Against The Grain - Documentary Film About Furniture Maker Sebastian Cox

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  • Опубліковано 20 тра 2024
  • Watch more craft films: www.marchmonthouse.com/stories
    Discover the life of one of the great innovators of craft.
    Connect with Marchmont House:
    📸 Instagram: / marchmonthouse
    💌 Sign up to our email newsletter: www.marchmonthouse.com/#Newsl...
    🌍 Website: www.marchmonthouse.com
    Credits:
    Executive Producers - Hugo Burge & Alan Martin
    ‍Director - Duncan Parker
    ‍Producer - Mo Ahmed
    ‍Shoot Director - David Marks
    ‍Researchers - Hattie Elilis & Miles Chandler
    ‍Associate Production Manger - Alex Rae
    ‍1st Unit Camera - Declan Burely
    ‍2nd Unit Camera - Gwilym Evans
    ‍Editor - Ben King
    ‍Colourist - Jon Howard
    Music - Henry Green
    ‍Sound Design - Claudio Ahlers
    ‍Graphics - Robin Littlewood
    ‍Thanks to - Sebastian Cox, Brogan Cox, Annie Warburton, James Simpson, Indira Esser-Dunbar, Sean Sutcliffe, Benchmark, Forestry England, Tyler Hards, Ikea, Made.com, The Weald & Downland Living Museum, Willow & all the employees of Sebastian Cox Limited
    Get in touch:
    hello@marchmonthouse.com
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КОМЕНТАРІ • 133

  • @jpgregor
    @jpgregor 4 місяці тому +5

    Probably the best 59 minutes and 12 seconds I spent on UA-cam in a long time.

  • @jamesmacdonald5881
    @jamesmacdonald5881 9 місяців тому +20

    Was really liking the ethos at the beginning but ended with a real hypocritical contradiction.
    Can’t blame him for taking the money and pride, creating a successful business, most would do the same. But can’t pretend that he’s kept to the original core beliefs outlined in the beginning.

    • @akfisher7138
      @akfisher7138 8 місяців тому +2

      'family owning woodland' tells you he is rather rich boy....hmmm an now cuts down other's woods, and runs a factory.

  • @tintinsnowyful
    @tintinsnowyful 8 місяців тому +10

    Lovely and thoughtful documentary. Thank you. I appreciate that Sebastian didn't really resolve his dilemma. I see from the comments that some felt he was selling out, others had differing interpretations. My feeling is...do both. Do design work for the Chinese factory as an additional income stream. Do custom and commissioned work that wealthy folks can afford. That way you can keep your lovely team of craftsmen & women employed and busy. I'm reminded of a Volvo advertisement from many years ago where they showed the Volvo ethos of small teams constructing a car from start to finish, instead of focusing on 'manufacturing categories'. I don't know if they still do that but it's nice to see the members of your team keeping that tradition alive.

  • @mariapilarme
    @mariapilarme 8 місяців тому +3

    I brought a copy of a French famous furniture maker of the 1600’s made by a cabinet maker in the 1960’s it’s a beautiful thing, every day I admire his craftsmanship. It has bronces outside. Furniture makers are fantastic artist.
    Turning nature in high art.

  • @davidcchambers
    @davidcchambers 4 місяці тому +1

    Brilliantly conceiced and beautifully created. Thank you for sharing Sebastian's story here for the broadest of audiences to consume.

  • @jraglob5924
    @jraglob5924 8 місяців тому +10

    Excellent, I make things out of cast off wood. A lot from old pallet wood. I am always amazed at what I find when I mill the wood into a usable product. Often times stripping off the "finish" will reveal some real beauty in just the natural wood itself.

  • @wabio
    @wabio 8 місяців тому +6

    I've subscribed to just about every woodworking channel on UA-cam. I just found yours. The production quality of you documentary is outstanding......like sitting in a movie theater.

  • @johnemmett2969
    @johnemmett2969 8 місяців тому +2

    So disappointing when one reads of negative comment, obviously a very blinked view. A most enjoyable and informative program. Brilliant determination of a one off mind….thank goodness for people everywhere like Sebastian. (And his wife of course).

