Coordinates

Coordinates is a collection of functional sculpture, crafted from locally foraged urban hardwoods. Trees salvaged from the city's many green spaces become vessels of memory, geography, and craftsmanship.

Timber from fallen & foraged trees is often worked while the wood is green, intentionally allowing splits to emerge as part of the form’s evolution. Others are patiently seasoned before carving begins, their stability giving rise to more predictable behaviour.

A collection of functional sculpture

In a nod to the Japanese art of kintsugi, fractures and imperfections are embraced rather than hidden. In some pieces splits proudly define the aesthetic. In others they are repaired using a pine resin glue, that is hand-made with resin collected from nearby pine trees emphasising resilience and repair.

Every work is signed and inscribed with the coordinates of where the timber was discovered and its species, anchoring it to a specific location where for many decades the tree defined and witnessed its urban surroundings. These pieces are geographic relics, transformed through craft into enduring, functional forms.

Coordinates is both a homage to the constantly evolving natural history of the urban environment and a testament to the enduring dialogue between maker and material.

Prices below are exclusive of UK VAT.

Norwegian Maple Long Bowl with dimpled polished surface that resemble black hammered metal with splits from the timber on white surface against plain white wall.

Norwegian Maple Long Bowl CO211

£2,024.00 GBP

Black textured long bowl made from London Plane timber, on a white surface against a white background.

London Plane Long Bowl CO210

A textured, black, boat-shaped wooden sculptural bowl, made from London Plane, with a polished honeycomb pattern on its surface, placed on a white shelf against a light gray wall.

£2,090.00 GBP

London Plane Long Bowl CO209

A small, oval-shaped sculpture made from oak from a salvaged beam. The base is charred with heavy grain and the top is dimpled and polished. Sits on a white table against a white wall.

£2,200.00 GBP

Oak Trough CO214

Wooden trough made from an ancient oak beam. The textured surface is charred, waxed and polished. It sits on a white surface against a light grey background.

£550.00 GBP

Oak Trough CO212

A small wooden dish made from a salvaged oak beam. The inside of the dish has a natural oak colour and a waxed sheen. The base is black from scorching and oil finished. Placed on a white surface against a pale grey wall

£550.00 GBP

Oak Trough CO215

A small wooden bowl made from a salvaged oak beam. The inside has a natural oak colour and a waxed sheen. The base is black from scorching and oil finished. Placed on a white surface against a pale grey wall

£550.00 GBP

Oak Trough CO216

A hollow, black colour, spherical sculpture with curved shaped opening and a chiselled and polished surface pattern, displayed on a white pedestal against a plain white background.

£550.00 GBP

London Plane Sphere CO220

A wooden bowl made from seasoned Ash wood, with a large split, natural wood finish and a ring of bark along the top, sitting on a white surface with a plain white background.

£1,870.00 GBP

Ash Bowl Split CO201

A small polished wooden bowl with natural ash colour and lively grain. Splits and cracks are repaired with black pine resin glue similar to the practice of kintsugi. Sits on a white surface against a light background.

£1,870.00 GBP

Ash Bowl Kintsugi CO202

A black, textured, curved vase made from burned Ash wood, with an irregular curved hole in the middle, placed on a white surface against a plain background.

£1,276.00 GBP

Ash Y Bowl Bowl CO221

Black textured sculpture made from burned London Plane timber with curved, organic shapes on a white surface against a neutral background.

£2,200.00 GBP

London Plane Y Bowl CO218

An ancient looking Greek Amphora sculpture, carved from green London Plane with deep textured black surface and two handles, mounted on a round black steel display stand, displayed on a white pedestal against a plain wall.

£2,156.00 GBP

London Plane Amphora CO219

A wooden bowl free-carved from Horse Chestnut scorched and sanded to provide a conker brown finish and a textured irregular surface, placed on a white table against a plain light background.

£2,470.00 GBP

Horse Chestnut Bowl CO204

Wooden milking stool made from an Ash tree log. It has a heavy grained disc seat with a ring of bark and three carved Ash legs. the finish is natural oiled wood placed on a white surface.

£1,980.00 GBP

Ash Stool CO203

£1,584.00 GBP

Award winning NOS Sphere chandelier

Awards
Build Back Better Green 2023
Home Interior Products & Lighting 2020

Discarded nitrous oxide canisters are collected from the streets of London for this product. Traditionally part of the catering industry, and more recently consumed as a semi legal high, they were a common sight scattered across urban parks, gutters and pavements outside nightclubs. Initially inspired by an idea from fellow creative Rupert Matthews, it seemed a fitting project that I design and develop something beautiful and luxurious. A celebration of the illicit.”

The canisters have a ready made droplet shape that lends itself to a hanging sculpture. The reflective surface provides a mirror ball quality that plays to the strengths of the canister. The large perfect sphere has just the right amount of scale and “difficult” about it to produce a valuable, luxurious feeling, final piece which provides contrast to what is a discarded item found in the gutter. A single narrow-focus recessed LED spotlight was chosen to illuminate the chandelier providing some drama and ensuring a dappled silhouette below it, magnifying any subtle movement.

Each NOS SPHERE chandelier uses recycled canisters, which are machined, threaded, polished and assembled by hand. They are then given a second life in a sculpture of dancing light. At a glance, the effect is a cloud of pristine mirror finish jewels, but look closely and you can see fine scratches or surface blemishes; subtle evidence of their recycled origins and a textural fingerprint.

There are a number of standard sizes, though most scenarios require bespoke adjustment whether that be drop height, colour or ceiling fixing. Commissions are also welcome.

the most popular sizes are the NOS SPHERE 228, which has 228 canisters, and the NOS SPHERE 348 which with 348 canisters and is nearly twice the size. The standard canister finish is polished zinc, however special finishes are available on request such as polished gold plate for really luxurious environments. The transparent threads can also be changed to hot pink, which creates a halo of colour.

Ceiling fixing design will vary depending on the requirement for slab or suspended ceiling types. Assembly is carried out on site.

Prices below are exclusive of UK VAT.

Iron

Iron is a collection of candle holders & dishes, that range from functional to purely sculptural. With inspiration from soft solid geometry as if worn through time they take on pebble like and even liquid forms and are both weighty and tactile.

Sand-cast in iron and bronze & lost wax cast in copper, in the UK and either rumbled at the forge to blur the surface and then blackened or polished to a high shine and waxed.

Prices below are exclusive of UK VAT.

Ironman

IronMan celebrates Diplomat’s experiments with unconventional making processes and surface finishes. Inspired by traditional West African tribal furniture, it replaces millennia of ad-hoc wood carving with an equally ancient blend of hand carving and metal casting. The result is a uniquely expressive object capturing iron age technology.

IronMan is robust and functional despite its diminutive scale. The sitter has to adopt a crouching posture that, though very comfortable, is culturally unusual in the west and therefore demands a more conscious engagement with the product.

Each stool is hand carved from expanded polystyrene and then cast from CS cast iron using a lost wax process at a foundry in East London. The casting is then hand cleaned, ground, burnished and waxed in Diplomat’s London studio.

This craft approach to production, delivers a series of unique pieces. The original pattern is destroyed in the casting and at each stage of the production there is also a layer of conscious distortion which becomes part of the final design.

The Ironman furniture range was created by Diplomat.

Diplomat is the creative umbrella that covers the collaborative works of Ashley Hall and Matt Kavanagh. Started in 1999 it initially focused on furniture design projects, mainly with Italian manufacturers and evolved to include experimental work.

View the Diplomat website here