Ash & Plumb

Barnaby Ash and Dru Plumb

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Previously shown in

Rhythm and Flow 2023

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material and maker 2026

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Ash & Plumb are a British-Australian studio practice based in Sussex specialising in hand-turned and carved wooden vessels that sit between sculpture and artefact. Working primarily with English oak, their practice is rooted in material sensitivity, a deep respect for traditional craftsmanship, and a fascination with ancient form. Works are informed by historical design, with a particular focus on Greco-Roman classicism reinterpreted through a contemporary lens that celebrates the imperfections of the material with which they work.

Each piece is shaped slowly, responding to the material as it moves and settles. Cracks, distortions, and surface variations are not seen as flaws, but as evidence of the wood’s life and the conditions under which it was formed. Stitching and surface treatments are applied sparingly, acting as subtle interventions that highlight repair, endurance, and the human hand. The resulting works are tactile, contemplative objects - vessels that hold traces of place, process, and time, and invite reflection rather than utility.

"We work almost exclusively with unseasoned English oak, sourced locally from Sussex - a material chosen not only for its strength and longevity, but for its inclination to move, split, and respond to time. Working with green wood allows the material to remain active during making, embracing natural forces such as shrinkage, warping, and cracking as part of the final form rather than something to be controlled or erased.

Where fractures occur, we stitch the vessels by hand using waxed cotton thread — a quiet act of repair that draws attention to vulnerability, resilience, and care. Rather than disguising damage, the stitching becomes a record of transformation, acknowledging both the material’s past life and its continuing evolution as an object."

 

Click the image for details and if you are interested in Ash and Plumb's work please enquire below.​​​​​​​