'Lovers seat' by Alison Crowther

Alison Crowther trained as a furniture designer at the Royal College of Art in London. For the past ten years she has been designing and making one-off pieces of furniture and sculptures for outdoors, made from solid pieces of native hardwoods. Until recently she combined her own practice with teaching in the Craft and Design Department of Bedales School, Hampshire and now continues her involvement in education through tutoring at Kingston University.

The 'Lovers seat' by Alison Crowther

The work she produces is for both public and private clients, to commissions for exhibitions. Current outlets and exhibition spaces for her work include: The Hannah Peschar Sculpture Garden, Surrey; The New Art Centre Sculpture Park, Roche Court, Wiltshire; Goodwood Sculpture Park, Goodwood, West Sussex, Ciancimino, Pimlico Road, London.

Public commissions over the last three years have included: 5 pews for Winchester Cathedral; Benches and screening for Thatcham Nature Reserve, Newbury; and a 36ft winding bench for Essex Wildlife Trust. Private commissions are sited throughout England and also France, Switzerland, Germany and more recently New York and Miami, USA.

Most of the work is made in her workshop in Hampshire. The making process begins with the use of chainsaw and electrically powered tools to remove waste wood quickly. Then a traditional gouge and mallet is used to carve a surface of groves and lines that are extremely tactile. All the timber is used green (unseasoned) and will crack and weather gracefully with age. Most large outdoor projects are made from English Oak and will last a lifetime.

The piece for Chatsworth is produced from a large oak butt from the Estate. Chatsworth Park Foreman, David Robinson and Horse Trials course builder, David Evans, did the initial rough chainsaw cuts under Alison’s instruction. The love seat/jump was then installed on site and worked on for a further three weeks being shaped by Alison and her partner Nick Rump. The work functions in two respects, as an unusual, sculptural Cross Country fence for the Horse Trials, but also as a permanent feature in the park to be enjoyed and sat upon by many people for years to come.

The sculptures in the series are:
'Lovers seat' by Alison Crowther | 'The two Graces' by Allen Jones | 'Pegasus' by Tim Harrisson | 'Two column jump' by David Nash | 'Epona's Leap' by Nigel Ross