by Will Cottrell | Mar 30, 2026 | Bamboo Art, Material Investigation, Process
Bamboo Surface Transformations Surface transformations aligned with the stages of alchemical and psychological development: black, white, yellow, and red. Each colour emerges through a specific material operation. The black of nigredo is achieved through burning: soot...
by Will Cottrell | Mar 13, 2026 | Bamboo Art, Material Investigation
Form Studies: Bamboo Hyperbolic Paraboloids Often used in contemporary Asian bamboo architecture, a hyperbolic paraboloid is a doubly-curved surface, simultaneously concave and convex. This deceptively complex form is actually made entirely from straight lines. Every...
by Will Cottrell | Mar 13, 2026 | Bamboo Art, Material Investigation
Working with Irregularity: Bamboo Weaves There’s often a tension between human conception and working with natural materials. The ‘random weave’ technique, in particular (involves no plan, fixings, lashing) invites me to just go where the bamboo wants to...
by Will Cottrell | Mar 11, 2026 | Bamboo Art, Material Investigation
Understanding Form through Bamboo Maquettes Creating bamboo maquettes as a precursor to larger structures is a traditional process used by Balinese and Vietnamese bamboo carpenters. Following this traditional, I often use maquettes to study the designing and weight...
by Will Cottrell | Mar 11, 2026 | Bamboo Art, Material Investigation
Prototype Bamboo Furniture Bamboo is well known for its furniture and building potential. I wanted to explore how this was done, and since bamboo carpentry is quite distinct from its wood equivalents, the only way to do this was to build prototypes of my own. Each...
by Will Cottrell | Mar 11, 2026 | Bamboo Art, Material Investigation
Exploratory Bamboo Assemblies A constantly-evolving series of material experiments with bamboo assembly. The work ranges across structures, maquettes, furniture, and sculptural, exploring how bamboo can be shaped and assembled through both traditional and improvised...
