One of the most impressive pieces of furniture in the show (read part one of my story here) is a tall, pod-like cabinet that was commissioned by a wrist-watch collector. To house the collection, Joseph built a stacked cluster of drawers that pivot out on arms of bronze and stainless steel. The drawer mechanism is just as stunning as the piece. Each watch is individually nestled in its own tray, which is lined with pear wood.
Walsh was recently commissioned by the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire to build 24 dining chairs. In the exhibit, you can view the mockups, prototypes and completed pieces. To help clients and the design team of the Duke and Duchess, the extensive design and mockup process was used. The grand dining hall was scaled and a mockup of the antique table and future chairs was created. Each walnut chair has a unique backrest and is one-of-a-kind.
Walsh works hard to optimize his designs so that they are as elegant and slimming as possible. His process is complex and his show is full of it.
One of his recent projects, which received a detailed documentation in this exhibit, is a newly completed sculpture for the National Gallery of Ireland. Afluid band of ash lamination climbs high into the air in a form that, at least to me, resonates with imagery of aCeltic harp. One of the impressive objects related to this piece, on display in the exhibit too, is a full-scale study and testing of the base. Walsh explained to me that he builds sections to scale when a new form is developed or when the pieces must withstand significant structural demands. Then, engineers test the pieces. This is required because the current data on bent lamination available in engineering text books is incomplete, sometimes too general or includes redundancies and understandable factors of safety that may not be relevant to the techniques and high-end materials that he uses. In many cases, the current data reflect tests done on laminating that had knots, cracks and other imperfections common to average construction material. A laminated object that is made from first-grade, hand-picked, straight grain wood such as ash can perform up to five times better in strength tests than what’s in the literature.
Joseph Walsh creates detailed models for each of his projects. This helps Joseph Walsh, his design team, and clients to visualize the scale, proportions and shapes of the proposed piece.
You will find images of his studio, process photos and complete pieces that aren’t included in the current exhibition. The show closes on the 24th, so if you happen to visit NYC, carve out some time to drop by and see it. It will be a great experience.
Joseph Walsh’s show is at American Irish Historical Society,991 5th Ave., New York, NY 10028
The Show ends on May 24th.
Free Admission
Opening hours:
Wednesday Saturday: 10 a.m. 5 p.m.
Sunday: 12pm 5pm
(You may need to ring the bell if the door is not responding.)
Yoav Liberman
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