Origin to Object - Meet the Makers in Conversation

Meet the makers behind the pieces in this conversation series.

We will delve into the Melbourne Design Week themes explored in this exhibition around transparency, currency and legacy.

Hayden Cronin, Fair Wood Manager will lead the panel discussion with makers Patrick Holcombe, Georgie Szymanski and Gaby Miegeville-Little.

Do you know where your timber comes from? It seems like a fairly straightforward question but it's getting increasingly difficult to answer.

CERES Fair Wood collaborated with a number of local furniture makers, all on their own journeys with sustainable timber, to design and build a truly local piece of furniture. Integral to the process was sharing the provenance and journey from the standing tree to the timber with the makers. 

In sharing this information, we hope to highlight the connection that can be made when we carry forward the story and knowledge of a tree. Caring for that tree and its continuing story long after it has stood, through our responsible material selection. 

The final pieces tell the story of the tree, the grower, the miller and the maker and connects us to place.   

Working within a climate of nameless, faceless sticks of timber, CERES Fair Wood exists to change the way we think and connect with our timber supply. Championing transparency, Fair Wood acts as an honest broker of timber. As we all grapple with dwindling timber supplies and knowing where our materials come from, CERES Fair Wood supports agroforesters, small scale farm foresters and millers to get their sustainable timber to market.

CERES builds markets for purposeful trade through a network of not-for-profit social enterprise models, including Fair Wood. We give equally to growers, processors and customers and encourage growers to plant more trees. Trees purposefully planted on open pasture land, for conservation and profit, also have a critical role to play in addressing our climate and biodiversity emergency.

Origin to Object runs from 22nd May until the 28th May 2023 and is open daily from 10am-4pm at the Industrial School, Abbotsford Convent.