SCULPTURAL FURNITURE
Tortoise Coffee Table by Peter
Fleming, French walnut and sandcast bronze (52"x52"x15"), 1996
Balance Point by Peter Pierobon,
cherry and ebonized poplar
(24"x18"x30"), 2004
Peter Fleming & Peter Pierobon
July 14 – 25
What separates sculpture from furniture? Could it be that furniture is useful and that (to be strict to the definition) sculpture is useless? Can we find a balance between the two in two weeks with two Peters? Two bits bets we change your life as we look at these questions and explore several (at least two...) ways of generating ideas for furniture that may be more than just functional. Short exercises, slide presentations, one-on-one tutorials and group discussions emphasize concept development and transforming the ideas that you bring to the workshop into viable, clearly stated and well-constructed pieces of sculptural furniture.
Techniques we explore include all means necessary to develop sculptural furniture: bent lamination, steam bending, carving, and stack lamination, to mention a few. We work with all the power tools as well as hand tools, including chisels, gouges, hand planes, files and rasps, to explore three-dimensional form. Bring an open mind and lots of energy as we explore new frontiers of furniture design.
Peter Fleming is Head of Furniture at Sheridan College School of Craft and Design in Toronto, where he has taught since 1989. He also works on commission and produces furniture for exhibition from his Toronto studio. Peter was the 2000 winner of the prestigious Prix Saidye Bronfman Award for Excellence in the Crafts. His work has been exhibited internationally in Canada, the U.S., China, and Japan.
Peter Pierobon is a self-employed designer/maker in North Vancouver, B.C. A 1983 graduate of the Wendell Castle School, Peter opened his own workshop in 1985. His teaching experience includes fourteen years as Senior Lecturer at Philadelphia’s University of the Arts and the California College of Art in San Francisco. Public collections include the Renwick Gallery, the Museum of Arts & Design in New York, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.