第一眼看到Richard Sweeney创作的纸雕塑作品就被吸引，他自己布光自己摄影，把光线和阴影处理得极其细腻。层层叠叠的纸在光影下显得既细腻又壮观，仿佛被Richard的一双神奇手赋予了生命，安静的空间形成了一种极有张力的拉锯。
Richard Sweeney今年才22岁，是曼彻斯特城市大学三年级的学生，但是他对结构的痴迷和细腻的把握却让他在这再普通不过的媒介——纸上创作出纯美的作品，并不断得到赞誉（06年7月他获得了DKNY新设计师大奖）。用同样的小单元，不断重复组成庞大的设计，是Richard的一种创作方式，而小的单元灵感来源于自然的形状，比如花朵。

Richard Sweeney说他并不想重复任何一个造型，在做一件作品的时候，一开始往往并不清楚最后会出现怎样的一个结果。他开始把玩弯曲的形状并不是有意去跟折纸联系起来，但是却着实受到David Huffman的弯曲折纸的影响。他的折纸造型是抽象的，这样更方便于使用技术重复地创造类似的造型。

把平面的材料变成三维的造型，是Richard最早的动机。从小时候，他就很喜欢观察身边所有细微的东西，并把他们画到自己的画里。原本打算成为平面设计师，后来却发现了自己在空间创作上的天分，而且对细节的热情和在二维和三维转换上的能力让他开始不断尝试纸张和厚纸板的创作。对三维的着迷开始于2002年到2003年期间，那时的Richard就读于Batley艺术与设计学校，从手工实践中开始发现自己在三维造型上的天分，并一发不可收拾。

正如他自己说的：“我崇拜折纸手工，把一张平纸变成漂亮的三维作品的方法让我觉得非常受启发。在学3D设计的时候用纸来制作模型，看到纸张被用来作为雕塑的材料，我被深深震撼了。用手来操作，在制作和实验的过程中我培养了自己的手艺，发挥材质最大的可能性，从而寻找方法来发现新造型。”电脑在平面上画图，加上手的帮助，基本上是Richard创作的方式。如果没有一种深深的热爱，我觉得很难想象每天对着枯燥的材质，如何能像他那般做出精致的一个个作品。从这点上来看，Richard Sweeney是个理想主义者，完美主义者。

他现阶段正在做一系列的纸雕塑，做更大规模的作品，并且准备在塑料和金属材质上做更多的实验。而他设计出的一款“折纸手工”合金碗将于今年年底由Wentworths of Sheffield公司投入生产。能把纯粹的东西变得商业一些，让更多人能分享这其中的快乐和美感，是一件很令人高兴的事。

上图是为英国服装品牌BOUDICCA设计的装饰花

Yan: How did you first find interests in paper forms and orgami?
Richard Sweeney: I have always loved paper modeling since I was a child, be it creating a paper airplane or an origami swan. Something I remember very well is creating a paper dodecahedron at school when I was about ten years old- I was fascinated by the way this wonderful geometric form could be folded from a flat sheet of A4 paper.

Yan: How does your creating process start?
Richard Sweeney: My creative process is driven by hands-on material manipulation, primarily using sheet materials. It’s important for me to get a feel for the medium, whether it be paper, sheet plastic or metal as so I can understand what forms it lends itself to, and more importantly those that it does not! It is often a process of trial and error, but this experimental approach allows me to discover new methods of manipulation, which can be used to shape the material in an unexpected way. This is an approach I developed through my study in Three Dimensional Design at the Manchester Metropolitan University, which finally led me to create a series of modular, paper sculptures.

Yan: Tell me about the “origami” bowl.
Richard Sweeney: I generally work with paper as the final material for my work, but I realised there was potential to translate these folded forms into other materials, especially sheet metal.
I got in touch with Wentworths of Sheffield, a long standing manufacturer of pewter-ware, who offered to produce prototypes of bowl forms. CNC routing is used to create a pattern of “scored” lines on the surface of the pewter sheet, which is then hand-folded to create the desired form. I knew pewter was very malleable, and I aimed to take full advantage of this to create something that really pushed the material purely through the use of folding.

Yan: from the “origami” bowl, are you planning to do more product design with pewter?
Richard Sweeney: I have some new pewter pieces in development, which I hope will be in production in the near future. This includes a series of bowls and vessels in different that explore different folding techniques; one of which produces curved surfaces, the other uses multiple flat surfaces to suggest curvature.

Yan: What are you working on now?
Richard Sweeney: As well as a new range of pewter-ware I’m working on my sculptural and photographic work. The forms I am currently developing have taken on a much more organic quality, influenced by Radiolarians (single celled sea organisms). I’m working on creating branching structures as well as increasing the scale of the work yet further (upwards of one metre across).

Yan: What’s the most challenging thing at the moment according to you?
Richard Sweeney: My work always challenges me, as I see every project as an opportunity to discover something new. If there was no challenge in what I did, it would cease to have meaning for me- I need to engage my mind when I work. I rarely work with a pre-determined outcome in mind, for me the emphasis is on process, the challenge is discovering how best to utilise the process.

Yan: What is the most interesting project by others that you have noticed in the last year?
Richard Sweeney: Projects by Thomas Heatherwick (of the Heatherwick Studio, London) always catch my interest. The sheer scale and ambition of the work, combined with an innovative use of materials is truly inspiring. The “Rolling Bridge” at Paddington Basin, a footbridge over a canal that curls in on itself much like a scorpion’s tail to let boats pass is one of my recent favourites.

Yan: Are you a perfectionist?
Richard Sweeney: I am something of a perfectionist, but I do realise that perfection can never truly be achieved. In everything I make I always see the potential for more; new materials, different methods of manipulation, larger scale- I’m always searching to better my work and make new discoveries along the way.

Yan: Could you tell me your daily life?
Richard Sweeney: I like to keep my days varied, I usually have a few different design projects on the go at any one time, and I also strive to push my sculptural work forward. I find that my projects are not distinct; they flow into and complement each other. Photography is a major part of my practice too, not just for creating photographic compositions but also as a means to appreciate the beauty in the world around me. Besides my art, also like to express myself through music; I play my guitar when I have a spare moment and I’m also teaching myself to play the piano.

Yan: What are your plans for 2007?
Richard Sweeney: I’m curious to explore new media and different ways of working. The use of computer modelling to create objects for rapid prototyping is something I would like to take further, and I’m also keen to work in sheet steel on a large scale. I don’t have any solid plans for projects as such; I just intend to let my art grow and see where it leads me.