Project Title: Wave & Splash Bench
Location: The Guardian Hay Festival - Touring
Wood Species: NORTH AMERICAN TULIPWOOD
Project Description
The Project
The Design Brief
The Hay Literary Festival director Peter Florence wanted to develop the garden area on the festival site by creating a dramatic focal point, visible from the entrance, which would encourage the 80,000 visitors to use the area for relaxation and conversation. The brief was wide open to create seating that would encourage sociability and yet have a strong sculptural character.
Design and Function
The brief gave me the opportunity to develop a theme that I had been exploring since the late 1990s.
The Wave and Splash Bench develops the relationship between furniture and sculpture, function and fantasy. When seating takes on the form of sculpture, onlookers have permission to not only enjoy the form but engage with it through using it. The bench (which is one bench in two parts) is based on the idea of energy and movement. This became realised through the form of a wave and splash, a physical expression of the idea. The two part bench can be configured in various ways to create a sociable environment for relaxation and conversation.
Construction and Materials
The bench is made from solid American tulipwood, a dominant but under-utilised forest resource. Every element/component is individually shaped and contoured to create the necessary dynamism that characterises the design. The tactile quality is emphasised by rounding all the visible edges of the backs. The three seats are made from 80mm solid tulipwood, each shape is based on a particular set of radii.
The bench is constructed with stainless steel fixings. The backs are secured with 150mm stainless steel bolts with recessed washers. The seats are jointed with 10mm fixing plates and six adjustable stainless steel feet providing additional stability to the bench.
Tulipwood was chosen on an experimental basis. It is a non durable timber and not associated with exterior furniture. Collaboration with Osmose, the specialist finishing company, made it possible for the timber to be treated with an oil based finish that contained a biocide. It penetrates the wood 3-5mm giving the timber a long lasting resistance to water penetration and mould. The technique has not been used before and was develop specifically for this project. The bench will be monitored over the next few years to determine the benefits.
FURNITURE OWNER: PRIVATE
DESIGNER: PHILIP KOOMEN
MAKER: JAMES WILLIS
WOOD SUPPLIER: TIMBMET
DIMENSION: 610 X 55 X 135 HEIGHT (WAVE BENCH) IN COMBINATION WITH 160 X 55 X 210 (SPLASH BENCH)
