The Ashmolean , Oxford

13/07/09

We are, of course, delighted to have been selected for this commssion. Following is a excerpt from the Ashmolean's press release which will tell you more.

The Ashmolean is delighted to announce that the furniture designer-maker Matthew Burt has won a commission to make 22 new seats for galleries in the new Museum building.

Opening in November 2009, the outstanding architectural quality of the new Ashmolean building designed by Rick Mather Architects, and the original Neoclassical building, by C.R. Cockerell (1845) have provided an exciting opportunity for furniture designers and makers to furnish the Museum’s interior.

In association with the Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers, the Ashmolean commissioned a range of flexible visitor seating for the new galleries. A panel of judges, including representatives from Rick Mather Architects, the gallery designers Metaphor, and the Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers, chose Matthew Burt’s designs from a shortlist of five candidates.

For the Ashmolean, Burt has designed seating units that are sympathetic both to the modern and traditional interiors of the old and new Ashmolean buildings. Elegant and clean lines with a constructional and conceptual tweak achieve a modern classic style, complementing the simplicity of Metaphor’s gallery interiors, Rick Mather’s contemporary architecture, and C.R. Cockerell’s classical design.