  • @paulsehstedt6275
    @paulsehstedt6275 8 місяців тому +3

    Wonderful cinematic photography and great storytelling.

  • @joellaycock2735
    @joellaycock2735 8 місяців тому +2

    Very inspirational in so many ways, thanks for sharing

  • @fionadrake7431
    @fionadrake7431 Рік тому +5

    Beautiful film, heart warming and so talented

  • @rihanwoodworks7123
    @rihanwoodworks7123 9 місяців тому +2

    Beautiful work! Beautiful film!

  • @denisewascavage209
    @denisewascavage209 7 місяців тому

    Thank you!
    This question about how much more stuff do we need and our obsession with more and how do we sustain our planet is something that I struggle with everyday.

  • @MrSzwedowski
    @MrSzwedowski 8 місяців тому +2

    Very well documented film. A lot to think about after watching it.

  • @ericchenard8636
    @ericchenard8636 8 місяців тому +2

    Wow! Amazing furniture! Congratulations on your efforts it is truly inspirational!! Thank you for doing your part in saving the planet.

  • @rupertgale537
    @rupertgale537 8 місяців тому

    Timeless elegance.

  • @soniawoolley366
    @soniawoolley366 Рік тому +3

    What a great story ...

  • @ianforeman4377
    @ianforeman4377 8 місяців тому

    This renews my faith in people

  • @MartinClimbs
    @MartinClimbs 8 місяців тому +1

    wonderful film, wonderful ppl

  • @thefinchworkshop
    @thefinchworkshop 3 місяці тому

    Thoroughly enjoyed this and was inspired by the message. I'll look at my hobby in a different light now. More please.

  • @andrewwilde1807
    @andrewwilde1807 9 місяців тому +17

    Just an hour of marketing bollocks 🤷‍♂️

    • @MikeAG333
      @MikeAG333 9 місяців тому +5

      Perhaps the shallowest, most vacuous, and most disappointing post I have seen on UA-cam for days. And when you think of the sheer nonsense posted on UA-cam every single second of the day, that really is saying something.

    • @gbwildlifeuk8269
      @gbwildlifeuk8269 7 місяців тому

      andrewwilde 1807 the range, dunelm, b&m will be your level.

  • @souslesbombes
    @souslesbombes 8 місяців тому

    The way he thinks about woodworking is radical. I say that in the best way possible.

  • @MrChrisWick
    @MrChrisWick 8 місяців тому

    As a hobby woodworker who moved from SE London to NZ, I have found that video very interesting. I might have to go visit next time I am back in the UK

  • @bertanimation7436
    @bertanimation7436 8 місяців тому

    sensational. Making notes the whole way through

  • @anoshya
    @anoshya 7 місяців тому

    Fascinating documentary ..thanks

  • @1qazandrew333
    @1qazandrew333 5 місяців тому

    Thank you. An insightful film into a very interesting maker.

  • @wabio
    @wabio 8 місяців тому +1

    10:28 Interesting fact. William Morris' designs are still widely prevalent today. The Morris chair has become synonymous with craftsmanship, functionality, and aesthetics. In fact, I'm sitting on one right now. It's become such an adopted design that it now goes by many other names. Mission chair, Craftsman chair, Amish chair, etc.

  • @ForgeAheadwithMike
    @ForgeAheadwithMike 8 місяців тому +1

    Great documentary. I agree - we just have to make things that are less harmful to earth.

  • @TheFiown
    @TheFiown 8 місяців тому +4

    'Sustainability' is also and for me above all in making things so well made and beautiful that they transcend fashion and time. I always buy second hand furniture because it is cheap, well made usually and has real function. I can't see anyone throwing out something well made and beautiful. In grand old homes there is usually a mix of periods because people didn't get rid of beautiful things, they just added to them. For me the last period of well made and well designed furniture is mid century, it fit's in with most styles and is usually really well made.

  • @alanmatthews9260
    @alanmatthews9260 8 місяців тому +1

    Would love to see a tutorial on that cabinet door panel weave!

