Max's group presented a lovely range of different approaches to the theme in their final presentations yesterday afternoon. As it would have been expected, most objects were somehow related to sitting, but there was also an interesting approach to rotting wood transformed into a crossover between a log fire and a candle by one of the Canadian participants. I liked the outcomes very much; most had a tremendous simplicity, and were very graceful at the same time.

Max's resumé was also a very positive one:

"I thought it was great how the group worked. There was such a diverse mix of nationalities and languages involved, and many different backgrounds - some people had worked with wood before, some hadn't - but no one had yet experienced working quite in such a way - just going out into the woods, taking the completely raw material straight from nature, and transforming it into objects. I was concerned about the language barrier at first, but somehow it worked really well - everyone was able to communicate in one way or another, and everyone got so involved, it was great. It was also interesting to see how the group worked - it was their decision to make this a group project, I wasn't sure if everyone would prefer to work on their own individual projects without creating a connecting link between them like we did - but it became clear right at the start that this was what people wanted. It was great to see how motivated people were - of course, everyone wanted to get the most out of the money they spent, but the people kept on pushing and stimulating each other. Almost a little bit like peer group pressure, but in a very positive way.

Really the most amazing experience to me was the atmosphere within this environment: it wasn't anything like a school, but with all the benefits of a school, and more: a place where the teacher - i.e. me! - took away from it as much as the participants, throught the constant dialogue with them. The whole thing without needing grades, just supported by people's curiosity and motivation, and the way they were inspiring each other.

Since the group was usually split in two - one group working on the machines down in thr workshop, and the other working up in the forest - I would switch back and forth between the two, and I would always be amazed by how fast they were making progress, and by the changes that were becoming detectable in the space. All in all, I had a fantastic time, and I'm very happy with the outcome. Everyone was completely uninhibited and just gave it a go."

If you like what you see here, check out the list of the workshops at the Domaine de Boisbuchet - there are still some places left in some of the workshops! Simply click here for an overview.

(all pictures courtesy of Georg Valerius)

Related blog entries:

Max Lamb at the Domaine de Boisbuchet, Part I

Max Lamb at the Domaine de Boisbuchet, Part II

Max Lamb at the Domaine de Boisbuchet, Part III