Craft Scotland celebrates…wood is the third showcase in the ongoing series of partnerships between Craft Scotland and Visual Arts Scotland, dedicated to exploring contemporary material practices and the creative energy that makers bring to different mediums. Previous materials celebrated include glass (2018) and ceramics (2017).

Visitors explored this showcase at ALIGHT, held at the Royal Scottish Academy on Saturday 26 January until Friday 22 February 2019. 

This year, Craft Scotland chose to explore wood through the diverse work of three makers: Charlotte Barker, Beth Legg and Naomi Mcintosh. Their work was presented alongside hirta, a modular structure that acts as a focus for discussion around materiality, design and making.

This presentation examined the contemporary use of wood in craft. A sense of movement is offered by Charlotte Barker, the wood’s natural texture contrasted with the controlled markings of her ceramic vessels. Beth Legg’s objects and jewellery are rooted in the poetic nature of metal, wood and stone and her fascination with hinterlands. Naomi Mcintosh’s designs explored volume, pattern and movement.

Alvar Aalto, renowned modernist architect and designer, described wood as a ‘form-inspiring, deeply human material’. Makers today continue to test the tactile, sensory and expressive qualities of the material within contemporary craft practice, using both deeply traditional techniques and modern digital technologies.