I Spent One Month Burning Half A Million Individual Dots Into Wooden Surface

The BURNT side table, a sculptural hand-made solid maple wood table, features a geometric pattern consisting of half a million individually burnt dots on its surface, to create a play on texture, movement and light.

This collection is the product of months in which I spent experimenting with pyrography – the art of decorating wood or other materials with burn marks.

Wood burning was used to decorate traditional cottage furniture in Austria, often featuring Celtic symbols or animals. “I started researching and teaching myself wood-burning, when I realised the potential for intricate and textural surface creation. I have been fascinated by movement in textures for a while and felt this would be a great way to combine it with craft.”

Burnt geometric surface areas, which change colour and pattern depending on the light and angle viewed from, contrast lacquered sanded surface areas, creating a sensory play on touch and sight.

My work focuses on re-examining traditional craftsmanship, in order to highlight the beauty of materials and draw attention to the making process. My work often features intricate, or challenging to make, products. “With this collection, I wanted to push myself even further on a physical and mental level. Burning half a million individual dots by hand in different directions onto the timber surface was a mental challenge and brought up some physical complications with it. However, it also redefined the idea of craft to me, as my brain “switched off” at some point and the physical act of making took over. At times it felt like watching my hands work on their own.”

More info: alexandermueller.co.uk