#Connected - Mesamachine, Stammtisch, Pink Moon and Stem
Third and last part of our series about #Connected exhibition. Here are the four remaining tables and seats produced by Benchmark Furniture with wood produced by American Hardwood Export Council for the show at the Design Museum until Oct. 11th.
Episode 3: Mesamachine by Jaime Hayon; Stammtisch by Sebastian Herkner, Pink Moon by Studiopepe and Stem by Heatherwick Studio.
The exhibition is a vibrant homage to wood and the finest craftsmanship produced out of this noble material.
Wood is renewable and easily recycled. It can be used both as a material and a fuel; it is low impact and a carbon store. Strong for its weight, wood is also tactile, versatile and visually appealing, adding warmth to interiors and benefiting people’s health. With the world facing the ever-increasing impacts of climate change and of over- consumption of high-impact materials, the emphasis needs to shift to the environmental merits of making more use of what nature is growing.
The material choices consumers, designers and manufacturers make have a direct effect on the composition and sustainability of the forests. This project presents three beautiful and underused timbers - American red oak, cherry and maple- and questions that the obvious species aren’t always the only ‘right’ woods to use.
These three sustainable timbers grow abundantly in the American hardwood forests, which run from Maine in the north, down to the Mississippi in the south, taking in a portion of the Mid-West. They make up 30% the American hardwood forest and all contribute to its diversity and sustainability – red oak is the most widespread, for instance, while the soft maple is the fastest re-generating hardwood species. With heat treatments and a variety of finishes all three are hugely versatile.
Mesamachine by Jaime Hayon (Spain)
The Mesamachine is a complex and ambitious multi-element build, providing a single space to work, play, eat and spend time with his family. Like a Swiss army knife, functional elements can be opened and extended to serve a multitude of functions.
The main table frame is made up like a hollow torsion box, with tensioning ribs running along its length. The various storage solutions and extending shelves work on timber runners and involve an exacting degree of precision in their manufacture.
Two stools and a bench follow a similar design language, with smiley faces cut out to add a playful element. Timber choice is American cherry with a clear oil.
Stammtisch by Sebastian Herkner (Germany)
With an organic and modular form, Sebastian wanted to create a landscape where the various elements of his day meet. The name Stammtisch translates as the ‘regulars table’ – a space for friends and family to gather every week. Using a thoughtfully selected choice of materials, the table is made from red oak, bleached, with a white matt natural oil finish.
The large tray is made from American maple, ammonia fumed with a clear matt natural oil finish. His stools and small tray are made from scorched red oak.
The timber for the tabletop and other components is spindle-moulded to achieve the characteristic shape that is key to Sebastian’s design.
Components were carefully jointed and glued up, with the design playing with contrasting grain directions from the tabletop and the movable trays, which can run along the length of the top within skived tracks.
Pink Moon by Studiopepe (Italy)
Studiopepe’s Pink Moon plays with the idea of cycles of renewal and new beginnings, inspired by the Pink moon in spring. Its construction involved contrasting inlay details on the table’s legs and a contemporary seat inspired by a Charles Rennie Mackintosh frame.
American maple was chosen for this piece. Timber was first selected and CNC cut for the leg inlays. These pieces were then stained and oiled, a process that dyed the timber through. The tabletop was planked and then cut on CNC to the desired nature-inspired form. Legs were mitred together, and then the contrast inlay fitted flush.
The chair’s unusual backrest comprises a large maple ‘moon’, CNC machined in two halves, drilled to accept the back legs and then stained. When the two halves are brought together, a seamless joint will be created, with the Pink Moon suspended by the Mackintosh-inspired frame.
Stem by Heatherwick Studio (UK)
Heatherwick Studio’s Stem celebrates the power of biophilia by incorporating planting into curved CNC-machined American maple legs, clamped to a glass tabletop.
After spending 3 months at the same desk using video conferencing to communicate, the studio craved nature and began to see the space around them as a mini television studio – what is behind you and around you is now being seen by the world.
Initial inspiration evolved from the craft of wooden spoon carving. The same principle is applied to a shelving unit, with carved timber uprights and glass shelves. The seat will be upholstered in Gotland shearling, with a carved base that references the other elements.
Pictures by David Cleveland
