James Nelson, Wall Hanging Vanity (STUDENT 2024)

Student:

Tertiary

Name of school or tertiary institution, name of woodworking teacher (if you have one), and name of photographer:

San Diego State University - School of Art + Design. Professor: Adam Manley. Photographer: James Nelson

The Wall Hanging Vanity is the artists' take on the common, traditional piece of floor standing bedroom furniture, but with a contemporary twist. This vanity is small and wall mounted, with an emphasis on form rather than the functionality and efficiency of its use. Despite the almost unrecognizable form of the traditional vanity; used to apply makeup, brush hair, put on jewelry, and get ready/unwind for the day, this rendition can still be used in such a way. It is made from Japanese Oak, Holly, and a Danish Soap Finish. It features a master shelf, with a casework of small, dovetailed drawers above, and a catch-all tray below. Each of these components are elevated away from the shelf via lathe-turned Holly stanchions. A small, but functional mirror hangs on the wall, centered above the hand-carved dish in the face of the shelf. Japanese Oak steam-bent arches encompass the piece. The design of the vanity is meant to be conceptual in nature, toying with the relationship between the rhythms and patterns of the sun, and the relationship of this to the human experience and our own daily rhythms. Each morning, the sun rises, and each night the sun sets. Likewise, we wake up every morning, and go to bed every night - waking up once the sun has risen, and going to bed once it has set. James wanted to design a piece of furniture that depicted and interacted with this relationship.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.