Bincho House

Out of all the strange, weird and wonderful things i have made this year i am probably most proud of this Bincho house which was created as a display unit for the brand 'Sort of Coal'.

If your interested in the process they use to make their products go to:

http://sortofcoal.com/science/

As the Bincho  house would be showcased at the launch of Tom Dixon's shop during the London Design Festival 2010, I really wanted to make sure we made it to the highest standards.

 We were given an amazing design brief, mimicking the products to be displayed, we would expose the wood to high temperatures. We burnt the outside of the wood creating this deep black effect.

Binchō-tan or white charcoal or binchō-zumi (備長炭) is a traditional charcoal of Japan. It dates to the Edo period, when during the Genroku era, a craftsman named Bitchū-ya Chōzaemon (備中屋 長左衛門) began to produce it in Tanabe, Wakayama. The raw material is oak, specifically ubame oak (Quercus phillyraeoides), now the official tree of Wakayama Prefecture. Wakayama continues to be a major producer of high-quality charcoal, with the town of Minabe, Wakayama producing more binchō-tan than any other town in Japan.
The fineness and high quality of binchō-tan are attributed to steaming at high temperatures. Although it is often thought that binchō-tan burns hot, it actually burns at a lower temperature than ordinary charcoal but for a longer period of time.^{[citation needed]} Because it does not release smoke or other unpleasant flavors, it is a favorite of unagi and yakitori cooks. Due to difficulties in identifying the producing region, the name binchō-tan has come into broader use to designate white charcoal generally, and even products from outside Japan, as well as those made of other species, have come to use the name.
To differentiate the aforementioned "non-pure" products, there is a movement to call binchō-tan produced in Wakayama kishū binchō-tan.
Binchō-tan has found uses other than as a fuel. Because it has numerous small pores, it can absorb chemical substances.^{[citation needed]} Bits can be added to rice during cooking to remove chalky flavor, placed in shoe-cabinets to absorb odors, and put in rooms to freshen the air. There are many more supposed benefits and health values of white charcoal.^{[citation needed]} Currently there are a number of binchō-tan-based consumer products on the market such as socks, shirts, shampoo, cosmetic products, and many more. Acclaimed London yakitori restaurant Bincho takes its name from binchō-tan.
Binchō-tan or white charcoal is harder than black charcoal, and rings with a metallic sound when struck. Wind chimes and a musical instrument, the tankin ("charcoal-xylophone") have been made from it.

The Lion Tamer

http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/celebrity/pictures/31271/2/duffy-for-marie-claire-duffy-photos.html#stopI get asked to make a lot of props but a few weeks ago i made this podium for use in a magazine shoot.

It was only later i was told that it would be used for the front cover with the singer Duffy laying on it. Here is a sneak preview.

http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/celebrity/pictures/31271/2/duffy-for-marie-claire-duffy-photos.html#stop

God is a DJ

Here is a DJ booth i had a hand in making recently, the piece was commissioned especially to be the centre piece for Damian Hirst's Christmas Party. The party was held in a church (hence the DJ alter), and the theme was weird science I had some friends who went and said it was a great night.

Apologies for the rubbish photo, i took it from my phone.

Monsters and Grotesques

Two years ago my friend and neighbour, the very talented illustrator Elle May Logan (http://clublogan.wordpress.com/exhibitions) commissioned me to make some unusually shaped frames for her first solo show.

Here are some images from when they were all finished and hung in the gallery.

And here's me and the artist herself at the opening:

Always wanted to be a carpenter, always will be.

Iv been a fully qualified carpenter and cabinet maker for over ten years now and still love what i do, i guess I'm lucky like that.

I had a traditional apprenticeship in an old-school workshop specialising in bespoke cabinetry and joinery. Here i not only learnt the proper way of doing with things but I also learned the hard-way the embarrassment of being sent to the supply shop to ask for a 'long-weight.'

After getting my qualifications i joined an international exhibitions and events company, spending a few years traveling the world with a tight-nit team, learning to make things extra quick and super efficient.

After a few years of traveling, i came back to work in London. I freelanced with various companies doing interesting and challenging jobs for clients such as MTV, More4, Barcardi and Cannes Film Festival.

During this time i also worked as a scenic carpenter on the film MirrorMask (2005).

In late 2005 i set up a workshop in Hackney Wick and got a regular shop-fitting contract with a high-street retailer. During this time i met a variety of local artists and designers and was commissioned by them to make lots of weird and wonderful things.

I stopped doing the shop-fitting in 2008 and decided i wanted to go back to doing events-based work. What can i say i love the thrill of it, the strangeness of it, it always keeps me on my toes and i never know what il be doing next.

Since then i have worked on displays for Nike, film premiers such as Marley and Me, a giant tree house for Gamers and made a traveling Victoriana cinema from scratch.

Its been good.