Gareth Neal

Gareth Neal is a furniture designer, craftsman and educator.  His furniture design practice was established in 2002 and has since gained international recognition. His practice-led research questions perceptions of history and the contemporary, the material and immaterial, and joins debates on digital fabrication and sustainable making practices.

Gareth Neal's list of clients, sponsors and associates include: Zaha Hadid, Glenlivet, Vauxhall Motors; Global material manufactures LG; Aesops; The Victoria and Albert Museum, The Arts Council; The Crafts Council; SCP; Heals; Case; The Newcrafstman; Sotheby’s; Bonham’s;

Through his joint role as a senior lecturer on Design and Craft, his practice-based research investigates the intersecting point between art, design and craft, evading any simple categorisation into a specific discipline. This innovative approach provides a critical framework for his research, through combining 3D computer drawing and CNC processes, with the intricacy of professional craftsmanship. The designs question traditional practice and develop new and diverse territory.

His work has received international critical acclaim and has featured in numerous, publications, public collections, and exhibitions, both in the UK and internationally. Neal’s selected exhibitions include ‘Telling Tales’ and ‘The power of Making’ at Victoria and Albert Museum, ‘Against the Grain’ Museum of art and Design New York; Out of Hand ‘Post modernising the digital’ The Power house Sydney, Australia.   ‘The State of Things’ at The Design Museum, Holon, Israel. ‘Hand Work’ Traditional skills in the digital age, Vienna, Austria. The International Hokuriku Kogei Awards, Toyama, Japan.