Wooden Heap thumbnail 1
Wooden Heap thumbnail 2
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Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at Young V&A
Imagine Gallery, The Living Room, Case 2

Wooden Heap

Cabinet
2012 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

‘Wooden Heap’ is both a trompe l’oeil (illusionistic) object that seems to be no more than an artfully composed stack of wood, and a fully functional piece of furniture. It consists of six identical drawer units which can be stacked in various configurations, without fixings. When stacked one above the other, the unit recalls an early 19th-century chiffonier, or narrow chest with six drawers. It is not, however, constructed using traditional cabinet-making techniques, with the exception of the drawers. Instead, the visible wooden stick elements are glued onto manufactured drawer units.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 6 parts.

  • Chest of Drawers
  • Chest of Drawers
  • Chest of Drawers
  • Chest of Drawers
  • Chest of Drawers
  • Chest of Drawers
TitleWooden Heap (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Walnut and steel, glued
Brief description
Chest of drawers, 'Wooden Heap, designed by Boris Dennler, walnut and steel, 2012

Stacking chest of drawers, forms part of Boris Dennler's 'Wooden Heap' cabinet, 2012

Stacking chest of drawers, forms part of Boris Dennler's 'Wooden Heap' cabinet, 2012

Stacking chest of drawers, forms part of Boris Dennler's 'Wooden Heap' cabinet, 2012

Stacking chest of drawers, forms part of Boris Dennler's 'Wooden Heap' cabinet, 2012

Stacking chest of drawers, forms part of Boris Dennler's 'Wooden Heap' cabinet, 2012
Physical description
A walnut chest of drawers, consisting of six identical stacking units. Each unit contains one drawer. The units are constructed as a box, inside which the drawer sits on steel runners. Long rectangular strips of walnut are glued to the sides of the boxes, with shorter blocks glued to the front and back. This creates the illusion that each unit is made up of a stack of wood.

Dimensions
  • Height: 66cm
  • Width: 78cm
  • Depth: 76cm
  • Whole cabinet weight: 103.15kg (nifill) (Note: Each part weighs between 17.5kg - 17.30kg)
Gallery label
‘Wooden Heap’ drawer unit 2012 BorisLab: Boris Dennler (born 1976) Switzerland (Fribourg) Made by Société ARCA, Paris Walnut Drawers: walnut, with manufactured runners in steel and plastic Number 4 from an edition of 8 Purchased by the Design Fund Museum no. W.11-2012 ‘Wooden Heap’ consists of six identical drawer units. These can be stacked in various configurations, appropriate for an object seemingly made of stacked pieces of wood. As shown here, the unit recalls a 19th-century chiffonier, or narrow chest with six drawers. But it is not constructed using traditional cabinet-making techniques. Instead, the visible wooden stick elements are glued onto manufactured drawer units. (01/12/2012)
Credit line
Purchased by the Design Fund
Subject depicted
Summary
‘Wooden Heap’ is both a trompe l’oeil (illusionistic) object that seems to be no more than an artfully composed stack of wood, and a fully functional piece of furniture. It consists of six identical drawer units which can be stacked in various configurations, without fixings. When stacked one above the other, the unit recalls an early 19th-century chiffonier, or narrow chest with six drawers. It is not, however, constructed using traditional cabinet-making techniques, with the exception of the drawers. Instead, the visible wooden stick elements are glued onto manufactured drawer units.
Collection
Accession number
W.11:1-2012

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Record createdAugust 1, 2012
Record URL
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