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AOD:
How did you get into furniture
design?
Why do you use recycled
materials in particular?
WELLS MASON:
I got into furniture design
because, as a student,
I needed furniture. I
needed something to sit
on, a table to sit at.
I’m guessing this
is what they mean when
they say “Necessity
is the mother of invention.”
Currently, I’m exploring
a concept that I call
The Umasi Collection.
The Umasi Collection is
designed to blur the line
between furniture and
sculpture. It features
perfect panels that collide
into organic elements.
Most of the materials
that go into Umasi are
what I call “resuscitated
materials.” These
are discarded materials
that ordinarily go to
a landfill or a burn pile
or a scrap yard, and with
Umasi, I breathe new life
into these old materials.
For instance, a used telephone
pole, a salvaged ship
mast, a dead tree. I’ve
rescued trampoline parts
from the backyards of
derelict houses, and I’ve
salvaged ship masts from
boat graveyards. So, for
me, Umasi is also an adventure
in sustainability, with
an emphasis on recycling
and repurposing the familiar.
What these “resuscitated
materials” have
in common is the virtual
absence of "embedded
energy" – in
other words, the materials
for Umasi have not been
reprocessed and repackaged
and remarketed and redistributed
(at great expense) like
many typical recycled
materials.
Umasi doesn’t try
to distinguish itself
as being green in spite
of the myriad costs to
the planet of being green.
And it doesn’t wear
“green” as
a self-aggrandizing badge
of honor. Instead, Umasi
honors the inspired work
of artists who work with
found materials, of landscapers
who control erosion with
used tires, of architects
who reimagine old buildings
into new spaces.
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Umasi Chair
Black walnut, baltic
birch
32” X 26”
X 28” h
2006 |
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AOD:
Who or what has influenced
your work?
How did you become inspired
to create such organic furniture
pieces?
WELLS
MASON:
I find inspiration everywhere.
Artists like Noguchi
and Judd.
Architects like Mockbee
and Pawson.
Poets like Rumi
and Neruda.
Thinkers like Walter
Gropius and Buckminster
Fuller. And Yogi
Berra.
Recently, an art critic
was speaking about the current
state of contemporary craft,
and he said, “what
contemporary craft really
requires is a different
overall approach, one that
would fully acknowledge
the broader context: the
art world, media culture,
contemporary life in all
its complexity and force."
Beautiful. I couldn’t
agree more.
I believe that contemporary
craft is comprised of “things”
that fall into 3 categories:
“things” that
are mere objects; “things”
that are objects with a
particular story, and that
story reinforces the relevance
of the object; and “things”
that relentlessly explore
an idea as it relates to
this specific moment in
time. I’m more interested
in the third category.
With Umasi, I’m traveling
a backroad that comments
on the fever surrounding
the current environmental
crisis. That’s the
premise for Umasi. But it’s
also a ready platform for
other forms of commentary,
with subtle references to
art history, contemporary
culture, and even the politics
of war. |
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Umasi Chair
Mdf, baltic birch,
antique longleaf pine
26” X 28”
X 30” h
2006 |
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AOD:
Every piece in your collection
is crafted by hand. What
is your design and build
process.
WELLS
MASON:
Dream. Make. |
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Umasi Chairs
Mdf, antique longleaf
pine
30” X 30”
X 30” h
2007 |
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AOD:
What's the most rewarding
project you have designed?
WELLS MASON:
The most rewarding project?
That’s hard to say.
Every project is different,
and each project has its
own rewards.
Many of my most memorable
projects are those that
involve the design and build
for an entire space. An
advertising agency. A retail
store. A loft space. These
projects are especially
rewarding because they give
me an opportunity to fully
develop an idea using certain
materials and textures and
colors and forms.
But probably the most rewarding
project to date is my journey
with Umasi.
Yes, The Umasi Collection
is a shotgun marriage of
materials. But, for me,
it’s also a journey
without boundaries. It is
craft crashing art’s
party. It’s spontaneous
design that serves up more
questions than answers.
And, finally, it’s
something of a social experiment,
since I'm essentially poking
at this idea to see what'll
squish out. |
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Umasi Table
Antique longleaf pine,
stainless steel
14” X 24”
X 20” h
2007 |
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AOD:
Is there any advice you'd
give to those trying to
break into the furniture
industry?
WELLS MASON:
Dream. It doesn’t
cost you anything, and
it can take you everywhere.
For instance, I dream
of a smaller house. I
dream of a world filled
with tolerance and sensitivity.
I dream of light and line.
I dream of music out of
every open window. I dream
of perfect visual composition.
I dream of naps in the
afternoon.
I dream a boulevard of
dreams.
Whatever your path, stay
curious, question everything,
and remember to dream.
That’s my best advice. |
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Umasi Table
Southern yellow pine,
stainless steel
12” X 12”
X 20” h
2006 |
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Umasi Chair
(subtitled “Portrait
of Florence Pierce”)
Mdf, baltic birch,
antique longleaf pine
26” X 28”
X 30” h
2006 |
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Umasi Table
Antique longleaf pine,
stainless steel
14” X 24”
X 20” h
2007 |
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Value
Added Exhibit
January 14 – March
27, 2008
Austin Center for Architecture
Austin, Texas
Art
Expo
February 28 – March
3, 2008
Jacob Javits Center
New York City, New York |
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For
more information about
Wells Mason visit:
www.ironwoodindustries.com |
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