Martin Francis has an unusual career behind him. He started out as a stage designer for the Rolling Stones before becoming a yacht designer and realising projects such as "Motor Yacht A" or "Eco" (ex-"Enigma" and now "Zeus"). Many of today's successful yacht designers learnt their craft from him. But Francis is more than just a designer - he is an aesthete who is interested in art, culture and maritime history. His house in the south of France reflects this passion. Anyone entering it immediately understands what drives the artist and designer: Culture, art and music. Nine fórcole - beautifully shaped wooden sculptures that serve as dowels for gondolas in Venice - adorn his interior. They come from the workshop of Saverio Pastor, a Venetian craftsman who makes oars and dinghies for gondolas and other traditional Venetian workboats.
Venice and the art of the Fórcola
"For me, like many of my peers, Venice is a place I visit as often as possible, especially to drop in on Saverio Pastor," explains Francis. Saverio has become a friend over the years. Francis has a collection of twelve different models of these Venetian dolleys. "As soon as I can travel safely again, Venice and the Fórcola workshop will be one of my first destinations," he says. The fórcola is not just a functional element of the gondola, but a wooden sculpture of considerable beauty. Each one is made by hand and demonstrates the centuries-old craftsmanship of Venice. For Francis, they are more than collector's items - they embody the combination of function and aesthetics that also characterises his own work.
Sculptures and installations
Throughout his life, Francis has been involved in the production of mobiles and sculptures. One of his favourite works is an installation of 100 fishing rods with spinnaker fabric ribbons, which he created in a friend's house to celebrate his father's centenary. He also likes to show his sculpture "Homage to Frank". He created it for a friend who lives near his house. It is inspired by the early paintings of Frank Stella, an artist with whom Francis had the privilege of working for many years. In his house, Francis stands next to one of his fórcole and the sculpture "Broken Jug" by Frank Stella - an eye-catcher that documents the close connection between the two artists.
Music as daily inspiration
Francis is a passionate supporter of a remarkable project by the Dutch Bach Society, a group of musicians who record all of Bach's works and distribute them for free as high-quality videos on YouTube. "Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, I missed attending two of their concerts at their headquarters, the marvellous church in Naarden," he regrets. His interests range from music, art and cooking to gliding. Fayence, not far from his home in the south of France, is one of the best places in Europe to fly. Flying, especially gliding, is something he used to do intensively when he was younger.
Virtual reality instead of the Alps
These days, Francis flies exclusively virtually in the Austrian Alps using a VR flight simulator that gives a remarkably realistic flying experience. "Fortunately, I still have a passion for design and creative processes," he says. Even if it's not for a specific project or client, he loves working on new concepts and enjoys the ever-increasing opportunities offered by developments in areas such as virtual reality for visualising and communicating his own ideas. Francis remains a creative who does not recognise the boundaries between disciplines and lives out his passion in all areas of life.
This article first appeared in BOOTE EXCLUSIV 2/2021 and has been updated for this online version.
Martin Hager
Editor in Chief YACHT
