AWR Studio Furniture 2018: Meet the Entrants 7

15 May 2018

AWR Studio Furniture 2018 is the third in a series of exhibitions produced in partnership with Bungendore Wood Works Gallery, NSW. This year SF18 is presented by Felder Group Australia and sponsored by Branch 95.

SF18 is an awards exhibition offering $18,000+ including a main cash award of $10,000. Entries are invited from all over the world. The deadline for entry is June 24. Shortlisted entrants will be invited to exhibit their work at Bungendore Wood Works Gallery. The exhibition opens Oct 20, 2018 and runs until Jan 31, 2019.

For more details and to enter see here.

David Haig, Nelson, New Zealand

Over the last three decades David Haig has been commissioned to design and build a wide range of furniture for clients all over the globe. He is best known for his design, the Monogram rocking chair. Educated in the United Kingdom, David moved to New Zealand in 1976. Changing direction after completing a history degree at Oxford University, he began developing his craft as a woodworker. Starting with antique restoration and then simple pieces like chests and tables, David gradually developed his own design aesthetic and became interested in chair design in particular. David is lead tutor at the Centre For Finewoodworking in Nelson, New Zealand and also teaches at the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship in Maine, USA.

Geoffrey Young, New Plymouth, New Zealand

Geoffrey Young lives in New Plymouth, New Zealand. ‘I studied furniture design and making at UCOL Palmerston North in 2010–2011. Working in joinery day job, then spending nights and weekends designing and crafting wooden furniture is an all-consuming passion. My designs start with a vision of a completed form. They are explorations of ideas within the practical constraints of furniture. I will quickly sketch in a somewhat rough form with explorations of continuous ideas and evolving solutions. Visualising the mechanics, the dynamics of the loads and forces playing in a structure, I strive for integrity of form and detail within my work. My designs are an attempt to show dynamism in form, energy, power and grace exalted in movement and light with structures that are transparent and solid, still and erratic. I exhibit my work at woodworking and art shows/galleries throughout Taranaki and New Zealand and open my workshop/studio as part of the Taranaki Arts Trail weekend.’

Mark Lenny, NSW

Mark Lenny is a designer maker creating furniture and other functional/sculptural objects from wood and occasionally other materials. His journey down this path began in 1999 with a year spent at Sturt School for Wood, where the passion to design and make was awakened. Prior to this he worked in industry as a chemical engineer. At first Mark shared a workshop in Sydney with other established woodworkers, but later, in 2007, moved to a small property on the south coast of NSW, where he continues the art of fine woodworking and the evolution of his unique style. He combines this with growing a small commercial crop of garlic with his partner. Mark enjoys the challenge of meeting the constraints imposed by a client for commissioned work, but prefers to make speculative pieces with the freedom to develop his own aesthetic and signature design elements. Often a feature of his work is that it is a dry structure, self-supporting without the use of glue. He sees each piece of furniture as an opportunity for sculpture and exploration of new ideas in design and construction. He not only draws influence from a whole pantheon of 20th century (and 21st century) furniture makers and designers, but his work is also informed by modern art. He is currently finding inspiration from "de Stijl" and Bauhaus movements. Instagram @obliquesymmetry

Hugh Makin, Vic

Hugh Makin is a maker of furniture with the soul of an artist. The love of his chosen material is obvious in the way he encourages beauty out of each piece of timber. Hugh grew up in a highly creative environment and has since gone on to formally study fine art, design, music and woodworking. Hugh worked for a well known furniture maker and designer in Vancouver, Canada before starting his own business in Castlemaine where he makes custom furniture pieces for individuals, architects and designers.

Pete Bollington, ACT

In creating Curious Tales and the works within, I look to embody my many influences and life experiences. 'Curious' is looking at furniture in a new light and reinterpreting needs, uses and outcomes; and 'tales' because of the intimate nature in which furniture should facilitate people gathering, enjoying and sharing tales and experiences around. I bring to my practice a background in fine furniture, graphic and interior design, resulting in handcrafted works which focus on a harmony between the object and the built environment in which they inhabit. I look to blend material, form, pattern, and function with artistic intention through crafted form. My works are driven by clean lines and strong geometric shapes, with an underlying emphasis on multifunctional furniture where the final user is engaged with the works through touch, play and usability. To build an intimate relationship between the user and the work, all the while allowing the user to connect with the pieces on a deeper level through the refined design details, coloured accents and the inherent warmth of the materiality of timber.