Here is one of my latest pieces which may well be submitted for auction at Sotheby's:
'Freestanding Storage for the Emperor's New Clothes':
The piece expresses the interaction between man and nature - the
interference of man with nature (by compromising natural wood by
turning it into plywood) and Nature's revenge by letting loose the
force of its elements - rain, extreme sunshine etc. In its previous
life the Objet d'art was a Ulitlity style oak veneered single
wardrobe, perhaps designed by Gordon Russell and made in one of many
sweatshops around the UK after the Second World War. The veneers
have separated, peeled and curled, exquisitely revealing the stark
bland core material. The cast metal knob remains intact and firmly screwed to
the decaying plywood but seems to be saying 'am I next?'. The stain
varnish is blistering in its pretence of being something it isn't.
This masterpiece emerged by accident as I removed an otherwise
ordinary, functional and lack lustre piece of furniture from service
and left it outdoors to be taken away. The wardrobe door still opens and closes, the piece is
still standing and I believe it is both a valuable expression of our
rich furniture history and the direction our craft could take.
I think it demonstrates
where I am with my craft currently, the options that are open to me
having proven I can make anything in wood to the same technical
standard as a robot on the day the grid crashed. The piece takes
furniture forward from utilitarian, to visual, to stark reality
functionalism - the ravages and revenge of nature on a humble piece
of utility furniture.
I hope you enjoy my piece of fun!