  • @smukherje169
    @smukherje169 7 місяців тому

    Fabulous

  • @ohcnap90
    @ohcnap90 7 місяців тому

    what a fine video, thats all I save to say. Your work is unbelievable in a not not common way.

  • @osirisfeliz2390
    @osirisfeliz2390 8 місяців тому +1

    So many concepts that resonate. Certainly gives me confidence to continue moving in paths that are in sync because it takes the collective to make real change. Peace.

  • @ChickenDinnerz
    @ChickenDinnerz 8 місяців тому +1

    Thank you for making this film. Seb was an inspiration to me before. Now even more so!

  • @josenandorossipr
    @josenandorossipr 8 місяців тому

    bravo

  • @gedreillyhomestead6926
    @gedreillyhomestead6926 8 місяців тому +1

    Sebastian's philosophy and furniture reminds me of the work of Tim Stead a great Artist Woodworker. 👍

    • @akfisher7138
      @akfisher7138 8 місяців тому +3

      Tim Stead did not get his work made abroad and shipped back to UK to make a bigger profit. The whole film is just justification for making more profit by outsourcing. The film is beautifully made, The furniture on the other hand is just a big contradiction. Diesel ships are not clean.

    • @dunk101parkls
      @dunk101parkls 7 місяців тому

      ​@@akfisher7138that was one part of the film. Sebs ethos is sustainable, it was made that made the china mass production products not Seb . He was the designer not the maker.

  • @threestarfancywoodworks1902
    @threestarfancywoodworks1902 3 місяці тому

    Very nice ❤

  • @MrZOMBIE170
    @MrZOMBIE170 9 місяців тому +5

    23:40 most workshops work that way nothing particularly special about that

  • @amyschneidhorst1384
    @amyschneidhorst1384 5 місяців тому

    There is no perfect solution but the art is in creatively pursuing alternative paths, drawing on the past within the limitations and potential of our current systems. If you want perfection and purity, then either we have to return to artists having private patrons or upending the capitalist system.

  • @PDogB
    @PDogB 8 місяців тому +2

    Please rethink your use of American Ash wood. We are losing these trees rapidly due to the ash borer insects.

    • @ericsmith8121
      @ericsmith8121 8 місяців тому +1

      Quite a few places are cutting good ash trees at the first sign of ash borer, or even before, in an attempt to slow the spread, so there's quite a bit of it available that might otherwise just be burned or ground up into compost.

  • @johncamp7679
    @johncamp7679 6 місяців тому

    She made the right call not having an undercut on the carved table. It appeared “light” by the carving. My opinion.

  • @papatinpan
    @papatinpan 3 місяці тому +1

    Dude's a hack. His guilt for participating in a craft he "enjoys", is the reason for all this pretense. Roy Underhill, was the first famous Woodworker to promote conservation, reclaimed wood, planting farms in conjunction with sustainable farming. But he was the voice of many woodworkers & craftsman who felt the same way. Honestly Mr. Cox work is pedestrian by many craftsman standard, & there are plenty of amazing craftsman doing amazing work, who hold his views, which he appropriated. His marketing of playing on heart strings of environmentalists & the fine art institution has served him well.

  • @Chen-gl9hm
    @Chen-gl9hm 8 місяців тому +6

    Nice marketing trick.....

  • @dominiccon8967
    @dominiccon8967 8 місяців тому +1

    thank you for the great and inspiring film!
    at the end a briquette machine is briefly mentioned. which machine is it and are you satisfied with it? thank you in advance ;)

    • @surferninjakowabunga
      @surferninjakowabunga 8 місяців тому

      Also very interested in this as well and it was just glanced over.

  • @ukosawpancerny9580
    @ukosawpancerny9580 8 місяців тому

    😍😍😍

  • @b.scarpia7159
    @b.scarpia7159 9 місяців тому +3

    Rather than destroying your ethos surely it would be better to market to the Proles a $200 kit of saw, chisels, jack plane , sharpening stone, and directions to Burnham Wood.

