Jessie French

Merging the future in her design practice with raising the future generation, Jessie French blends parenting and creativity seamlessly.

Words: Emma-Kate Wilson

‘I investigate what the future is made of,’ says Jessie French. Photo and main hero photo: Daniel Lober

‘Get yourself some good support but don’t hype it all up too much. The baby is the one that gets born, not you. You keep doing your thing if you want to,’ says Jessie French. Photo: Pier Carthew. Art direction: Thalia Economo

‘Between climate science literature, post-denialism and a healthy dose of speculative and science fiction, I’m interested in new ways of living on this damaged planet—damage which we humans are largely responsible for—among other living things.’ Photo: Pier Carthew. Art direction: Thalia Economo

Constructing futurist designs out of algae, Melbourne-based designer Jessie French plays with science and art for installations, tableware, and alternatives to plastic. With experimentation at the forefront of her practice, Jessie recently added motherhood to her list of ‘jobs’ — blending with designer, artist, and scientist.

‘The merits of knowledge about a range of practices, bodies of knowledge and experiences all builds into how we approach things,’ says Jessie. ‘More interdisciplinarity leads to greater diversity, innovation and generative critical views of how things are done.’

Interestingly, Jessie shares that her practice is an investigation into what the future is made of, fitting for her new role. But with daughter Aurie approaching nine months, it’s not been without the eternal juggle that faces all parents.

‘Working with the team to get two huge installs up across The Cutaway and National Art School for the 23rd Biennale of Sydney on the back of two years of intermittent lockdowns and with a three-month-old baby during floods, a war beginning, and the pandemic still present leaving a lot of the key staff out-of-action was quite a feat,’ she says.

Joining Jessie and Aurie, based in Melbourne’s inner north are her partner and eight-year-old whippet, Cyril. But Jessie has already been up to Sydney and down to Hobart for work commitments since Aurie’s birth in November. These installations see the artist/designer push her work into the physical realm, one that invites a scientific methodology into the general public’s perception.

‘A large part of my artistic practice dwells on a speculative future, however ironically, the work done towards this has reached into the present with immediate applications,’ says Jessie. ‘Having an artistic practice, and all the research, thinking and imagining which goes into it, feeding into other projects give the whole work greater meaning.’

‘The recipe I devised for the purpose of creating the algae-based bioplastic material I use, as well as the techniques I employ for moulding and making very large-scale sheets, have been equally challenging parts of this project. There were no resources or mentors to learn from, I had to build this knowledge through experimentation.’ Photo: Tom Ross

‘Sometimes I go back to the studio after she’s asleep for a few extra hours of alone time to work. Shorter days accommodating a baby’s timetable sometimes means no days off from work.’ Photo: Tom Ross

‘A large part of my artistic practice dwells on a speculative future, however ironically, the work done towards this has reached into the present with immediate applications.’ Photo: Pier Carthew. Art direction: Thalia Economo

“The pieces I make are visually distinctive, refined, minimalistic objects, accentuated by unusual patterns and shapes, delicate detailing and light refracting transparency. The organic patterns that detail these vessels are coloured by 100% organic, completely biodegradable ingredients.”

— JESSIE FRENCH

Photo: Pier Carthew. Art direction: Thalia Economo

Installation for 23rd Biennale of Sydney by Jessie French. Photo: Heilam Choi

The history of scientific laboratory practice influences her work as Jessie grows her own organic microalgae in her studio — mixing the organic form with pigments to create bowls and cups that look like they emerged from the ocean. Or, in the case for the 23rd Biennale of Sydney, sheets of this otherworldly matter appear to dance in the crowd, suspended from the cavernous space of Barangaroo’s the Cutaway.

Since having Aurie, Jessie shares she takes a bit longer to get back to emails. And while the day-to-day is shaped by time in the studio or meetings about future projects, fabrication, or material research, she adds, ‘My days have slower starts with more to organise before leaving the house. I have an extra person at meetings. I’m tired more often. We come home earlier. I drink more coffee. I do more washing.’

Jessie will often go back to the studio after Aurie is asleep for extra hours of work, though this means she doesn’t have many days off work. ‘Unfortunately, fitting in time to take up opportunities in my practice has meant I haven’t seen my friends or family very much,’ she says. ‘You can’t do everything. On the back of two years of lockdowns, though, it doesn’t feel too different.’

Alongside learning to feed the baby in the carrier, Jessie also encourages new parents to find good help. But remember – ‘don’t hype it up too much’; you can keep doing your thing. Great advice for an industry where she has found encouragement, supporting creative parenting.

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