Sebastian Brajkovic conceived a new Lathe (X) in 2010 for this sales exhibition.
About Sebastian from the Sotheby’s Catalog:
Renowned for his Lathe Chair series, Sebastian Brajkovic’s artistic process begins with a deconstruction of antique furniture, in particular 17th and 19th century chairs. Through a combination of wood carving, bronze casting and machine embroidering, he then reconstructs an entirely new vision. There is undoubtedly a Cubist, even Mannerist element to Brajkovic’s chairs as they belie an interest in presenting all angles of an object simultaneously. Brajkovic plays with the sitters’ comfort with the familiar and the new by taking traditional forms and techniques and subverting them with a contemporary approach. He developed the original concept for the design of the Lathe. series on a computer which rotated and morphed his drawings. Brajkovic recalls ‘The designs stretched and opened up, and the colours unfolded in multihued possibilities’. His work is at once highly contemporary and yet ingrained in history with its exquisite craftsmanship and traditional techniques. They could not exist without historical precedents, or our appreciation of them. Cast in bronze or aluminium like sculptural art works, but remaining functional as furniture, the chairs are both a tribute to the past and a prelude to the future. As Gareth Williams observed, ‘These hybrids exist entirely in their own present, but are built on our recognition of the past within them.’ A lathe chair forms part of the permanent collection of the V & A, London.
Sotheby’s has teamed up with London Based carpenters workshop gallery and organized an outdoor sales exposition, featuring 25 pieces of modern design in the magnificent garden of Sudeley Castle in the Cotswolds (UK). Many chairs and benches are featured until August 1, 2010.