PETER MARIGOLD
Cleft Series comprises six cleft cabinets that has come out of a continued relationship between British designer Peter Marigold and Tadanori Tozawa from the renowned Japanese company Hinoki Kogei, Japan. The distinct character of each cabinet has been achieved by using single pieces of Japanese woods, cleft for each cabinet, resulting in a highly textured surface, reflected on each door. “I have long had a preoccupation with bi-symmetry. The notion of splitting one thing into two is, I find quite strange. A destructive moment creates; a cell divides. I have experimented with this idea through various projects, including my Split Box Shelves in which a single log is randomly split to create an irregular yet perfectly complete shaped box, and later in the Palindrome series in which rough moulds and casts are joined together to form reflected bi-symmetrical pieces of furniture. During the development stage of the first project I worked on with Hinoki Kogei, the Dodai benches, Mr Chuzo Tozawa proposed that we could use gigantic logs split into two to form the sides of the benches, and we have continued to use this process for these new cabinets, giving a frontal focus to this dramatic cleaving action. A further curious effect of bi-symmetrical objects is that they invariably hold animal or human like characteristics, our brains are hard wired to find faces, torsos, eyes and I enjoy this ambiguity when looking at forms created using just vegetable material.’ -Peter Marigold
‘The wood chosen for each cabinet is selected carefully according to how it will split and how it will work in relation to the overall dimensions of the cabinet. The effect, we hope is similar to looking into a forest, and then perhaps the trees looking back.”
Photo: Nacása & Partners.
Kenposhi , 39 x 25 x 18 cm Smoked Oak, 2017, 69 x 27.3 x 24 cm Sen, 86 x 46 x 20 cm (Acquired by the V&A in February 2018) Kurumi, 158 x 46.5 x 20 cm Kihada, 105 x 34.9 x 24 cm Jindai Sugi, 63 x 24 x 18 cm
Peter Marigold, Cleft Series, 2017. Photo: Nacรกsa & Partners.
‘Kurumi’ and ‘Kihada’ were included in ‘Designers select Designers’ at Aram Gallery in March of this year, this marked Aram Gallery’s 15th anniversary. For the occasion, some of their most notable past exhibitors where asked to present again, and nominate an emerging designer to show with them. ‘The most successful display in this respect is Peter Marigold and Ray G Brown,’ she continues. ‘Brown’s quirky ceramic experiments are hidden inside Marigold’s raw wood Cleft cabinets – they both share a wonder for materials and making.’ -Riya Patel Head Curator at Aram Gallery
Peter Marigold, Kurumi, 2017. Kurumi, 158 x 46.5 x 20 cm. Photo Amandine Alessandra
Dodai (Small), 2012 Hiba (Japanese cypress) and Igusa (woven grass) (L)140 x (D)38 x (H)42 cm
Dodai (Medium), 2012 Hiba (Japanese cypress) and Igusa (wovengrass) (L)180 x (D)38 x (H)42 cm
Dodai (Large), 2012 Hiba (Japanese cypress) and Igusa (wovengrass) 220 x 38 x 42 cm
DODAI BENCHES
These benches were created for the exhibition ‘Simple Vision’ coordinated by Japan Creative, shown at the Milan Salone di Mobili 2012. They were also realised by the same Japanese furniture company behind the ‘Cleft Series’, Hinoki Kogei, following Peter Marigold’s ongoing visits to their factory in Japan. The benches are created from a log split into two pieces and the two faces are opened up and set opposing each other. The covering is created from woven grass (igusa) and wooden rods. This can be rolled back so that the interior space can be used for storage. It is held in place with coloured bungees stretched over dark hardwood turned knobs. The wood used is ‘hiba’, a type of Japanese Cypress. Both the igusa and hiba have beautiful natural odours.
BLEED SERIES
Bleed’ is a collection of cedar wood cabinets that incorporate a form of ‘localised ebonising’. Although the forms are simplistic blocks, the steel hardware, stripped of its protective zinc coating using acid, reacts with the tannin in the cedar. This produces bleeding patterns on the wood that in turn emphasise the actual complexity of the organic material. “I intended a double meaning in the use of the word ‘Bleed’. On the one hand the steel is bleeding into the cedar, but I am also interested in the point at which a regular man made form takes on character, the point at which nature takes a foot hold in the things that we create and that otherwise might be immortal, to drag them back down into the mud. I see this as a kind of unspoken never ending ritual between us and the world we inhabit.” - Peter Marigold
Bleed Wardrobe, 2014 Cedar and steel nails 206 x 74 x 49 cm
Small Bleed Cabinet 1, 2014 Cedar wood, steel nails, 81 x 38 x 23 cm
Born in London 1974, I followed a path from sculpture at Central Saint Martins into theatrical and event scenography where I gained a broad range of making skills. In 2005 I joined the M.A. Design Products (Platform Ten) course at the RCA under Ron Arad and since then have concentrated almost solely on furniture. I was awarded an Esmee Fairbairn bursary following my graduate exhibition at the Design Museum, London and my show with the British Council as one of the ‘Great Brits’ at the Milan Furniture Fair 2007 was followed by an invitation to create an entire installation for Paul Smith in Milan and then further work with Paul Smith in London. Working with both galleries and manufacturers my work continues to be exhibited in both the UK and abroad including the Milan Furniture fair, Design Miami, Stavanger 2008 (Norway), and MoMA New York. In 2009 I was awarded one of the four ‘Designer of the Future’ awards by Design Miami, followed by a significant installation at Art Basel. Previously I have shown with Murray Moss in New York and during Design Miami on many occasions, also at 21_21 Design Sight in Tokyo. My work is in the collection of the Museum of Jerusalem, Design Museum Holon and various other private collections. Recent projects have included the design and production of the large central information desk for the Museum of Childhood, a cast porcelain collection for Meissen (Germany), a permanent furniture installation for the Museum of Israel and a nomadic display system for Oyuna (Mongolian Cashmere). For the last year I have been working on a very large public artwork for the new Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh - a 188m long wall design that will feature panelised 3D macroscopic skin textures wrapping around the building. ‘I am also the creator and founder of FORMcard. A handy pocket sized card of bio plastic that you can use to fix and modify your everyday world simply using hot water to melt it. FORMcard was launched on Kickstarter in November 2015 and then transferred to Indiegogo where it concluded its campaign with more than 10,000 customers worldwide. FORMcard is now distributed globally.’ - Peter Marigold
SARAH MYERSCOUGH GALLERY
Viewings by appointment only Studio 401, Southbank House Black Prince Rd, London SE1 7SJ UK Tel: +44 (0) 20 7495 0069 info@sarahmyerscough.com