Transformation des petits riens!

rippled sycomore, cherry

oak, sycomore, felted wool, cord, hazelnuts

rippled sycomore, glass, pigment

playtime

sycamore ondé, verre, pigment

How did it start? Chritsmas and its agenda of craft fairs was approaching... A nice invitation from CRAFT REACTOR Collective to be part of their fair, combined to the absence of determined bespoke projects in my own agenda, took me unexpectedly to create some "items". An intricated mix of random and clear visions, a taste for experimentation, an exploration of new territories, the use of the offcuts, and simply keep myself active in a financially critical period. There was all of this.

De quoi est-ce parti? A l'approche de Noël et ses "Craft fairs" au caractère bien britannique, une sympathique invitation du Collectif Craft Reactor se superposait à un carnet de commande vide. S'est mis en place un mélange de sentiments qui m'ont amenée à produire des pièces. Mélange de hasard et de visions bien précises. Il y avait là-dedans le goût de l'expérimentation, de l'aventure non conquérante, de transformer un stock de chutes, et simplement de ne pas tourner en rond dans cette période financièrement difficile!!

Oct.2010 - A pencil case

 

This box simply emerged from a chunk of sycamore like a fish from the seafoam.. The single constraint was to fit the pencil sharpener in a convenient spot..

The tiles are made by ceramicist Lotte Glob  www.lotteglob.co.uk

Aug.2010 - The stairs & landing of the stilt-house in the woods

Jul 2010 - The bar top

Scottish Sycamore

from East Lothian_

4 boards into 13 pieces_

hard floor varnish_

beautiful ripples_

pink, grey,

sand, earth shades_

 

En la distancia se escuche Rossinante galopante....

This bar top is now living happily among delicious traditional Spanish food served at Mesòn El Quijote, an Andalusian tapas bar recently opened on Brougham Street (Tolcross), in Edinburgh.

The Sycamore boards come from Phantassie Sawmill in East Linton.

Jun 2010 - The miniatures

I decided to make miniatures of the chairs in order to experience the setting of the machines; to manage the different steps on my own this time; to work with the tenth of mm, and to get the hang of  using a small scale. It was an incredibly enjoyable week of work, ending up with a fun session of mise en scène!

9 - 45

91 - 455

6,4 - 32

87,4 - 437

1,5 - 7,5

merci

Monsieur

Vernier

 

May 2010 - The garden gate

My desire to use a specific european harwood totally failed when I found out that Black Locurst is not commercialised in UK, and it was more expensive to have it imported from France than buy some commonly  commercialised tropical species.
I suggested we use Iroko which heartwood is reported to be naturally resistant to decay.

After several design proposals, we went for the initial one. Its rather classic beauty lay in the proportions and in precise detailing. 

The gates are hinged on two Iroko posts fixed to the brick walls.

Edinburgh, Duddingston

Mar.2010 - The chairs

Subcontracted by Alasdair Gall for the making of 76 chairs for the restaurant The Appartment, in Bruntsfield, there was coming the experience of mass-production amongst a small team of craftsmen.

 

I was in charge of machining the different components, I took part to the management of the machining operations, and probably, getting through the great number of components handled  (over 1000) during the varied  operations, built up my ability to deal with repetitiveness when care and precision are required.

With their tenon and mortice joints, specially milled  aluminium rings between the back and the backleg, curved and tilted oak-veneered seats and backs (+1,5mm), these European white oak chairs combine the qualities of a complex and modern design with the traditional processes of cabinet making.

The springtime. The April light, the piles of components constantly changing of shapes and lines, the lovely feeling of getting closer to the assembling stage, the astonishing precision achieved when assembling, the great debate about the finish : I was thinking that in another era, I would have become a chairmaker! 

Then it was HIGH springTIME for us to head off for the HighLANDS
and visit Lotte!

Feb.2010 - L'affaire du woolgate!

On a frôlé l'affaire d'Etat. Heureusement que les tricotteuses ont gardé la tête froide et n'ont pas perdu le fil. Tout s'est dénoué lorsque j'ai pu les aiguiller sur une solution cousue main..!

 Ginger is a handmade knitwear shop in Morningside. The stairway needed to be closed by a little gate. I made one to match the  style of the existing balustrade.
The balustrade also needed to be standardized: some of the uprights were slightly too wide apart, according to the Health and Safety requirements (100mm max.). I reduced the gaps simply by adding some pine strips to the uprights. Once planed, stained and varnished, the result and reasonable cost were pretty satisfying .

http://www.ginger-morar.com/