The Gathering Hand

On display at Blue Mountain School, The Gathering Hand is derived from five decades of passionate, hands-on creation—historically in the fields of conservation, architecture and interiors—and from GRAS’s interest in interdisciplinary design. Through The Gathering Hand, the studio celebrates the innate human drive to make. GRAS’s Product Design Engineer, Alistair Byars, explains: “Our intention with the collection was to distil and communicate the value of physical creation: the use of both hand and mind to explore the potential of material and form. This age-old pursuit holds life-affirming benefits that are self-evident to the maker.” The collection offers three product typologies, each made from tactile and evocative materials using a combination of traditional and contemporary techniques including bespoke joinery, mouth-blown glass and sandblasted stone. The processes celebrate the skills of specialist makers and manufacturers, resulting in sensory yet functional tables, vessels and objects. Forms are carefully-proportioned and decidedly simple to reveal the innate qualities and textures of each singular material. Four collaborators were selected based on their specific material expertise: local furniture designer/maker Namon Gaston crafted the smoked oak bases of the Carpenter’s Tables, whilst Antwerp-based Studio Corkinho produced the scorched cork tabletops; Cambridge glass artist Edmond Byrne created the unique crackled texture of the Glassblower’s Vessels, while the Stonemason’s Objects were produced in Dorset by Albion Stone then sandblasted by hand in Edinburgh. Each piece communicates the work of the maker directly to the user, forging a strong connection from one hand to another. The collection also presents GRAS with an opportunity to explore architectural materials and forms at a smaller scale than is typical for the practice and in-turn, to transfer new understandings to their larger-scale projects. GRAS will unveil The Gathering Hand at Blue Mountain School where guests are invited to study the pieces and meet the team who made them.