Oliver Spendley Otherlands - Table 01

A new body of work from Oliver brings his skilled carving and deft combination of wood over stone into a pair of functional low tables. In each table, a Scottish timber surface is held in place over three rocks, pierced and anchored by gravity alone. There is heft and lightness, ritual and romance at play here. They echo standing stone circles and early altars. 

Otherlands - Table 01 brings together three craggy mountain stones of Oliver's Sutherland home.  Together, they form a stone circle, captured by a piece of Scottish Elm.  Through a slow process of placing, carving, checking and refining, the stones get locked into places using nothin more than the perfect cuts Oliver makes into the surface, using skills gained in his boatbuilding education.

Oliver says: “The three rocks in each table are Lewisian gneiss, one of the oldest geological forms in Britain. It dates back to around 3000 million years, and was formed in the creation of mountains. There is a visual and physical balance to these tables; all parts are held in place by natural forces.”

“Whoever built the Neolithic standing stone circles and for what reason remains a mystery. We do know that their understanding of the cycles of nature was deep. The relationship to the stones’ placement and the movements of the moon and planets is in alignment. They mirror the contours of the surrounding landscapes. Working in stone and wood with your hands today encourages reflection on why these people built what they did, how and when. Thousands of years later deep time, nature’s cycles, old knowledge and intuition are subjects we are concerned with in ever greater numbers.”

Scottish Elm
Scottish Lewisian gneiss

147.5 x 90 cm
max height 57cm
table height 45cm

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