Introduction
Since the inception of their business in 1980 Wales & Wales have gained a reputation for timeless and intelligent design, emerging from a background in craft without being restricted by it. On the contrary, their experience of making contributes refinement, clarity and subtlety to their furniture, as evident in their designs for industrial production, as in one-offs or short runs from their own workshop.
Their clients include private individuals, companies of all shapes and sizes, institutions, churches, local authorities, even government ministries, (variety is the spice of life.). They have exhibited widely, both nationally and internationally, and a number of pieces have been acquired for public collections. Their designs for street furniture are now produced under licence in both Britain and America and in recent months they have undertaken teaching engagements at universities in America and Australia.
Biography
Wales & Wales FRSA: Curriculum Vitae
Higher Education
Rod Wales :
- Martin Grierson, London – Assistant
- Parnham College , Parnham House, Dorset – Furniture design and craftsmanship
- Furniture School , Buckinghamshire College of Higher Education – Technician
- Rycotewood College , Oxfordshire – Furniture craftsmanship
Alison Wales:
- 1979-80 John Makepeace Furniture, Dorset - Trainee
- 1978-79 Rycotewood College, Oxfordshire
- 1970-74 Reading University B.A. (Hons) Fine Art
Wales & Wales : Design and Production
1986 Selected for Crafts Council Index
- Longbarn Workshop established with Alison Wales
Design and production of high quality one-off furniture and limited batch production.
Wales & Wales : Design for Manufacturers
- Cloverleaf Group : bathroom furniture ranges
- Englender Furniture Ltd : Butterfly Chair
- Garpa GmbH , Germany : public seating
- McDonalds Restaurants Ltd : restaurant furniture
- Luke Hughes and Company Ltd : street furniture
- Forms and Surfaces, USA : street furniture
- CS Furniture : table ranges
Writing
- Journalism: Contributor to Crafts magazine and FX magazine
- Writer for Thames Television: Craft, Design and Technology for Schools
- Contributing editor of Woodworking International
- Books Rod Wales : Furniture Projects – published by The Guild of Master Craftsmen
Teaching and Appointments
2004 Visiting professors for spring semester : University of Kansas , USA
- 2002/5 Crafts Council Trustee
- 2001/4 Crafts Council photostore selection committee
- 2001/3 External Examiner: Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College
- External Examiner: Edinburgh College of Art
- Visiting lecturer to various universities, colleges and conferences in the
- UK and USA including Rhode Island School of Design and
- The Centre for Furniture Craftsmanship, Maine
1988 Design tutor at Parnham College
- Part time tutor at Brighton Polytechnic
- Department of Wood, Metal, Ceramics and Plastics
Public Collections
- Victoria and Albert Museum : Cabinet of 10 drawers
- Cheltenham Art Gallery and Museum : Shift – chest of drawers
- Shipley Art Gallery : Shelf with two drawers
- Crafts Council Collection : Sine Screen
- Manchester City Art Gallery : Sine Screen
- West Dean House : Conductors stand/lectern
- Showcase for South East Arts craft collection
- South East Arts Collection: Stripe Series mirror
- Two shelves and a drawer
- Fitzwilliam Museum , Cambridge : Chest commissioned by
- Sir Nicholas Goodison
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Awards
- Arts Foundation/Po-Shing Woo Foundation Fellowship for Furniture Making
- Bayerische Staatspreis, (gold Medal) : Street furniture
- FX Design Award: Contract Interiors : DB Bench
- Three Guild Marks awarded by the Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers
- Woodworker Award for Form and Function
- Manchester Prize for Art in Production : Sine Screen
- Design Week Award : Sine Screen
Exhibitions (selected)
- Collect : Victoria and Albert Museum
- Onetree
- High Flyers : Bernard Jacobson Gallery, London
- British Studio Furniture : Cork Street , London
- Spectrum : London
- The Woodcarvers Craft : Crafts Council, London
- The Furnished Landscape : Crafts Council, London
- Sothebys: London
- Contemporary Arts Today : Bonhams, London
- 100% Design , London
- Interior Design International : London
- Manchester City Art Gallery
Exhibitions (solo)
- Sripey Drawers : Geffrye Museum , London (2001/2)
Exhibitions (international)
- Classic : Brussels , Belgium
- Exempla ’95 : International Handwerksmesse, Munchen , Germany
- In the Swim : Bremerhaven , Germany
- International Contemporary Furniture Fair : New York
Commissions (selected)
- Chess Chairs: Broadgate, London
- Gallery Seating: Natural History Museum , London
- Hove Museum , East Sussex
- Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow
- Saltwell Towers , Gateshead
- Office Refurbishment: Department of National Heritage, London
- Boardroom tables: National Art Collections Fund, London
- Co-operative Retail Services, Rochdale
- Guild of Master Craftsmen, Lewes
- Len Medlock Volunteer Centre, Boston
- Reception desks: McDonalds’ Restaurants Ltd, London headquarters
- Conquest Hospital , Hastings
- South East Arts, Tunbridge Wells
- Guild of Master Craftsmen, Lewes
- Len Medlock Volunteer Centre, Boston
- Grace Barrand Design Centre
- Chapel furniture: St Mary’s Hospital, Isle of Wight
- Conquest Hospital , Hastings
- Street furniture: Haldensleben , Germany
- City Centre, Dubai
- Alexandrium 111, Rotterdam
- Chicago Beach Resort, Dubai
- Brucken Centre, Ansbach , Germany
- Canary Wharf , London
- Ludgate Plaza , London
- St Katherines Dock, London
- Leatherhead town centre refurbishment
- City of Bath
- Cambridge City Council
- National Botanic Garden of Wales
- Glasgow Green, Scotland
- The Eden Project, Cornwall
- Bluewater , Kent
- Public seating
- International Haldensleben , Germany
- City Centre, Dubai
- Alexandrium 111, Rotterdam
- Chicago Beach Resort, Dubai
- Brucken Centre, Ansbach , Germany
Contact details
Website: http://www.walesandwales.com
Send this member an email
Image Gallery
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Title: Circus
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Title: Co op
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Title: Salt
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Title: Seat
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Title: Smart
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Title: Twist