www.inbristol.orgBianca Pardhy-Avis bpardhyavis@gmail.com |
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My
work has its roots in traditional handmade furniture from my training
at Bristol Women’s Workshop. I learnt cabinet making skills using
traditional woodworking tools, and I believe that this gave me an understanding
of the material in a way that can be lost using modern machinery. I
now somewhat reluctantly but necessarily use a certain amount of machinery
as it is not financially viable to do everything by hand, but I retain
many elements of hand fitting and finishing which gives my work an integrity
and individuality seldom found in modern furniture. Most of the wood
that I use for my own design pieces is from reclaimed or second hand
sources, I find that these materials have their own distinct character
which I often use as inspiration for a piece. This approach to the design
process is often essential as sourcing reclaimed wood can leave the
maker with anything from a tiny piece of a treasured rare hardwood to
a whole house full of Victorian floorboards. Reclaimed materials can
limit themselves in this way but in my experience, more than compensate
for this in their uniqueness. Using these materials also allows me to
use woods that would be unethical if bought new. It seems people are
willing to throw away quantities of these precious materials and I take
great pleasure in ‘rescuing’ and using these wonderful pieces
of wood. I endeavor to use traditional methods and unique materials
to create eclectic pieces of furniture with a wide variety of stylistic
references. |
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