Rare Woods

As a cabinet-maker, Frederik Pesch often made furniture out of ‘fake’ wood. That involved covering plywood with HPL sheets printed with oak, beech or walnut. Intrigued by the paradox of such simulated surfaces, he investigated the fluidity of ‘real’ and ‘fake’ wood. He came to see the image of wood as an independent material, liberated from its source. He could use types of wood that were unavailable or endangered, morphing them into any shape and controlling their grain and colour in ways he never could as a craftsperson. Two benches made of steel demonstrate the potential. The first is inspired by the iconic Nakashima bench, while the second references sheets of veneer, usually pre-cut into rectangles and then flipped to form symmetrical images.