Jethro Macey designs and makes products developed through an open experimental approach to a wide variety of materials and technologies. "My work ranges from one off pieces to small batch production and appeals to individuals who take pleasure from purchasing and using products that are not mass produced."

Jethro graduated from UCF in 2005 with a BA(Hons) 3D Design for Sustainability and then set up his company in the business incubation unit in the Design Centre.

"For Repeat and Variation I wanted to translate the imagery and texture of a traditional lace pattern into tile panels - giving something delicate and flexible a solid form. My initial experiments involved pressing lace into clay, but this didn't given me the accuracy I was looking for.

From the Autonomatic demo day I realised I could use digital production technologies to accurately represent the delicacy of the lace and create a repeat pattern. The project team encouraged me to integrate new digital methods with my existing knowledge of mould making and casting, enabling me to prototype a new product to a high standard.

Through the project, I developed skills in 2D CAD software (Adobe Illustrator) that I used to simplify the lace pattern, and combine with new skills in CAD milling software (Mayka). I used a CNC mill to create master blocks from which I made silicone moulds for concrete casting. The use of concrete for the final product combines my aesthetic sensibility for the product - delicate patterning with weight and form - with pragmatic economic considerations.    

The paving slabs received very positive feedback at the Salone Satelite in Milan 2006, generating links with retailers, design publications and interest from architects. I was able to use the digital data created through the project to develop moulds that are used by a local manufacturer for batch producing my design.

Through the Repeat and Variation project I have learned the basis of CAD modelling and ways of using CNC milling machine. Since exhibiting my tiles, I have had enquiries about commissioning larger scale pieces and the skills I have acquired through working with the digital research cluster will enable me to explore these new opportunities."