot.  JD Salinger.

13. How would you design salt & pepper shakers for blind people? I’d ensure that the person using them couldn’t confuse them for each other, i.e. that salt was salt, and pepper was pepper.

14.  How do you feel about the local design industry? Excited. Interested.

15.  What's the most adventurous thing you've ever done? See question eight above.

16.  What virtue do you most admire in others? Calmness.

17.  What's the question you ask yourself the most? Huh? Hmmmm…? Erm…? Oh, and… “But why?”

18. Where is your favourite place in the world? Cape Town and Tokyo.

19.  Have you ever seen insanity where you later saw creativity? Odd question. Easier for me to say I’ve seen creativity, which turned out to be insanity… Yah, easier that way for me.

20.  What would you save from your burning house? Myself.

Watch the Talk with Heath Nash