Working Together
Working Together is a furniture installation featuring two handmade desks constructed from a discarded boardroom table. All that remains unused from the original Murdoch Magazines’ table are a few planks. With careful thought and consideration we can work together to reduce our waste footprint.
Working together
In the twenty-first century, the meeting room has moved to a singular workstation; from in-person to online. This body of work was inspired by a key principle of sustainable design: to reuse and reduce waste. The large boardroom table, now broken, unwanted and discarded, has found new life in these two desks. Almost every piece has been used.
Together: One desk appears as if it was made from fresh timber straight from the mill. Freshly sanded with an even finish, it hides its past life. This desk suggests the green screen of working-from-home, showing the ideal backdrop for your online meeting, hiding a true reality. It satisfies the desire to have new things, rather than embracing the past.
Working: The other desk is a mirror of the first, but intentionally left unfinished. It gives hints to how each component from the old boardroom table was repurposed. It bears scars, etchings in the original finish, and relics in the form of mechanisms from the discarded meeting table. This desk represents the personal workstation, left unchecked with a little chaos amongst the order. Its personalisations make it one of a kind, finding value in individuality.
Rather than adding this 5.2 meter boardroom table to the ever growing pile of landfill, I took it apart and rebuilt it into new furniture. The final outcome is displayed on the footprint of the original table, with two mirroring desks and the leftover pieces placed on the floor.
Working together is the graduate work from my Masters of Design, Sustainable design degree. It was awarded the 2025 UniSA Creative Graduate Exhibition Prize
Thank you Guy Keulemans and Michael Kutschbach for your ongoing support throughout this project.