Wood-fired!

Sixty by six

July 18th, 2008

Sorry about the long break between posts. A retinal detachment and its subsequent repair had me lying on one side for 5 days straight. Glad to be back upright! The detachment became apparent just as I finished my latest project - 2 hours before it was due to be presented. Nice timing in one way!

I’ve been keeping this project quiet because it is the basis of a collaborative present for my dear friend Jeremy who turned 60 in June. (We presented it to him on July 13th since he was in Panama and the US in June.)

I made a slim wall cabinet with 60 pigeon-holes designed to accomodate 60 cubes of memorabilia created by his family and friends.

The cabinet was made from Tasmanian blackwood. I will post some workshop notes on the construction techniques in the near future. This is a rare view with none of its contents loaded.

As I had hoped, the cubes that people made were diverse in theme and material. We had cubes made from metal, wood, ceramic, acrylic, wool and of course paper. They featured original painting, cross-stitch, knitting, pastels, a jigsaw, appliqué, a tartan bow and even a chocolate. Themes included many photos from Jeremy’s long past, his favourite things and interests, various bones of contention, his exploits, the passions of the people making the cubes, and foremost the special relationship all the contributors have with Jeremy including rememberances of many past events.

We wrapped the cabinet with a dozen of the cubes pre-loaded to give some feel for the intent and wrapped the remaining four dozen separately so he could examine each one and choose a spot for it in the cabinet. Six of the loaded cubes displayed letters that spelt out his name.

We presented the gift to him at our traditional ‘Xmas in July’ dinner so there was some element of surprise involved though I think he harboured a few suspicions.

He was very pleased and touched I think by the efforts that everyone had put in and seemed to relish the process of recognising the origin of each cube (some more quickly than others) and adding it to the array.

One cube contained a jigsaw depicting a group photo from one of our Xmas holidays at Merimbula. Jeremy completes it with the aid of his assistants.

The collection nears completion. Once it is hung in his home he will have plenty of time to explore, rotate and relocate each cube. I saw it hanging in his living area last Tuesday and will post an in situ picture soon.

All 60 cubes in place. The metal cube in the bottom row (which contains the jigsaw) has one of its two eyes detached. Rather appropriate to my circumstances at the time!

Thanks to everyone who contributed to this present for Jeremy. I think it was very successful and Jeremy certainly appreciated it.

Entry Filed under: Wood