A single peice of Ash is steam-bent and asked 'where would you like to go?'
This board allowed us to fan the wood upwards resisting the 6 tonnes of pressure used to do the original bend. This brought to mind the phenomenon of 'Root Heave' when in slow-motion trees lift heavy boulders and sometimes pavements with their roots.
This design was achieved by playing very close attention to the wood itself - asking 'what can you do?' 'What shall we try?' No steam was used in allowing the backrest to emerge, I did the cuts and then left it for a few days while the was still drying and then maneuvered the final positions into place by hand.
Time to grow: c. 85 years
Time in workshop: 5 months
Material: Steam-Bent Ash
Size: 140cm x 50cm x 90cm