Darcy Greiner is a newly minted industrial designer with a serious crush on ceramics. An emerging artist with an already impressive resumé, Greiner graduated this spring from Emily Carr's Industrial Design program a couple of days after his 40th birthday. The Saskatchewan native and son of a minister previously held careers in banking and in engineering design but always longed to pursue more artistic endeavors. At 36, he left a lucrative and steady position and enrolled at Emily Carr to pursue his dream.
Greiner took a class in ceramics in his first year and quickly realized it was the medium for him. As an engineering technologist, he had designed many molds for the production of plastic parts, but in ceramics he loved that he could not only design the mold but also make it.
The ability to make his own molds has proved to be a significant factor in his creative process as he continues to explore the mold as something that holds meaning in itself and its relationship to the piece it produces.
Since graduating, Greiner has been in much demand and was invited to show his work at the Gallery of B.C. Ceramics (in the current exhibition Pots Pots Pots) and to be one of the featured designers in the Future Masters exhibit at the upcoming Interior Design Show (IDSWest).
This week, Greiner will showcase his newest work, along with 12 of the city's brightest design minds, at Perched (Sept. 21 to Oct. 21), the inaugural exhibition of the Vancouver Design Bureau at Maai Living.
What is the Vancouver Design Bureau?
The Bureau is a new collective that brings local design talents together through pop-up exhibitions. The objective is to provide an opportunity for different designers to work with each other on unique projects that encourage creative freedom. In order to realize this goal, we are working hard to develop a rotating membership system that keeps the collective energized with new ideas.
Why did this group come together?
Vancouver is filled with great designers but there is a lack of outlets to showcase their talent and creativity. By coming together, we work as a team to search for new opportunities and collaborate with local businesses that share our vision.
How did Perched come about?
Perched, a birdhouse exhibition, is inspired by the hundreds of bird species that migrate to Metro Vancouver every year. Just like them, the members in the new collective are flocking together, trying to put down roots in a dynamic and ever-changing city. The birdhouse has been chosen as the theme of the exhibition based on this metaphor.
Tell me about your contribution to Perched?
I have collaborated with my partner, Joel Smith, to design a birdhouse that is a reworking of the craft-classic macramé owl. Modularity and flexibility are things I like to work with and of course ceramics plays a prominent role. We have tried to design a birdhouse that can be customized for a wide range of small bird species as well as different mounting options.
Who else will be participating?
There are 13 different designers/design partnerships each working on a birdhouse. The participating designers are Contexture Design, Edison and Sprinkles, Angel Dawn and Diane Espiritu, Jeff Liu and Andrew Siu, Ian Simpson and Angus Wong, Ricky Alvarez, Sepehr Jalali, Shumpei Kato, Jacky Ling, Ryan Nussbacher, Nick Santillan and Andrew Wong.
Are there enough creativespaces for artists to showcase their work in this city?
I think that there are many places that are supportive of showcasing local talent, both art and design, but they just don't know it yet!
Biggest success?
Designing and producing a new plate for Bao Bei Chinese Brasserie in Gastown
Biggest setback?
My kiln! Mine is a money pit and an endless source of grief.
What does success look like?
I discovered ceramics and mold making in my first year at Emily Carr and was totally captivated.
Finding something like this after working in a few different careers felt like a big success in and of itself. I have many goals that I want to accomplish, but fundamentally success would be to have a sustainable career doing what I love to do.
If you could work with any artist, who would that be?
It would be a thrill to work with the sculptor Antony Gormley.
One thing you wish Vancouverites would stop whining about?
Bike lanes!
Most thankful for?
This is cliché, but it's totally true...my family.
Most memorable celebrity encounter?
Doing the can-can dressed as a Mountie during the closing ceremonies of the 2010 Olympics while Michael Bublé sang "The Maple Leaf Forever."
