Richard Haining
Wood sculptor
Brooklyn, NY, USA
Salvaged, stacked and sculpted
- Richard's pieces consist of thousands of half-centimetre-thick blocks
- He works exclusively with salvaged wood sourced throughout New York City
- His finished pieces are defined by the wood's inherent colour, grain and character
Richard Haining creates sculptural furniture and lighting from his studio in the historic Brooklyn Navy Yard. "I found my calling for salvaged wood after working in set design and witnessing the amount of material discarded after each production," he says. Since 2014, Richard has developed works using his signature STACKED technique. He exclusively works with wood reclaimed from New York City, patiently milling each to a uniform size before assembly. "I often work on several pieces at once while each section cures," he says. Through this slow, additive process, salvaged fragments become vessels, furniture pieces and lighting that celebrate the natural beauty of the wood. Today, Richard's work is exhibited internationally and has been featured in multiple national publications.
Discover his work
INTERVIEW
My practice is centered on renewal, born from my previous career in New York's set design industry. Witnessing elaborate sets discarded after only days of use led me to rescue materials from dumpsters, particularly half-centimetre-thick plywood. Using these discarded fragments as building blocks, I began creating hand built wooden vessels.
Discovering that small components could be assembled into larger forms transformed both my material and process. What began with salvaged offcuts evolved into my signature STACKED technique. I use reclaimed hardwood, from rooftop water towers to structural timbers, to build sculptures and furniture.
Every piece begins as a sketch before evolving into a full-scale drawing. Working at one-to-one scale allows me to refine the proportions, rhythm and overall presence of a piece prior to construction.
My appreciation for wood was deeply influenced by George Nakashima's philosophy of the Soul of a Tree. Rather than favouring one species over another, I let the material guide the design.
Richard Haining
Wood sculptor
Brooklyn, NY, USA
ADDRESS
Address upon request, Brooklyn, NY, USA
AVAILABILITY
By appointment only
LANGUAGES
English
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