Wood Work
Design event 2010 was held from October 21-31. It consisted of an access of 30 events which were held over the region. One of the particular points of interest was Event MART. This saw 22 designers from the region , showing their new pieces of work in Baltic Art Gallery.
One of this year’s trends was wood work. Plastic has been winning the battle for favourite material in design for a while now, but as we left modernist ideals, we see that wood is becoming more widely used once again. Wood appears to create a warmer quality than the plastics and metals used when modernism was fashionable.
Wood is still able to, however, to honour some of the modernist ideals that have become a desired quality in furniture design . artist, Jawini, still uses straight edges and crisp edges but incorporates stunning carved into the wood to create a pleasing and warm aesthetic quality.
Artist , Amy Levinson, showed her product Turned Table. This was a beautifully handsomemade table which prompts the owner to engage in the process of construction and design of the product. The base is made up of different sized orbs, which can be rearranged and taken off to change both the height and aesthetic nature of the piece.
British furniture designer Michael Armstrong exhibited his product R-chair. This product is a beautifully simple piece of design and is made from FSC certified hardwoods. This is another thrilling example which incorporates the sleekness of modernity, with the warmth of wood.
Jawini, Levinson and Armstrong are just a few samples of talented designers who are re-embracing the use of wood. As a growing number of people restore older qualities of their homes, rather than renewing them, the need for skilled craft men and women are growing. From rejuvenating the old beams on your ceiling to bring new pieces of design into your home, wood is definitely back in vogue.
