F I D E L I T Y C O N F E R E N C E
The brief:
To design and build a conference table for Fidelity’s Galway headquarters, in keeping with the company’s overall design standards worldwide, while expressive of the ethos and identity of its Irish division. The IT requirements are strict, including provision for discreet data and power ports and 10 microphones, to facilitate video conferencing.
Our approach:
We met with and teleconferenced with the CEO and and several key people responsible for the company's IT and design requirements. We responded to the collective brief with a design proposal, accompanied by samples, followed by modifications to the design proposal and the development of artwork for the proposed Celtic tabletop design. Upon approval, we commenced the sourcing of suitable materials, the construction of the body of the table and the fascinating evolution of the design and creation of the intricate Celtic marquetry, in collaboration with our expert marquetry artist and craftsmen. In addition to our team of master cabinetmakers, the construction of the table involved the skills of two teams of additional craftsmen, proficient in handling the successful execution of such a complex inlay design.
The materials:
While the prevailing timber used in the table is sycamore (the reverse waterfall edge is solid sycamore, the tabletop is slip-matched ripple sycamore), the veneers used in the Celtic motif are mostly natural, with a trio of dyed green veneers, including bottle green Bird’s Eye Maple, used as accents. The veneers inlaid into the ripple (figured) sycamore background include beige Anegre, natural Bird’s Eye Maple, Beech, Masur Birch, Willow, Anegre, beige Bird’s Eye, hard Maple, Burr Ash, Horse Chestnut, Olive Ash, Zebrano, Bird’s Eye burgundy brown, Burr Walnut, Cherry, brown Koto and European Walnut.
The Celtic marquetry:
Our client expressed an interest in Celtic knotwork and zoomorphic designs, as illustrated in the books of Kells and Durrow. We incorporated some of the animals and knots recurrent in Celtic art and mythology, and developed a flowing design that would incorporate the three data ports and ten mics.
Celtic art and architecture abound with symbolism, in both abstract and pictorial form. Celtic knotwork is the most commonly seen design in Celtic artwork, the complex, interlocking weaving of the knotwork (generally endless) representative of interconnecting forces of life, a very important concept in Celtic philosophy. It could also represent the endless circle of life, with no beginning, no end, signifying the binding of the soul to the world.
Spirals unfold clockwise from their counterclockwise source and represent the inner and outer evolution of the spirit, dark into light, winter into summer, the contraction and expansion of the sun.
The triangular Celtic knot is said to represent the three planes of existence - physical, mental and spiritual.
The Circle is found in every culture, often used as a mystical symbol due to its endlessness, and its infinite edges. It symbolises many things: the world, the cosmos, female fertility and eternity.
Birds evoked a special reverence in early cultures for their ability to fly, creatures with direct access to the heavens, led to them being perceived as symbols of hope and attainment, spirits of prophesy. As they observed the migrations of great flocks, their departure in the fall and their return in the spring, people came to view them as symbols of renewal and rebirth, representing the wheel of the life-death-life cycle. It was believed that the annual travels of the birds took them to otherworldly realms. In this light birds were often seen as couriers for the gods and as messengers for departed ancestors. These go-betweens carried news from the world of mortal men into the lands of spirit. They could come forth again with divine advice and ancient wisdom.
The Serpent is a powerful fertility symbol, representing the male due to its shape, and rebirth through the shedding of its skin. It was thought to be one of the most mysterious, sacred creatures to the Celts, representing divine wisdom.
Dragons are portrayed both as the guardians of hoarded treasure and the keepers of profound wisdom, sometimes offering guidance and assistance, sometimes the obstacle which must be overcome in order to see the completion of the quest. Dragons are a lesson in duality, a reminder of our hidden inner strengths and of the need to curb our baser destructive instincts.
Photos by Roland Paschhoff
To design and build a conference table for Fidelity’s Galway headquarters, in keeping with the company’s overall design standards worldwide, while expressive of the ethos and identity of its Irish division. The IT requirements are strict, including provision for discreet data and power ports and 10 microphones, to facilitate video conferencing.
Our approach:
We met with and teleconferenced with the CEO and and several key people responsible for the company's IT and design requirements. We responded to the collective brief with a design proposal, accompanied by samples, followed by modifications to the design proposal and the development of artwork for the proposed Celtic tabletop design. Upon approval, we commenced the sourcing of suitable materials, the construction of the body of the table and the fascinating evolution of the design and creation of the intricate Celtic marquetry, in collaboration with our expert marquetry artist and craftsmen. In addition to our team of master cabinetmakers, the construction of the table involved the skills of two teams of additional craftsmen, proficient in handling the successful execution of such a complex inlay design.
The materials:
While the prevailing timber used in the table is sycamore (the reverse waterfall edge is solid sycamore, the tabletop is slip-matched ripple sycamore), the veneers used in the Celtic motif are mostly natural, with a trio of dyed green veneers, including bottle green Bird’s Eye Maple, used as accents. The veneers inlaid into the ripple (figured) sycamore background include beige Anegre, natural Bird’s Eye Maple, Beech, Masur Birch, Willow, Anegre, beige Bird’s Eye, hard Maple, Burr Ash, Horse Chestnut, Olive Ash, Zebrano, Bird’s Eye burgundy brown, Burr Walnut, Cherry, brown Koto and European Walnut.
The Celtic marquetry:
Our client expressed an interest in Celtic knotwork and zoomorphic designs, as illustrated in the books of Kells and Durrow. We incorporated some of the animals and knots recurrent in Celtic art and mythology, and developed a flowing design that would incorporate the three data ports and ten mics.
Celtic art and architecture abound with symbolism, in both abstract and pictorial form. Celtic knotwork is the most commonly seen design in Celtic artwork, the complex, interlocking weaving of the knotwork (generally endless) representative of interconnecting forces of life, a very important concept in Celtic philosophy. It could also represent the endless circle of life, with no beginning, no end, signifying the binding of the soul to the world.
Spirals unfold clockwise from their counterclockwise source and represent the inner and outer evolution of the spirit, dark into light, winter into summer, the contraction and expansion of the sun.
The triangular Celtic knot is said to represent the three planes of existence - physical, mental and spiritual.
The Circle is found in every culture, often used as a mystical symbol due to its endlessness, and its infinite edges. It symbolises many things: the world, the cosmos, female fertility and eternity.
Birds evoked a special reverence in early cultures for their ability to fly, creatures with direct access to the heavens, led to them being perceived as symbols of hope and attainment, spirits of prophesy. As they observed the migrations of great flocks, their departure in the fall and their return in the spring, people came to view them as symbols of renewal and rebirth, representing the wheel of the life-death-life cycle. It was believed that the annual travels of the birds took them to otherworldly realms. In this light birds were often seen as couriers for the gods and as messengers for departed ancestors. These go-betweens carried news from the world of mortal men into the lands of spirit. They could come forth again with divine advice and ancient wisdom.
The Serpent is a powerful fertility symbol, representing the male due to its shape, and rebirth through the shedding of its skin. It was thought to be one of the most mysterious, sacred creatures to the Celts, representing divine wisdom.
Dragons are portrayed both as the guardians of hoarded treasure and the keepers of profound wisdom, sometimes offering guidance and assistance, sometimes the obstacle which must be overcome in order to see the completion of the quest. Dragons are a lesson in duality, a reminder of our hidden inner strengths and of the need to curb our baser destructive instincts.
Photos by Roland Paschhoff
