First look: ‘Ash Rise’ – 20 Scottish designers explore the versatility of the blighted native hardwood

A handmade kayak, a hooded chair and a guitar in ash and concrete are among the innovative design objects created using Scottish ash wood for an exhibition that opens this weekend at Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh. The Scottish Furniture Makers Association (SFMA) invited 20 designers and makers to transform the native hardwood into innovative works of furniture, art and design to highlight the destructive impact of a fungal disease called ash dieback in Scotland.

‘Ash Rise’: 20 designers transform native hardwood into works of furniture, art and design

‘Ash Rise’ is a collaboration between SFMA, Scottish Forestry and the Association of Scottish Hardwood Sawmillers that aims to celebrate Scottish creativity while raising awareness of the environmental and economic impacts of ash dieback, which is devastating the landscape and the biodiversity of Britain’s woodlands. The touring exhibition, which opens on 13 September 2024 before moving on to venues in Dumfries and Inverness in 2025, includes works by ten members of the SFMA, along with ten other creatives selected by an expert judging panel following an open call competition.

Each of the entrants responded to a brief asking for ‘contemporary, adventurous and innovative designs’ that ‘illustrate the versatility and beauty of ash’. Alongside the ten furniture designs, the jury picked proposals from makers whose work ranges from sculpture to boat building and artworks in paper.

Speaking about the key objectives behind the exhibition, furniture maker and ‘Ash Rise’ project coordinator Tom Addy said: ‘Ash Rise is a culmination of a three-year project that started with the idea of highlighting how precious this resource is in Scotland, while also showcasing the skills and creativity of the furniture making and design community.’ He added that the organisers are excited to present outcomes ranging from ‘modern interpretations of traditional Scottish furniture and technically ambitious pieces, to designs that use all parts of the tree, alongside artworks highlighting the value, life and importance of Scottish ash’.

Ash has been used for centuries in the production of tools, weapons and agricultural implements, as well as more recently for sporting equipment such as tennis rackets, hockey stick and cricket bats. When dried, the wood is light, flexible, strong and resists splintering, making it ideal for furniture production. The ‘Ash Rise’ exhibits were created using timber from diseased ash trees felled at Killearn Farm in Stirlingshire in 2021. The trees were then milled and seasoned before the wood was made available to the makers for use in their projects.

Among the SFMA members whose work will be exhibited is Perthshire-based Angus Ross, whose ‘Clova Chair’ uses steam bending to achieve a pared-back, modern take on the classic carver chair. Other furniture designs include Kevin Gauld’s hooded ‘Skila Chair’ based on a vernacular seat from Orkney, and a credenza by Nikkita Wolfe Murray featuring steam-bent tendrils that contrast with the structure’s straight lines.

One of the more unusual exhibits is the ‘Concentric Harmony Guitar’ created by Fife-based workshop Taran Guitars in collaboration with concrete designer Nicholas Denney. The electric guitar combines ash elements with concrete that incorporates natural dyes sourced from the ash wood and its bark. Designer Alexander Johnston produced a wall piece for the exhibition comprising cleaved healthy and diseased ash that highlights the wood’s beauty and the devastation it faces. Helena Robson of HEFT Studio looked to the past when developing a series of five agricultural tools including threshing flail and a grain shovel, while artist Naomi Mcintosh crafted a suspended sculpture made from bent ash strips that are layered to form a sphere.

Alongside the touring exhibition, a feature-length documentary was produced that forms an important part of the ‘Ash Rise’ outreach programme, enabling a wider audience to learn about the project and the issues it is highlighting. The film traces the life of a tree, focusing on its place in the environment and the challenges confronting it. It also documents the processes involved in tree felling and milling, before venturing into makers’ studios to witness how these skilled artisans are able to create sustainable, contemporary furniture using this threatened local resource.

‘Ash Rise’ is on show at Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh until 12 January 2025, before touring to Gracefield Arts Centre, Dumfries, from 18 January to 22 March 2025, and Inverness Museum and Art Gallery from 29 March to 17 May 2025.