“The starting point is the material. Laura works in a material that allows her to make form but the material for Laura is secondary. She is a sculptor first and foremost. I think materials first, structure later,” says Cox. “So there was a huge discussion about the challenge between design and sculpture.”
“There is a blur here between sculpture and furniture. My work typically carries of a notion of growth and momentum and I always like to question how and why a form comes into being. When creating a form brings so much joy in the making, then the form will always carry this joy within it,” says Laura Ellen Bacon. “For me, forms are always created in respect of what is possible with my bare hands. Alongside Sebastian, we’ve tried to use this material in as pure a way as possible, letting the form convey both the properties of the wood and what is possible with our bare hands.”
The maple and cherry have been crafted into an elliptical-shape frame that showcases fine craftsmanship and impeccable cabinetry on a grand scale with huge arcs of steam bent wood, hand jointed together in mostly glue-less draw-bore mortice and tenon joints.
Through complex machinery the components of this solid frame are effectively shredded into strips and made supple and weave-able from time spent soaking in the River Thames besideCox’s Woolwich workshop. These strips are boldly manipulated by hand, flowing and twisting into the space to create a whirlpool of texture and shape, all held within its mighty external frame.
The Invisible Store of Happiness
Design: Laura Ellen Bacon and Sebastian Cox
Sponsor: American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC)