Matthew Sherwen, Bronze 15 (Furniture)

The name ‘Bronze 15’ was inspired by the Bronze Age, signifying a new era and the start of innovations. Similarly, this piece is the start of something new in my career hopefully with some new ideas. The ‘15’ represents the number of pieces for this limited edition piece. The dining table is designed for those with a passion for cooking and entertaining. The final piece was made from American oak with Neolith Calacatta used as a centrepiece. Neolith was the standout material due to its heat resistant properties. The shape of the centrepiece was designed to appear fixed and ornamental with functionality concealed within the internal mechanism. When the Calacatta is pushed downward, the mechanism raises the centrepiece which becomes a turntable. The mechanism also raises the turntable to the second height of 30mm, allowing the timber underneath to be cleaned, if necessary. The mechanism was carefully designed and prototyped. The final piece is constructed using three custom made bronze parts, a gas spring and two bearings. Once the turntable is rotated, the wedged mortise and tenons become visible. Complementing the title of this piece, bronze dovetails were designed and produced to seamlessly connect the tabletop to the frame. Photos were taken by The Unfold.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.