The Gathering Hand

The Gathering Hand publication was created to accompany the inaugural furniture and objects collection from the architecture and design studio, GRAS. Derived from five decades of passionate, hands-on creation—historically in the fields of conservation, architecture, and interiors—and from GRAS’s dedication to interdisciplinary design, The Gathering Hand celebrates the innate human drive to create.

Initially unveiled at Blue Mountain School during the London Design Festival 2022, and subsequently showcased during Frieze 2022 and at Custom Lane, Leith in 2023, the collection highlights three typologies. Each piece is crafted from tactile and evocative materials, employing a blend of traditional and contemporary techniques such as bespoke joinery, mouth-blown glass, and sandblasted stone. These processes honour the expertise of specialist makers and manufacturers, resulting in sensory yet functional tables, vessels, and objects. The forms are meticulously proportioned and intentionally simple, allowing the inherent qualities and textures of each material to shine.

The Gathering Hand publication, designed in collaboration with Kurt Green of Human Resources Studio, embodies this ethos by celebrating the physical act of creation and the tactile nature inherent in the making process. Its minimalist layout encapsulates content focused on craftsmanship, collaboration, and material exploration. The elegant lines of 'The Gathering Hand' logo, set in the Cardinal typeface, composed with the utilitarian Alpaga, create a timeless pairing. Additionally, the use of Antarctica for larger bodies of text connects the publication with GRAS’s visual language.
Carefully selected photographs by Eline Willaert, Gabriela Silveira, and Shaun Barton offer rare insights into artisanal workshops and the methods of making. The meticulously designed pages unveil four collaborators chosen for their specific material expertise: local furniture designer Namon Gaston crafted the smoked oak bases of the Carpenter’s Tables, Antwerp-based Studio Corkinho produced the scorched cork tabletops, Cambridge glass artist Edmond Byrne created the unique crackled texture of the Glassblower’s Vessels, and the Stonemason’s Objects were crafted in Dorset by Albion Stone and sandblasted by hand in Edinburgh.

The publication was printed by Kestrell Press, featuring G.F. Smith’s Colorplan in Bitter Chocolate for the cover and Zen Pure White pages. The spine was saddle-stitched by Crawford Bookbinders.