Ash Pales
Ash Pales create sculptures and functional works in wood. At Yale University (2020) and the Royal College of Art (2023), she completed Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in architecture, which guided her towards an interest in the physical crafting of objects and spaces. Alongside her studies, she has worked with artists and architects in the US, Europe, and Japan, exploring traditional and contemporary methods of craft at many scales. Originally from the USA, she now lives and works in London, transforming salvaged timber into forms which highlight the spirit of the material and encourage a connection with the natural world.
Stitch is a hand-carved wooden bowl made from two London trees: a black ash tree from Ealing and a plum tree from Camden. Both trees lived long lives and were felled due to disease. As a result, both trees would have been most likely deemed as waste in the commercial timber market. The fungus left its mark; they contained too many imperfections. In the presence of these fallen giants, I felt a responsibility to bring them new life. How could I honour their legacy?
The end product holds a relationship between place, material, and maker – myself.
Working with a material from the nearby land and transforming it into something new allows me to forge a deeper relationship with my environment. Stitch was born from two self-taught pursuits: the discovery of sustainably-felled London timber and the act of carving wood by hand, using tools that become an extension of the maker.
Project Gallery
