Steve Szell luthier: in praise of reclaimed timbers
'There is nothing more satisfying than taking the time to work up an old, greyed piece of timber to reveal the bright and deep colours and patterns of seasoned timber to then turn into a living, breathing artefact like an instrument,' says Brisbane based luthier Steve Szell.
Steve Szell's work will soon be shown in an exhibition at artisan’s Machinery Street Gallery, 45 King St, Bowen Hills, Qld from November 5, 2022 to March 4, 2023.
Steve began Szephyr Guitars in 2020 as a luthiery practice that focuses on building high quality, affordable instruments with Australian native reclaimed timbers sourced from old furniture, demolished buildings and leftover arborist slabs.
Steve is also an architect and interior designer who works across the fields of design, visual art, large scale installation, music and academia. His focus remains on sustainable materials and the integration of experimental design methodology in conventional practice. Steve’s core ethos in creative practice is to produce multi-faceted outcomes that link environmental sustainability to community. Together with his small team, Steve runs a high school program ‘Building Guitars Sustainably’ and works with Northwest Youth Accommodation Services to provide access to quality instruments for displaced youth members across Brisbane.
This exhibition is intended to express the material qualities of reclaimed timber through the process of refinement and care to celebrate their inherent qualities. The narrative thread of celebrating the timber through working it up from its raw, weathered state through the build process to a final outcome is core to producing Szephyr’s instruments.
Images supplied by artisan Qld, copyright Steve Szell, Szephyr Guitars
