Joel Degen

‘My involvement with titanium started in the late seventies in the wake of the 1976 landmark exhibition at the Electrum Gallery of the work of Edward de Large, Kevin Coates and James Brent Ward.
At first my use of titanium was limited in terms of colour (blue only) and role (mainly decorative). From 1979 onwards titanium became the main component of my designs, whether large-batch, small-batch produced or one-offs.
I use it mostly in combination with stainless steel, sometimes with a touch of 18ct gold.
My aim is, I think, to highlight some of the specific characteristics of titanium (lightweight, durability, colouring possibilities) within the context of unfussy, near-minimalist designs.
In my newest work I try to explore the play of refracted and reflected light on the metal.’
(All photography  by Joel Degen)