From ash to 'Ash Rise': Celebrating Scottish design and the native hardwood

The graceful ash tree, a native hardwood of the UK which is found in abundance in the natural landscape, is a vital resource for various artefacts. However, ash dieback, a fungal disease first discovered locally in 2012, has been fatal to the tree, causing new shoots and leaves to wilt and die back, with the tree eventually succumbing to the fungus. Hoping to create awareness about the destructive impact of ash dieback in Scotland, while highlighting the beauty and versatility of the natural material, the Scottish Furniture Makers Association (SFMA), Scottish Forestry (SF) and the Association of Scottish Hardwood Sawmillers (ASHS) have come together in collaboration for Ash Rise, a nation-wide exhibition and education outreach programme. On view in Edinburgh from September 13, 2024 - January 12, 2025, the show will travel to other locations in the coming year.

Currently on display at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, the design exhibition brings together 20 local furniture makers, designers and artists who were selected by an expert panel of furniture design specialists including Stephen Jackson, senior curator, furniture and woodwork at National Museums Scotland; David Jones, furniture historian and lecturer at St Andrews; and Christina Jansen, managing director of Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh. The selected contemporary designers, makers and artists were required to create works specifically for the showcase using wood from diseased trees felled in 2021 from Killearn, Stirlingshire.

"At first glance, this is an exhibition of exquisite furniture, beautiful artworks and incredible designs, yet the significance of Ash Rise goes far beyond aesthetics – powerful though they are," Amy Porteous, producer of creative programmes at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh tells STIR, elaborating on the exhibition highlighting Scottish craftsmanship and ingenuity. "The exhibition tells the story of a remarkable tree with an ancient history and vast potential," she continues.

Importantly, this focus on craftsmanship is vital to the Scottish design landscape, which bears a trademark understated nature. Eschewing tenets of industrial design, contemporary design in the region has foregrounded the individuality and intimacy of craft. The exhibition includes a range of sculpture designs, artefacts and artworks on paper that speak to this concern for the handmade.

Six furniture designers, Kevin Gauld, Angus Richardson, Jack Sheahan, Sam Cooper, Richard Platt and Angus Ross have created chair designs for the showcase. Where Ross' is defined by a sinuous fluid form, Cooper and Platt's is distinctly reminiscent of the ash's branches and Tom Addy's chair was crafted by the designer in one day without power tools, a comparison of each highlights the versatility of the wood. Other wooden furniture pieces on display includes Tom Cooper's cabinet that draws on the form of the ash tree's leaves; Lyne Studio David Buchanan-Dunlop's side tables; Kirsty MacDonald's curved shelving unit with a spiral form; Nikita Wolfe Murray's credenza with gentle tendrils and Sam Chinnery's bench design.

On the other hand, some of the more ingenious and offbeat responses to the showcase celebrating ash are designer Helena Robson's agricultural tools, a kayak crafted by Stephen Thomson and even a beautiful guitar defined by curvaceous elements, designed by Caelin Harrington. However, the most poetic of the installations in the exhibition space is perhaps Naomi Macdonald's Potential, inspired by falling seeds. Made of slivers of bent ash, the sculptural artwork dwells on the possibilities of regeneration for the trees. Reflecting on the works displayed, Tom Addy, project coordinator for the exhibition, says in the official release, "The results are not just a homage to the Scottish ash but an insight into the transformative power of furniture making and design to breathe new life into locally sourced materials."

The exhibition's focus on locally sourced materials further prompts conversations on sustainability, as pointed out by Porteous. Apart from the displayed artefacts, the exhibition features a documentary that relates the entire life cycle of the tree and the processes by which it is converted into furniture; and workshops in woodlands across Scotland to raise awareness about the environmental and economic impacts of ash dieback, estimated to affect 50 - 70 per cent of the country’s trees. Elaborating on the educational potential of the display, Porteous notes, "The exhibition shows how, by supporting scientific and horticultural research, building local timber supply chains and encouraging people to 'think local', we can help the magnificent ash tree to rise again."

'Ash Rise' is on view from September 13, 2024 - January 12, 2025, at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh in Scotland.