When forked branches mean potential
- Adam transforms botanical debris into functional collectibles
- In carving benches and seats, he honours the structural logic of branch forks
- He removes invasive tree species to protect the local ecology
Adam Birch is a woodcarver, sculptor and tree surgeon based in Noordhoek. He has been felling and pruning trees across the Cape Peninsula since the early 2000s, and is a fine arts graduate from Stellenbosch University. "I was once working as a tree cutter in Kirstenbosch Gardens when I discovered a camphor fork that I felt compelled to carve," explains Adam. From this experience, he has built his specialism in carving large-scale seating furniture. The process of making a seat using only hand tools has kindled Adam's lifelong knack for identifying a branch's future form while it is still standing. "I am always looking for a very specific fork," he says, "and for it to be symmetrical." Today, Adam operates from an open-air workshop where he salvages invasive species like eucalyptus and cypress.
INTERVIEW
In 2001. I was living in Kalk Bay, in a former hospital that was getting refurbished. Rent was cheap because of the construction. Jewellers, artists and sculptors were living on the same road, and we called it the ‘Summer of Love’. We all put on an exhibition called Flogging, where I sold my first piece.
I use the whole tree. I make a sculpture and then turn the rest into firewood. I use the branches to make wood chips for landscapers. I mainly remove alien species, and it is with huge reluctance that I will take down a precious indigenous tree like a yellowwood or black stinkwood. There has to be a very good reason for it for me to agree to do so.
Once I find the piece of wood I am drawn to and start carving it, I experience a trance-like feeling. My carving in that moment is not conscious, but intuitive. I do not draw sketches. I just pick up a saw and carve, dictated by the shape of the timber. I enjoy making timber as thin as possible, while maintaining its structural integrity.
Woodworkers talk of making a chisel ‘sing'. This happens when you hit the wood with exactly the perfect amount of force at the perfect angle. I also like making beautiful things with my hands. Making even a simple, beautiful wooden bowl makes me happy.
