Woodworking excellence

Centre for Fine Woodworking exhibition, Refinery Gallery until January 2, reviewed by Peter Gibbs.

This is not a unified exhibition in the sense of being a representation of the work of a selected group of top woodworkers.

At first, it can be a confusing mixture of the work of students on short or long courses, of woodworkers in some sort of residence arrangement and of tutors.

What unifies the work on show is excellence.

The British art and craft movement of last century espoused views of anonymous beauty which agreed with Japanese beliefs expressed in the book The Unknown Craftsman, by Soetsu Yanagi. That philosophy praised beauty of form, execution and function for its own sake.

There was no need to create art in the modern sense – that it brings a new and creative way of looking at the world. Rather that the art of woodwork or other crafts can help us see beauty in the recreation of familiar objects and admiration for the virtuosity of the work.

It seems this sort of philosophy lies behind the teaching at the school.

That's not to say the exhibitors in this exhibition are slavish in their execution of familiar forms such as tables. chairs, cabinets and chests.

Some show their individuality in contrasting wood types, in cunning hinges, in different ways of joining two pieces of wood. For example, dovetail joints may be spaced regularly or irregularly, hidden or exposed.

Even in the interpretation of a simple stool as part of a class project, individual details vary considerably.

It seemed appropriate to write the draft of this exhibition in the gallery, seated at a table by Glenn McNeilly. The light and dark of American walnut and maple enabled the table top and chair seat to appear as pale backgrounds of ethereal grain framed by something more solid. The table legs flared slightly out at the bottom, making a firm connection with the floor and giving the pair an authority and weight.

In contrast, the writing table and chair by Sjoerd Van Waart is all lightness. The colour of the cherry and maple wood, the taper of the legs and the thin edge of the table top enhance the elegance of the two pieces.

There is something very uncompromisingly European about the two oak chairs by Thorkild Hansen. The generous proportion of the frames could have resulted in a heaviness, but the cunning design made the chairs appear to be springing lightly forward from the floor.

It's unfair to single out individual pieces, although if I could I would have taken home the chair by Lachlan Park, the glass cabinet by Patrick Oughton and the hall table by Adam Webb.

The exhibition needs to be appreciated piece by piece. The degree of skill on show is breathtaking. It's an exceptional group of exemplary woodwork.

- © Fairfax NZ News