I’ve always loved the DIY ethos. Punk rock. Homemade skate ramps. Handmade clothes. Zines. Scrub that, I made one zine.
My technical ability or rather, lack thereof, limits exactly what I can and I stay away from modifying electrical appliances.
Julian, however, is a tinkerer to the core and there’s nothing he won’t dismantle and refashion.
When I first met him, in 2009, he was an engineering student who worked weekends at my favourite local cafe.
By chance, I learned that he lived within walking distance from me and we soon became good friends as did our partners.
Anyway, I’m digressing. Working in a busy cafe, Julian was constantly frustrated that the beast of a coffee machine created a bulky barrier between him and his customers and he longed for something more akin to a beer tap.
What would be a fleeting thought for most baristas became a problem for Julian to solve and over months he obsessed over his design of a more social espresso machine.
I would have liked to have captured the entire journey on camera, but unfortunately, I only got a vision of him in his garage giving an overview of his incredible machine.