GOING WITH THE GRAIN

WORDS Joshua Brosnahan PHOTOS Naomi Haussmann and Jonathan Smit

From his work on Grizzly Baked Goods in The Welder to wine bar Alfred, to the surfboard outside of Saturdays café in New Brighton, Michael Gilling’s signature craft shapes various parts of our daily lives through XYLO Woodcraft. XYLO, meaning the combining of form, relating to wood.

He lives near his current workshop with wife and musician Holly Arrowsmith, on a bus that they both converted.

An affinity for woodwork has always been there for Michael.

“As a kid, I was always making stuff. Dad had a little workshop in the garage, and he taught me how to use the tools. My brain is just wired for making things.”

Last May he finished up his carpentry job – he mentions how fortunate he was to have a boss who encouraged him to do so and follow his talents.

“It was pretty simple. I like to create things, so why not just put more time into that? If I invest in myself and learn, then I gain various skills. From then until now, it’s just been investing time and money in the craft and me.”

An early project of Michael’s was a wooden surfboard – quite literally made from wood he collected for free, on his travels. It was an easy start, according to him.

“With a surfboard, there’s no pressure for it to be true and square. You can sculpt it, make it ergonomic. It’s not like a stool which will wobble or look wrong. Once it was completed, I thought – this could be a thing. After that, I took a chance at crafting furniture.”

“I was already thinking of consciously putting work out there – if I wanted to do this full time, people need to see what I can do.”

Next came including his work online. His first ‘official’ job was working on wine bar Alfred – with a five-week turnaround. According to Michael, the entire transition was pretty natural, and he feels his skills have grown exponentially.

“I do look back at former work, and I can see the skills I’ve had at that time. I embrace the quirks, and I see the progress in my skill. I’ve learnt to embrace what it is at that time. I’ve learnt how wood moves, and breathes, how it changes shape, how it wears as people use it. It helps with my designs for the future. It’s freeing to move past being a perfectionist! The things I make are going to be used, and will gain a patina over time. I present high quality workmanship, but I love seeing how pieces settle into people’s lives and take on new impressions.

“There’s a balance you need in life – you don’t want to present a bad job, but you also spend way too long fretting over minute details that overtake the work.

“Right now, I’m happy for this to grow naturally. Each job means I end up with more work, as people tell their friends. I’m developing my style and eye and myself as an artist. I have learnt to trust my design. I can look at other people’s work and think, ‘should I be doing that?’ I have to remind myself that no, this is what I do because it’s how I see things. These are my skills. If you accept that and commit to it, you’re good to go. Then you learn along the way.”

xylowoodcraft.com

CONSIDER THIS

WORDS Kim Newth PHOTOS Sarah Rowlands

Société Publishing’s limited-edition journal –Consider–is a pool of calm in anxious times, bringing together delightfully curated stories, poems, and beautiful images from around the world.

It is a special publication in every way, consciously produced to avoid any use of plastics and with a water-base soft-touch cover. It is fully recyclable, though the creative founders of this ‘book-a-zine’ – publisher Julianne Liebeck and copy editor Conor Patton – would obviously prefer readers pass it on once they get to the end, rather than consigning it to the recycle bin.

Christchurch knows Julianne first and foremost as the dynamic owner of Mods Hair, while Conor’s professional career is with Bayleys as national auction manager. Together, this couple relish taking on stimulating new challenges. Their vision recently paved the way to The Tack Rooms, a luxury boutique accommodation and events offering in the central city.

“Julianne is the creative force while I’m the one that comes along behind organising things,” quips Conor.

With a passion for the arts, Conor and Julianne also embrace publishing as a vehicle for curiosity and as a way to mindfully connect with people and share their stories. Julianne first launched société magazine at the time of the Christchurch earthquakes to capture the city’s creative spirit as it started down the long road to recovery.

“We are long-time supporters of microfinance projects in third world countries,” Julianne observes. “We’ve always believed in participating in the community and giving back in some shape or form. Publishing is part of that too, and it gives us purpose.”

Conor agrees, noting how rewarding it has been to gather stories for the Consider journal. “We met some amazing people in our travels and through connections along the way. For example, our designer in Athens [Christina Biliouri] introduced us to Greek scholar Angelos Varvarousis, who has contributed a thought-provoking piece for the journal [Who is Afraid of Change?].”

This is a treasury containing so many gems, such as the story about a small team of filmmakers and photographers practising photojournalism with a humane heart (What Took You So Long?)and the tale of a sculptor slowly carving out a legacy on the remote island of Kastelorizo, (the real catch). There is no advertising to distract the mind or eye, with costs instead being slowly recouped through sales.

With world travel in limbo,Consideralso provides a healthy dose of escapism. The next edition will draw on Julianne and Conor’s experiences last year travelling overland from Beijing to Istanbul on the old Silk Road.

Living well in their own special part of the world is a core goal for this couple, whose next exciting endeavour is taking them to a block of land in Waipara. Julianne spent part of her life in Greece, and this slice of North Canterbury feels a little like that to her.

“A lot of people there are very passionate about food identity; they enjoy their community and way of life. We have yet to figure out exactly what we will do, but we know it will involve grapes and organics. We will give it our best within our means. Life is all about playing the long game.”

societepublishing.com