Sculptor and dialist David Harber has been awarded the RHS Sundries Trophy for the fourth time at Chelsea this year. The honour follows his hat trick in 2009 when he was presented with the award three times in a row - and comes in the same year that one of his new designs,
The Mantle, was nominated for the Product of the Year Award.
Working out of his Oxfordshire studio for over 20 years, Harber has created pieces for high profile locations in Britain and abroad including at colleges at both Oxford and Cambridge and the Al Rawdha Palace, Bahrain. Clients have included Dame Judi Dench, Jeremy Irons and George Michael and his work has been unveiled by HM Queen Elizabeth, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and Prince Charles.
In a record-breaking year Harber has created a series of show-stopping new designs for Chelsea this year, including a living water wall and his first piece harnessing flame.
David Harber’s works can be found at Stand MA12
The Living Water Wall Taking centre stage on the stand is a design several years in the making which is being officially unveiled at Chelsea. A collaboration between David Harber and VertiGarden, the Living Water Wall comprises a series of undulating polished steel strips interspersed with careful vertical planting of flowering Annuals, including Bacopa Abunda Blue and Bacopa Scopia Gulliver Blue Sensation. As water runs over the moulded surface, appearing and disappearing behind the living green face, the sculpture bends and shapes its surroundings, reflecting and distorting sky and planting in equal measure.
David Harber (
www.davidharber.com), artist, says: “The juxtaposition of the crisp clean vertical lines and the soft green planting create a contemporary yet timeless tableau, ideal for a smaller space such as a city garden. The shimmering water is both mesmerising and calming as it speeds up and slows down over the surfaces, giving the appearance that the plants are floating on water. I’m intrigued by reflection and distortion and this is a work I’ve been playing with for some time - it is wonderful to finally get it off the drawing board.”
The Fire Table: Chelsea also provides the opportunity for the first public exhibition of the Fire Table, a work initially developed for a private commission which transcends David’s established oeuvre. The design at Chelsea takes the form of a hemisphere of black puddle stones with a honed black granite top and a mirror-polished stainless steel which fills with flame. Exploring David’s interest in contrasting materials – in this instance the tactile stones with the reflective stainless steel – the piece represents the first time David has incorporated fire into his work.
The Mantle
The Mantle takes the form of a perfect sphere made up of hundreds of organic bronze shapes creating a latticework of blue green verdigris. The underside of each shape is gilded with 23-carat gold leaf, to catch the sunlight and create a warm ethereal golden glow within the sphere. The Mantle has been shortlisted for the RHS Chelsea Product of the Year Award, a prestigious award introduced for 2011. Just 16 products have been nominated. Results will be released at 4pm on Chelsea preview day, 23 May.
The Torus
An elegant and sculptural piece of brilliant polished stainless steel, inspired by the JET Project. Subtle convex curves and knife-edge seams combined with the focal central portal hole give this piece a mystical appeal. Striking and powerful, the work stands in contrast to the natural environment, yet connects with the surroundings through distorted reflections.
The Echo
A classical shallow bronze bowl oxidised to a natural blue-green verdigris patina and with a striking waterline of 23-carat gold which is reflected on the water’s surface. The water is sent from the centre of the dish in mesmerising pulse-like ripples, which fan out as they travel to the edge. The name of the piece was inspired by the story of Echo, the water nymph of Greek legend.
Know your Gnomon from your Noon Gap
Meet David and discover the secret to building and reading a sundial. David Harber is not only an international artist and sculptor, but a world-renowned sundial maker. David will be holding an open workshop for the public on Friday 27 May at 12:00hrs at Stand MA12.
