The installation took shape after we developed the Endgrain technique at the studio. The idea behind ‘Endgrain’ is to harness the grain of the wood in order to carry dye right the way through sections of timber. Blocks dyed is different pigments are then glued together with the grains facing vertically to create three-dimensional patterns- then shaped with a computer numerically controlled (CNC) machine. ‘Endgrain’ is therefore a process that starts very crafty and ends quite industrial.
When English stately home Chatsworth House commissioned us to create a piece inside its 19th century sculpture gallery as part of an exhibition of seat furniture named «Make Yourself Comfortable» at Chatsworth- we thought it would be a great opportunity to apply Endgrain. As soon as we saw the sculpture gallery we were fascinated by the idea if introducing colour to the space in order to create a dialogue with its monochrome sculptures and interior. The green and red pigments were chose to relate to the mosaics that can be seen on the plinths in the gallery.
Rather than designing a single piece of furniture we chose to transform the 300-square-metre space with an installation that extends across the full room. The house being surrounded by
a vast and striking landscape, we liked the idea of bringing the outside inside and turning the gallery into a garden.
Furniture is usually mobile. We played with the notion and thought of pieces that grow from the ground and looks similar to tree trunks. We used pieces of dye-soaked timber to create a patterned floor, with benches and stools emerging from more densely coloured areas. A coloured
pathway winds through the space of the gallery, leading from one bench to another. Each seat
is positioned to allow the sitter to view particular sculptures.
