To mark the 110th anniversary of Hans J. Wegner, Carl Hansen & Søn is showcasing a special series of home visits featuring makers, thinkers, and creators who draw clear inspiration from Wegner in both their living spaces and professional work.
Copenhagen-based British sculptor and woodworker, Nicholas Shurey, is one of those people. He took the leap from architecture to sculpting and now creates hand-carved wooden pieces that strike a balance between art objects, furniture, and sculptures. Having earned his stripes in interior architecture, including time at Space Copenhagen and Studio Toogood in London, his urge to craft with his hands led him to his current devotion to sculptural practice, where he shares Hans J. Wegner's philosophy of using as much of a tree as possible, including its imperfections.
You trained as an architect – how come you transitioned into woodworking?
'One of the things I loved most about studying architecture was model making. Yet, constraints on time and budget mean it simply isn't possible to test and represent ideas through physical models. In 2018, I decided to leave my architecture job and spend a month in Switzerland working with a farmer-cum-sculptor. I spent five or six hours a day helping on his farm, and in return, he let me use his workshop and taught me how to carve.'
You are now a sculptor – can you describe what you do?
'I make both sculpture and sculptural furniture. I guess I like to work in both these areas – sometimes it's nice to make something that's purely about form and material, and sometimes I find the need for a piece to have a function helpful and exciting in the design process.'
Why do you prefer to work with wood?
'I think wood is an amazingly contradictory material – it is soft enough to be easily worked by hand, yet strong and hard enough to take on virtually any form and last for centuries. It can be constructed from massive, heavy pieces, peeled so thinly as to create veneers, bent to make curved forms, and so on. I favour organic forms because they have more of a bodily, human feel. There's a satisfaction in drawing smooth curves that flow into one another and even more satisfaction in sanding them smooth into physicality.'
Hans J. Wegner was working primarily in wood and is described as a craftsman. In which ways do you see a relationship between your work and his?
'Wegner was a master of wood, and that's something I couldn't possibly claim, having only been doing this a few years. The sheer volume of Wegner's work blows my mind. He was prolific, producing countless designs that were sometimes the next iteration on a theme of his, and sometimes just wild. I do, however, aspire to the way he balances aesthetic grace with technically crafted joints and components. I also subscribe to his philosophy on using as much of a tree as possible, including its imperfections.'
What do you particularly like about the Wegner chairs in your home?
'This CH28 lounge chair is somehow both cute and serious, depending upon which angle you view it from. The thin profile backrest and seat are elegant, giving a business lounge feeling, whereas the armrests have a paw-like quality to them. The three-way connection between the armrest, front, and rear legs is what unifies the chair and makes it special – it's a celebration of a joint. There's something more disciplined and understated about the dining chairs. Their posts and rungs all share the same simple, uniform section.'
More information:
Carl Hansen & Søn
www.carlhansen.com