David Harber, the winner of the 2017 Director General’s Trade Stand Award at RHS Chelsea Flower Show, is set to reveal a new installation in partnership with long-standing collaborator, Gaze Burvill.
As part of the FreeForm exhibition at the RHS’s inaugural Flower Show at Chatsworth House, the work is titled ‘Curves and Cube’ and will explore man’s impact upon nature. The imaginative installation will highlight the juxtaposition of rigid man-made elements, with the organic beauty of Chatsworth House’s setting.
Creating the ‘Curves’ and representing the natural world, Gaze Burvill‘s meandering oak bench is representative of the River Derwent, which envelopes Chatsworth’s Gardens. The fluid bench is designed to intertwine and juxtapose with The Cube’s stark facade and defiant architecture.
“Gaze Burvill is delighted to show its bespoke design and manufacturing ability at the inaugural Chatsworth Flower Show, alongside David Harber,” says Simon Burvill, Managing Director of Gaze Burvill. “Using sustainably sourced European Oak, we are set to showcase the lifecycle of our wooden furniture with a set of curved benches in four uniquely finished sections: natural, fumed, weathered and scorched. Designed to mimic the bend of the River Derwent, which weaves throughout the Chatsworth Estate, the benches perfectly complement and contrast the sharp, angular nature of David Harber’s Cube.”
Representing the impact of man, David Harber’s imposing ‘Cube’ is made up of airy, skinned steel frames with a rusted finish. Allowing a play of light to fall over the observer, a filigree of organic patterns mimic foliage and contrast with the sculpture’s engineered, resolute form. Each side of the Cube weighs approximately 400kg (880lb, 63 stone or 5 average men), making the installation one of the largest on display at the exhibition.
David began his career making sundials and his fascination with celestial movements has always guided his work. Arguably it was something that was born in his blood – he is the direct descendant of John Blagrave, the Elizabethan mathematician and scientific instrument maker, who, coincidently, spent most of his life 20 miles from David Harber’s Oxfordshire workshop, which sits in the shadow of a Bronze Age hill fort.
On taking part in the first RHS Chatsworth Flower Show, David Harber says, “I am delighted to be working with my dear friend Simon Burvill and for our idea to have been selected to be included in FreeForm.” He continues, “The Cube was inspired by the interplay of leaves and sky as seen through a tree canopy. I wanted to create an installation that provides a sanctuary with a defiant form, which mimics the formal architectural lines of Chatsworth.”