Between a Rock and a Hard Place Bench by Maria Tyakina

Between a rock and a hard place bench by Maria Tyakina Dimensions: L 130 x W 50 x H 36.5 cm Materials: Solid Cherry Wood "Between a rock and a hard place” is a series of wooden pieces that sit between furniture, object, and sculpture. The collection features wooded volumes pressed and pushed into each other. This act of forces and gravity creates self-supporting structures, which are logical, but not rational and propose a function: a side table, shelf, and a rocking bench, all crafted by hand from local cherry wood. Navigating between art and design, Maria's work focuses on the relationship between human and object, and the ways objects mediate our connection with the body. Increasing lack of tactility in a contemporary digital era, sensorial perception, and reimagination of habituated ways of looking at objects are the key elements of her design practice. While conducting experimentations with natural phenomena, materials, color, form, and techniques, Maria's artistic research combines study in ritualization, traditions, and nostalgia. By balancing research and fabrication, Maria explores innovative approaches and material expression to create unexpected sensorial experiences and atmospheres.