  • @TheMickeynatureamok
    @TheMickeynatureamok 8 місяців тому

    This is what you call in Germany "Selbstbeweihräucherung" (self-congratulations with incense), the music of this movie and the slow motion of the wood chips give the rest!

  • @jacobhicks7959
    @jacobhicks7959 8 місяців тому

    This is so much simpler than folks make it. Governments around the world can control how much wood moves with import and export tariffs. If you want to reduce the landfill foder make it more economical to buy well built stuff that wears well and keep it.

  • @johnparr5879
    @johnparr5879 9 місяців тому +2

    In truth the docmentery is... With the grain.... Almost touching the sacredness, that truly in a mundane world.... Brings into true focus.... In.... simply being..... Human *

  • @MagniJoensen
    @MagniJoensen 8 місяців тому +1

    does Sebastian take in apprentices?

    • @gbwildlifeuk8269
      @gbwildlifeuk8269 7 місяців тому +1

      I think thats what the 5 young people there are! (Take on apprentices, not take in.)

  • @tomstopper5281
    @tomstopper5281 7 місяців тому +2

    IKEA is not being honest about their sustainability. You better get better informed about how they are using subcontractors that are destroying woodland in Romania.

  • @unknownboulder1205
    @unknownboulder1205 8 місяців тому +1

    besides being a reasonable good craftsman, he is a brilliant demagogue :))

  • @Jehrichify
    @Jehrichify 7 місяців тому +1

    Well, I think there is a contradiction in selling sustainable but highly expensive funiture to rich people who distroy the world with their way of living or businesses. Am I wrong?

  • @carsonforrester3061
    @carsonforrester3061 5 місяців тому

    Build something nice. The facts of life are some people are able to buy expensive pieces . I am not one of them but that’s just the facts. Not everyone can have high end expensive furniture and that’s ok

  • @jimmyburn1059
    @jimmyburn1059 8 місяців тому

    should have gone with the undercut

  • @user-bz8ee7mj6l
    @user-bz8ee7mj6l 7 місяців тому

    Фильм был бы не плохой , если бы в нём не было столько пафоса и пазёрства. Скромнее, скромнее.

  • @sjc1963
    @sjc1963 8 місяців тому

    I like what your doing, not so sure about mass production . don't think William Morris would like that . Have you ever looked at all the wood that is taken to the dump .

  • @johncamp7679
    @johncamp7679 6 місяців тому

    I don’t mind paying for quality, I do mind paying for status.

  • @untokyo
    @untokyo 8 місяців тому

    Who is this guy?

  • @andrewpiper2880
    @andrewpiper2880 8 місяців тому

    I think a lot of these comments are tinged by the green monster..quite mean spirited, by keyboard warriors. Quality lasts through the generations...who said it had to be cheap..? Great movie...well done I say.

  • @rollinrock6696
    @rollinrock6696 9 місяців тому +2

    Ra ra ra

  • @timeisahumanconstruct9251
    @timeisahumanconstruct9251 8 місяців тому

    bro, not everything has to be available for the masses...we want scarce luxury!

  • @user-uh6hi8xs1f
    @user-uh6hi8xs1f 8 місяців тому +2

    Great until principles went out of the window. Completely undermined the story and the brand values. Re-think. Seriously.

  • @MH-qy5hh
    @MH-qy5hh 8 місяців тому +2

    Loved most of this story, really admire the artistry and ethos. But… you sold out, shame.

  • @sandygrant5203
    @sandygrant5203 8 місяців тому +2

    How come furniture makers are all really posh with names like Sebastian?

  • @theimplacableauthoritarian2938
    @theimplacableauthoritarian2938 6 місяців тому

    He's got that Prince Harry vibe going... doesn't he!

  • @boooshes
    @boooshes 9 місяців тому +110

    When you focus on sustainability and hand craftsmanship your products are expensive, your customers are wealthy and they actually need nothing that they buy. You are making trinkets for the rich which then is a waste of resources. When you determine a means of producing a widely affordable product, it will be purchased, used, and thrown away by the middle class because it doesn't have enough value to pass from generation to generation. The only answer to sustainable products is to hand make high quality products and sell them affordably and accept your own poverty as a maker.

