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Bespoke Guild Mark Holder

Axis Table

Name of Designer:

Mark Thomas
/
BGM Number

495

Date of Award

2024

Description

Incorporating the spherical and curving forms found in the study of planetary bodies and their cycles, the Axis table draws on influences of the monumental architecture of the Bronze Age.

Commissioned as a piece which will ultimately be sold to raise donations for a cancer charity, the designer reflected on our collective search for meaning throughout the ages.
The table draws on Bronze Age architecture, which tracked cycles of planetary bodies in an attempt to understand humanity’s place in the cosmos. Graphic and highly sculptural, it appears to have been formed from one block of black wood. With substantial feet planted firmly on the ground, the legs rise, arching, to join the table surface forming an ‘axis mundi’ – connecting earth and sky.

Oak was chosen, as it represents the axis mundi in many cultures, and the flowing grain of the wood used displays the cyclical growth of the tree. Bronze discs are inlayed into the table-top, representing constellations, and the whole table is ebonised to emphasise its striking form.

About

Mark is a furniture designer and maker based in coastal Sussex. He uses traditional craftsmanship to make contemporary furniture and other creations. Exploring metaphysics and natural cycles his work results in beautifully formed sculptural pieces.