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Belgium-based designers Draw Me a Sheep presented chairs and stools upholstered in real tree bark at 100% Design London, which ended yesterday.

The pieces, which feature ash bark formed over timber and resin, are based on the notion that if trees had square trunks, less wood would be wasted. Above: Square Tree Trunk/ stool_I

Above: Square Tree Trunk/ bench_I

Above: Square Tree Trunk/ bench_II

The following is from Draw me a sheep:

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Nature V2.01 project_chair(2006)

Inspired from world’s debates on GMO products and eco-crisis on earth, ‘Nature v2.01’ explores today’s struggling human relationship with nature and our desire for authenticity.

More difficult it gets to find something authentic, more demands on ‘nature’ to be ‘natural’-yet to the extent that it is allowed by people. Nature, considered to be original to its core,is increasingly becoming an interface controlled by man. The simple joy of breathing clean air, sitting on a tree trunk and listening to the birds has become luxury for some. And it seems that the search for true, unspoiled nature has never been so intense in the history of mankind.

Our product culture, on the other hand, makes it desirable to involve nature in the manufacturing process to convey authentic value in mass production. On the assumption that our industry puts no limit to the transformation and reproduction of subjects with the pretense of progress, it is likely that some day we might encounter square trees growing in rows.

Thus, the design raises a series of questions about the attitude towards a possible future: Are we ready to change anything as long as manufacturing method is profitably innovative? If we bio-manufacture our furniture in order to get the most ‘authentic’ furniture with minimal modification, can we still call it nature?

Square Tree Trunk series are a part of NATURE V2.01 project. ‘Round’ is perfect in nature, but ‘square’ is perfect for industrial standard. To illustrate, square tree would enable wood industry to lose less material, to cut easier with machines and to store more efficiently.

One sawmiller said, “I wish trees were growing square. Things people make with woods are square anyway, and we need to lose a lot by cutting out the rounded part.” Likewise, same ‘tree’ can be seen as a symbol of nature, or inefficient material for ’wood’ industry. Would we actually get surprised by looking at square trees someday??

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Posted by Matylda Krzykowski

This entry was posted on Monday, September 22nd, 2008 at 3:48 pm and is filed under Design, Green, London Design Festival 08, all. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.