Woven Wood

Woven Wood is a collaborative project between product designer Gary Allson and textile designer Ismini Samanidou initiated by Making it Digital and supported by Hidden Art Cornwall and ‘Autonomatic', the 3D Digital Production Research Cluster at Falmouth University. The project examines potential applications of digital design and production processes in creating bespoke architectural surfaces, enabling Allson and Samanidou to create wooden researches of different surface qualities. Woven Wood explores combinations of digital making methods to translate weave structures into timber surfaces for interior and exterior applications. The work utilises the 3-axis milling machine and the digitally-controlled Jacquard loom; further projects have capitalised on the 3-axis milling machine used in concert with digital drawing to exploit Woven Wood’s principles of architectural surfacing in exhibited multi-media installations., The initial prototypes were shown at Godolphin House in Cornwall as part of the Hidden Art Cornwall Design Fair 08 and in London at the Open Studios in December 08. The project strand, ‘warp+weft’, was exhibited at Oriel Myrddin Gallery, Carmarthen (2010) and Wills Lane Gallery, St Ives (2011). Woven Wood received pronounced interest from architects and interior designers; we envisage Woven Wood as a series of bespoke timber surfaces for interior and exterior applications. The Falmouth-based Liebowitz and Pritchard, http://www.lparch.com/, specialising in yacht design and architecture, have registered an interest in using the surfaces for bespoke boat interiors. The UK Crafts Council exhibition, ‘Collect’, provides a commercial venue for Allson’s digitally milled work in continuance of 'Woven Wood’ (the Crafts Council exhibition, ‘Origin’, has shown and sold Allson’s hand-turned wood pieces since 2009).