Our visit to Aberbargoed was very useful to get an introduction into this project, I learnt a lot about wood and traditional techniques as they were very eager to help us and answer any of our questions. When I think of wall mounted storage I instantly think of a shelf but the most common shelves are a bit boring, I really wanted to explore new materials and methods to change this perception. Because shelves are most likely to have straight edges, I decided mine will be based on curves and the limit of materials, Zaha Hadid architecture was a big inspiration for this.
The best method for me to achieve this was steam bending which Dylan introduced us to, it was a new method of making for me and I really enjoyed. I could only steam bend with green ash which I struggle to get, the recommended supplier was not good at communicating or replying, I called numerous times and sent multiple e-mails but they never replied to, eventually I received some material but this delayed my project, each plank of wood was £3 and I spent £12.
I really enjoyed creating 3D sketches and orthographic drawings, they gave me initial thoughts of how I would construct my shelf and which twists will work best, they weren’t 100% accurate because I wanted to explore free forming but I did help with creating a former.
I found the making process quite difficult as I didn’t perfect the method by the end of the project, I did grow my knowledge in steam bending and green ash, reflecting on my blog every week helped a lot with learning and developing my findings as well.
I’ve always wanted to create with wood especially homeware products, I’ve previously used turning as a method of making with wood but I’d really like to explore more into steam bending as I want to explore create in bigger scale, I will definitely carry on with this method during my subject.
lliodavies 