Brodie Neill is known for his mastery of materials, form, and process. Continuum shows his major, upcycled works. ReCoil + Continuum is presented by not-for- profit design advocates Design Tasmania with timber innovators Hydrowood in partnership with the Tasmanian Government.

What is ReCoil?

ReCoil is an elliptical centrepiece dining table. It is made entirely of precious reclaimed Hydrowood timber veneer offcuts. Seven native Tasmanian tree species are featured. These include Huon pine, Tasmanian Oak, Celery Top Pine, Sassafras, Myrtle and Blackwood.

The veneers are meticulously coiled by hand in outward spirals. These reference the trees’ annual growth rings. The finished table is 2.2m x 1.4m x 78cm H. It comprises 3km of veneer strips.

The effect of a spectrum of wood tones from honey to burnt umber. The honey-coloured wood is the rarest and most treasured of all Tasmanian timbers, Huon pine, and the burnt umber is Tasmanian Oak.

The actual colour combinations and sequence of the veneers is randomised into a blueprint consisting of all the species and their many lengths of scraps. The resulting combinations of the veneers mesmerise, demanding attention. The woods release their unique oils, particularly of notice is the scented Huon pine.

The tabletop has been CNC trimmed smooth, flush cut. The surface is polished, finished with resin. The table stem is made of larger pieces of veneer. The impact of Recoil comes from its refined, innovative process, and positive message.

What is it made from? And how?

Hydrowood reclaims trees that were lost underwater when a forest in the Pieman River valley, on Tasmania’s rugged west coast, were submerged for a hydroelectricity scheme in the 1980s.
The veneers offcuts were sent to Reliance Veneers in Stamford Hill, London, where they were cut. A randomised algorithm set the patterns for Neill to execute. The veneers are hand coiled, a process that took over 60 hours, over many days. The surface is CNC trimmed, flush cut, with a gloss finish of resin. Recoil has been made in the Brodie Neill studio in North-East London.

Facts and figures:

Total length of veneers: 3km
Species of trees: 7
Weight of ReCoil is c. 60kgs
Hours to make: 60hrs of coiling alone, and endless preparations!

More on the trees:

Seven native Tasmanian tree species are featured. These include Huon pine, Tasmanian Oak, Celery Top Pine, Sassafras, Myrtle and Blackwood. The tree ages ranges from 100-200 years old Oak through to 2000 year old Huon Pine.
While the trees are underwater, they are slowly breaking down releasing the greenhouse gas, methane and carbon dioxide. Methane is 20-30x worse than CO2. By removing the trees, stabilising, and using the timber in the built environment, Hydro wood is halting this release.

ReCoil: available from 1 – 27th October 2021.

London Craft Week is 4 - 10th October 2021.
Open Monday - Saturday 10am-6pm and Sunday 10am-4pm.
Located at 6-7 Motcomb Street, Belgravia, London SW1X 8JU

Virtually at Design Tasmania
4 - 31st October 2021.

ReCoil + Continuum is part of the UK/AU Season, the biggest cross-cultural collaboration between the UK and Australia.

Born and raised in Hobart, Tasmania, Brodie Neill studied Furniture Design at the Tasmanian School of Art before completing his Master’s at the Rhode Island School of Design (US). In 2005 Neill setup his London studio where his work covers limited editions as well as production pieces for his self- produced brand Made in Ratio. In 2016, Neill represented Australia at the inaugural London Design Biennale with a critically acclaimed installation Plastic Effects, where he launched the now iconic Gyro table.

Neill is known for his mastery of materials, form, and process. He crafts inventive, resourceful, beautiful contemporary design works. Neill recontextualises and transforms not only virgin materials, but the forgotten, the waste, the discarded, into mesmerizingly beautiful, refined designs. All of this with a strong message that is elegantly contained in each piece. They embody care, environment, origin, and lifecycle.

Eminently collectable, Brodie Neill designs can be found in galleries and museums, as well as the home, particularly with Made in Ratio.

Website

Made in Ratio

Hydrowood

Below the waters of Lake Pieman on Tasmania’s west coast lies a treasure hidden for over 40 years. An ancient forest lost to the deep, dark waters. Lost, that is, until advanced forestry techniques and careful environmental stewardship help bring these precious timbers to the surface.

hydrowood.com.au

Lark Distillery

The House of Lark, pioneers of Tasmanian Whisky, founded by Bill Lark in 1992. Equal parts yesterday, and tomorrow, fiercely determined, but embracing change. Lark is the world’s most innovative distillery, housing a range of hand-crafted whisky’s, headlined by its award-winning Classic Cask Single Malt. Carbon Neutral, and named Top 4 Distilleries in the World, Lark continuous to experiment and create unexpected experiences in whisky.

larkdistillery.com

London Craft Week

October 4-10, 2021
Celebrating outstanding British and international creativity, London Craft Week brings together over 250 established and emerging makers, designers, brands and galleries from around the world. A curated selection based not on price or fame, but underlying substance. Plus, that essential dash of magic and inspiration that separates great from good. londoncraftweek.com
About UK/Australia Season 2021-22

London Craft Week

The UK/Australia Season

A joint initiative by the British Council and the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The Season highlights the breadth of partnership between Australia and the UK, and aims to deepen and extend cultural connections. The Season commences in September 2021, concluding in March 2022 in Australia and in December 2022 in the UK. The theme ‘Who Are We Now?’ will reflect on our history, explore our current relationship, and imagine our future together.

The Season will feature programming for all ages, and will celebrate the diversity of cultures and languages in both countries. It will emphasise Australia’s First Nations voices, enable cultural exchange with Wales, Scotland, England and Northern Ireland, and the diverse societies that have emerged in both Australia and the UK through migration.

ukaustraliaseason.com