This summer, I had the opportunity to work on a very unexpected and exciting project for Chiswick House and Gardens Trust, generously funded by Arts Council England.
For the first time, I collaborated with my husband Mark, an amazingly talented carpenter, to design and build a truly unique and special piece of outdoor furniture along side organising a series of creative summer events for the Chiswick House community. The Harvesting Connections Long Table.
The Harvesting Connections Long Table is a 6 meter long communal table, through which we honoured nature by constructing the table from fallen trees found on the grounds of Chiswick House. We transformed what was once considered dead and waste into something beautiful, lasting, and meaningful, enhanced with removable ceramic creations inspired by the Chiswick House community and Kitchen Garden’s beauty. It takes pride of place in the Community Quarter of the Kitchen Garden.
This project was not just an opportunity to create something functional or beautiful but also to preserve a piece of this historic setting. These fallen trees, each with their own story etched in their grain. They celebrated the unique character of Chiswick House’s gardens and the natural wood. Every knot, curve, and imperfection contributes to something deeply connected to the space, nature, and people.
Constructing this table from fallen trees was only one unique element of this project. the other was the community engagement the enthusiasm and love for the gardens was brilliant. I engaged with the community to produce unique ceramic centre pieces and ceramic tiles to incorporate into the table. These reflected the communities feelings about the garden and garden’s beauty, by using plants, found objects from the space, and drawings pressed into the clay. We had so many tiles we had to create another art work for the garden to incorporate them all!
To dive deeper into this project, visit our blog, Crafted from Nature’s Gift, where I share the entire process of creating the Harvesting Connections Long Table—from sourcing and preparing the wood to the design process, crafting, construction, final reveal, celebrations and reflections.
