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MYA Meets Richard Butchins – Award-winning filmmaker and artist

MYA Meets; An occasional series about people we find inspiring.
At MYA, we’re always looking for the crossover between ‘art’ and ‘work’.
So at our last management meeting, we asked artist and film-maker Richard Butchins to tell us about what he does.
As a child, Richard was disabled by polio. He’s also neuro-diverse. He told us: “as a disabled artist, my work cannot NOT be about disability”.
In working on public buildings, we already design for disability. But Richard challenged us to re-think the design process. He reminded us that disabled people have a voice. They should be asked first. They have their own ideas, based on personal experience. So rather than providing something that we think might work, then expecting gratitude, the first step should be – to actually ask what people want! It seems obvious – but often ignored. And it applies to many other user groups: so disabled people are teaching us a lesson about diversity in general.
Our second take-out was: the importance of
quality. Richard works in both photography and documentary film-making.
In making films, he spoke about being unwilling to rush, or compromise, or give up. As a result he’s been commissioned by the BBC, Channel 4 and ITV, and has collected a series of awards.
His photography has an equal intensity of detail: before the shot is captured, hours go into the construction of the object, adding details of colour and shape.
In the end, if we want to do things well, there’s no substitute for time, concentration, detail.
We’re still thinking about what he said.
For more on Richard Butchins, visit his website: www.richardbutchins.art
  • We recently worked with the team at MYA on a bid for a tender for multiple catering sites. Their proactive, innovative and dynamic approach to the task was a breath of fresh air, and we were able to work systematically through a complex set of designs with an abundance of creativity and design options to consider. Throughout the whole process, the team at MYA were fully engaged and, above all, great fun to work with. I will definitely be working with the team again on future projects and would highly recommend them as design consultants.

    Steven Braithwaite, Managing Director, Somerset Larder
  • We recently had the pleasure of collaborating with MYA on the City of London School for Girls project at the Barbican, London. One of the standout aspects of MYA’s involvement was their swift, detailed, and highly effective coordination of design elements. MYA’s proactive approach, attention to detail, and dedication to achieving design harmony made them an invaluable partner in this project. Their ability to strategically align diverse design aspects contributed significantly to the success of the collaboration, reinforcing the importance of well-integrated teamwork in delivering high-quality solutions.

    Simon Spiteri, Director/Architect, Cowan Architects
  • The team, led by Carla McKenzie, were meticulous in every detail. They modelled the cleaning requirements to deliver the optimum solution for the facilities across EMEA, and really took time to understand the culture of our business. I have no hesitation in recommending MYA and its team – they are dedicated and innovative, and always go the extra mile.

    Natalia Ros Vargas, Office Team Leader, Booking.com
  • Carla and her team have broad experience in the industry. Apart from being very supportive in inventing (new) concepts, they also make use of their many years of experience when implementing these concepts. Their ultimate goal is to let people enjoy honest and good food.

    Marcel Bisselink, Owner, Daily Fresh Food, Galeen, Netherlands
  • Carla and her team worked tirelessly with us to ensure our very international and cross-cultural needs were met with great creativity and skill. They listened to us, responded to our needs and delivered above expectations.

    Angela Hencher, Director of Business Administration, Dulwich College, Shanghai Pudong
  • They are brave enough to challenge others in pursuit of the ultimate solution, whether it be behind the scenes with kitchen flow and catering management, or front-of-house service and design.

    Richard Russell, Catering Equipment Distributor Director, Western Blueprint
  • If all companies who serve the independent school sector had your breadth of vision and openness of mind, I have little doubt that the sector would be a richer and more exciting place to be.

    Phillip Godfrey, Bursar, Halliford School
  • During the negotiation process, Carla’s knowledge and expertise enabled our company to achieve a very strong commercial outcome, and some significant savings were yielded from the exercise.

    Penny Arnold, Commercial & Operations Director, Fusion Lifestyle