From forest to furniture
- Stevan is influenced by Japanese woodworking
- He was selected for the Irish Portfolio Critical Selection 2019-20
- He uses traditional techniques in an innovative way
After studying industrial design in Dublin, Stevan Hartung was initially employed as a product designer. Though he enjoyed the process of seeing an idea become a physical object, he became disillusioned with the commercial environment that was “often sacrificing good design for fashion and style”. Long attracted to wood, he sought out work experience and began to teach himself the traditional techniques of cabinetmaking. He now combines his design and woodworking skills to create pieces of furniture that “bring people closer to wood as a living material”. Such is his love for wood and his desire to nurture the environment, he has planted 2,000 trees on his land in County Wicklow, Ireland.
INTERVIEW
When I use a particular timber my goal is to allow the qualities of the wood to be appreciated by others. Ultimately this is about working with the materials honestly and with integrity and respect. The sense of awe I still sometimes derive from working with wood is something I hope to convey to others.
I love that the life of the tree is displayed in the resulting figure and colour. I love the different smells of timber; the colours and textures; the way it works with hand tools; its warmth and smoothness; the fact it is always reacting to its environment and the woodworker has to know how it reacts and respect that.
As my knowledge of wood as a material increased over the years, I began to feel that my lack of knowledge about trees was something I needed to rectify, and so I began to take a real interest in the ‘outside’ of trees, as well as the ‘inside’. For me it is about creating a habitat, not a future timber resource.
I often leave the workshop simply to walk among the trees. I think the sense of calmness or connection to the natural environment that living here provides is actually extremely important to my creative process. It helps provide the relaxed but focused mind in which creativity can flourish.
