riven ark
The riven arks, also known as meal chests, were made over a period of about 300 years and originals can therefore be difficult to date. This elegant furniture item is demanding of a good wood source, that cannot be bought...it has to be created by splitting with wedge and mallet. My wood stock is planned many years ahead to prepare wood for such occassional commissions.
Made for a new Welsh museum alongside the Brecon Becons, this ark follows the ancient art of cleaving large logs to make furniture. All 26 pieces that make up this chest are riven, seasoned and jointed individually. Nothing is flat or square...so the art of scribing one piece to the next is a necessary skill.
Riven timber boards are stable, consistently strong and beautifully figured. The result is something very special. When replicating something like this, what impresses me is the refinement in the original construction. It's obvious that crafts were studied and discussed and that good design was passed on. I take a pride in feeling able to make a craft item that holds its own in contemporary design, by simply replicating the look and feel of an historical original.
flat-pack ark
Assembling 26 components of uneven shape with almost 40 joints is time consuming. Surprisingly perhaps this design was continued for many centuries.
Obviously this spec. is expensive and I am not often paid to give one item so much attention. Arks could be made from planks flattened and squared up...but the result is not the same.
Obviously this spec. is expensive and I am not often paid to give one item so much attention. Arks could be made from planks flattened and squared up...but the result is not the same.