Furniture beyond utility

Organisers of the exhibition are pitching the objects as ‘functional works of art’ which sit between the camps of art and furniture.

David Gates has created Silo, which seems to owe its form to a suburban garden on stilts, or possibly a stilted suburban garden.

Gates, who designs and makes furniture that has a relationship with architecture, has also made a second piece for the exhibition, which appears to be a wardrobe of sorts.

Simon Yates has made what appears to be a kinky sideboard. Yates is interested in ‘emphasising, structure, balance and the idea of movement and texture’ as well as ‘experimenting with technique and process’ according to organisers.

Yard Sale Project is the name under which maker Ian Spencer and designer Cairn Young work. Their products are handmade one-off pieces of furniture that show the hallmarks of savant obsessiveness.

Often they create sweeping sculptural forms and combine many types of wood into a single design.

Alun Heslop of Chair Creative creates sculptural chairs and seating with a philosophy of ‘truth to materials,’ demonstrated here with this grand throne-like object.  

Welcome to The Material Mind runs from 25 April – 1 May, at Great Western Studios, 65 Alfred Road, London W2 5EU