Broached presented an exhibition of new Broached Recall applied-arts objects in partnership with Elton Group, as part of Melbourne Design Week 2021.
Twelve new limited and open edition functional objects continued a line of enquiry that attempts to expose the design industry’s wilful contribution to a world that is full of products and denuded of life. The Broached Recall collection harnessed existing heritage materials, pairing them with new sustainable materials.
The debut exhibition of the Broached Recall collection at Design Miami in 2019 was the first iteration of this thematic exploration, presenting five ‘Monolith’ cabinets made from sliced heritage burl walnut harvested from nineteenth century Victorian antique furniture.
Broached worked with legendary typographic artist and long-standing collaborator John Warwicker to develop a graphical pattern language for Broached Recall which was then extruded into three dimensional forms.
The second release of Broached Recall and debut exhibition in Australia showcased the precious historical veneer archive of Elton Group, dating back to the 1930’s. These highly articulated Recall objects enacted as a cutting machine, a modern grid template that absorbs and connects the habits of the past to the material technology of the present.
Elton Group’s heritage spans almost a century of hands-on expertise in timber and timber veneer. A multi-generational family business, Elton Group stands at the forefront of innovation in veneer, creating and supplying ethically and sustainably produced timber veneer surfaces. Elton Group are the only Australian supplier of reconstructed timber veneers with direct control of the entire supply and production chain, from the log to the finished product.
Together, Broached Commissions and Elton Group marvel at the rich, deeply complex history of the global timber trade, forging a future context that not only sees veneer celebrated through collectible narrative-driven design, but also advocating for the use of veneer as a means of preserving and honouring precious timber resources.
Broached and Elton Group turned through the expansive archives to select eight heritage timber veneer species which have been paired with Elton Group’s colourful contemporary reconstructed veneer range. By carefully matching new and historical veneers each Recall object is a unique dialogue between the past and present global management of the timber industry.
The caretaking of these precious warehoused veneers and the commitment to telling their story demonstrates that together Broached Commissions and Elton Group share a true passion for the preservation and advocacy of timber and timber veneer.
