Re:flex is a team working to make shape-memory materials accessible. We developed our own composite material that can change its shape with heat and are exploring its applications in an everyday context – beyond the traditionally technical fields that shape-memory materials are normally used in.
What brought you to Machines Room?
After graduating we needed a space to continue working on re:flex. We had a few friends who had used the space as professional members (Good Waste and Ned Quiney from Cohort), and it seemed to be the first name mentioned when asking people about workshops in London. We needed a workspace we could afford, and that had access to a variety of tools including digital machines such as 3D printers, laser cutters, woodworking tools and a space to work with plastics. Machines Room fit the bill perfectly.
Tell us a bit about your backgrounds, your practice and areas of interest?
The three of us met doing the Innovation Design Engineering Masters at the RCA and Imperial. We came from pretty different backgrounds – Benton did philosophy and music, Pierre was an electrical engineer and Karlijn was a product designer with a focus on materials. Individually, our practices are quite divergent. However, as a collective we share a common goal in making new technological developments accessible, bridging the gap between research and everyday implementation.
Can you tell us about what you’ve been working on?
At the Machines Room, we’ve been working on new pieces for London Design Festival and Dutch Design Week. We’ve been using the space to do both show design as well as making more material samples.
What’s your favourite part about being at Machines Room?
We really like being able to work at our own convenience at weird hours of the day. The Machines Room also have a great selection of tools for both digital and physical making. It’s been really handy having access to the variety of machines in the space, as our work requires both digital machines, as well as traditional tools.
What’s next?
Re:flex is showing at the VEEM at Dutch Design Week from the 19th to the 27th of October. Come say hi if you’re about!