    • @matt818
      @matt818 8 місяців тому +6

      Seems like the conclusion of a self-fulfilling prophecy.

    • @joshjenkinson1929
      @joshjenkinson1929 8 місяців тому +23

      As a woodworker, my aim is to enjoy the worthwhile endeavour of creating quality long lasting pieces without getting too much into environmental cork sniffing. Do the best you can whilst realising we are all consumers and users of materials and don’t get too obsessed or pretentious about it!

    • @joshjenkinson1929
      @joshjenkinson1929 8 місяців тому +19

      A good answer for true sustainability would be to make woodwork compulsory in schools and encourage people to be more self sufficient and to craft what they need for themselves, rather than relying on corporations. Hand built furniture would last for generations and the need for places like IKEA would be a lot less.

    • @esterhudson5104
      @esterhudson5104 8 місяців тому +3

      I’ll pass.

    • @matt818
      @matt818 8 місяців тому +7

      The answer is a multifaceted approach that aims to rewire the consumer understanding of reality in a complex capitalist consumerist society. The entire framework of this system is often hidden and needs further exposure through gradual, transparent education by makers. 'Affordability' is misunderstood when the true nature of mass produced products compromises durability. The maker must encourage the shift in thinking from short-term savings to long-term value.
      Also, the idea of 'accepting your own poverty as a maker' is redundant because to do so would be... unsustainable.

  • @kullerko
    @kullerko 7 місяців тому

    21:16 Drawers opening not smooth at all and you using it for display.

  • @rossanctuary5238
    @rossanctuary5238 5 місяців тому

    Hello, are you hiring. You can throw me into the deep end also.. 😅

  • @bubuche1886
    @bubuche1886 8 місяців тому +2

    greenwashing

  • @ianforeman4377
    @ianforeman4377 8 місяців тому +2

    Cops. Not copis

    • @gbwildlifeuk8269
      @gbwildlifeuk8269 7 місяців тому

      Its not cops - its copse, a small group of trees.
      Its not copis - its coppice, a pruning technique where a tree or shrub is cut to ground level, resulting in regeneration of new stems from the base thats left.
      So as he said, he is using coppiced timber. In other words timber that is regenerated.

  • @andrewgaul
    @andrewgaul 8 місяців тому

    This is like a coming of age tale of a young idealist, growing up and realising that the world is more complex than can be described by one philosophical idea. A very well made advertisement for this privileged guys furniture company. No matter how he tries to convince himself, he is trying to get rich off the backs of underprivileged Chinese workers. It was a great film until we find out at the end that the main dude is a massive hypocrite.

  • @liutasuk
    @liutasuk 7 місяців тому +1

    Can you just make furniture without promoting marx ideology.

  • @bluevabank
    @bluevabank 7 місяців тому +1

    Bs

  • @mightymcduff2056
    @mightymcduff2056 6 місяців тому +1

    Furniture making has gone so far up it's own arse, it's painful to watch.

  • @dougmcdonald300
    @dougmcdonald300 2 місяці тому

    Does he pay for the coppiced wood from the forestry commision?
    Good to use other peoples land and wood instead of your own, ha ha

  • @brendanrobinson6860
    @brendanrobinson6860 5 місяців тому

    Mmm. a marketing video? Selling out for money and pretending to be noble. I am not convinced; but yes, the video, like the original furniture is beautiful and well made. But then again so is deception.

  • @stevedemartini9411
    @stevedemartini9411 3 місяці тому

    Sustainability is non-sense.

  • @georgecavanaugh8757
    @georgecavanaugh8757 6 місяців тому

    Get off of it already. You can’t have a damn furniture documentary without the tree hugging talk.

  • @user-kh2cp2rm9r
    @user-kh2cp2rm9r 6 місяців тому

  • @MH-qy5hh
    @MH-qy5hh 8 місяців тому +1

    Loved most of this story, really admire the artistry and ethos. But… you sold out, shame.