A Stack of Timbres, 2023
FSC Certified Solid White Oak, 305(w)x457(l)x457mm(h)
timbre [tam-bər] a characteristic quality or tone of expression
Inspired by the wood stacks found in lumberyards throughout British Columbia’s central interior, A Stack of Timbres is designed as a side table that celebrates B.C.’s forest industry. Rejecting the idea of designing the table as an object or abstracted form per se, it is instead a visual representation of the qualities of order, repetition and rhythm - in a sense, a non-object reflective of the intangible qualities of the automated sawmill processes that produce dimensional lumber. Reminiscent of Michele De Lucchi’s wood stack sculptures of 2017, A Stack of Timbres creates a series of stacked horizontal surfaces in varying tones of expression or 'timbres’ (hence the name) that recall a traditional stacking arrangement found in the province’s lumberyards to prevent warping. Using no adhesives or fasteners in its assembly, the table’s elements are simply cross-stacked with wood spacers (or ‘stickers’ as they’re known in the industry) relying on only gravity and shallow cross-lapped joints created by a 3-axis computerized router for precise alignment and stability. Finished with beeswax - a natural finish that continues to nourish wood after it’s been cut - the result is a repetitive rhythmic form created entirely through modern machine automation while evocative of the lumberyard traditions of an industry that has historically been the engine of development in the province for generations.
© 2023 atelier Christophe Du Chemin
