Detail of painted 'City Growth' icon showing the 'crane index'
Top and profile views of the 16ft long solid oak boardroom table.
Detail showing hand produced walnut and lime veneer
Detail showing hand painted indian ink lettering.
The central icon represents the City Council, with old signature worker bees
The Thin Veneer of Democracy installed at Castlefield Chapel, Manchester
Castlefield Chapel installation for the 'Incursions In The Knowledge Capital' show
It took three of us three days (and nights) to hand inlay all the veneers.
The Thin Veneer of Democracy
The result of an ambitious cross-disciplinary collaboration between illustrators, designers, researchers and furniture makers, The Thin Veneer of Democracy brings together many of UHC's skills and interests.
The 16ft long surface is hand painted in Indian ink. It bears the names of 101 institutions, council officials, companies and private individuals who are all linked to Manchester City Council's 'Knowledge Capital' project. The names include Council CEO Sir Howard Bernstein and corporate 'partners' such as British Nuclear Fuels and Manchester Airports Group. Their intricate relationships are laid out in a veneer of lime and walnut strips.
The piece won UHC the Art Gene open prize in 2007.