There is honesty and openness to Adam Brinkworth. Marnie, his daughter, shares that essential straightforwardness. It’s a lovely thing to witness.
An important part of the connective tissue that binds father and daughter is a love of cars and motorcycles. There are skateboards in there too. And clothes. And a million elements of design. But all these things exist in a unified field – a singularity in which they dwell together.
It’s a dynamic, ever-shifting relationship that obviously isn’t without its problems. But they have a place to meet, a place to negotiate the shifting sands of who they are and what they mean to one another. And more often than not when that happens, there is a lump of steel and an engine somewhere close by.
Adam was born in 1966 and has built one of the most renowned design companies in London over the last 25 years. And this success has afforded him the freedom and opportunity to explore, drive, ride and own some of the machines of his (and our) dreams.
Marnie, who was born in 1996, has inherited that open-heartedness as well as the design skills of her dad. She lives down in Brighton – and on the day that we meet to talk, it’s been a while since the two of them had the opportunity to noodle about with cars and motorbikes together.
We went for a ride, went for a drive and we sat down to talk.
What was obvious is that cars and motorcycles – reaching into some essential part of the pleasure principle that dwells within us all – has helped them build their relationships — not only with one another, but with themselves.
If anyone is sceptical about the essential humanity of machines – then spend a little time with Adam and Marnie.
Your doubts just may evaporate. You won’t look at that old banger of yours in the same way ever again.
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