Umbra, 2023
Ebonized White Ash, 1830(w)x1830(h)x355mm(d)
“As his eyes adjusted to the low light, a grand entrance way came into view, with a marble floor and a wide staircase. A gallery of portraits flanked both the east and west walls, the faces of long dead residents staring down at the visitor. He was wondering how long she would make him wait when her voice floated up from the shadows. - Tim McGregor, The Spookshow, Book 7, Cordelia
Commentary: Designed as a bookcase for a writer of dark fiction novels, Umbra began with the problem that sunlight can be damaging to books over time as ultraviolet light can cause fading to book covers and deterioration to pages. Made of FSC certified White Ash ebonized with black India ink (a fade-resistant pigment normally reserved for the printed page), Umbra consists of a series of fixed horizontal shelves and adjustable vertical louvers. Protecting books from direct sunlight by placing them in shadow, the louvers are mounted on stainless steel knife hinges and can be individually rotated 170 degrees in two directions to adapt to specific light conditions within a room. Named after the Latin for 'shadow', Umbra's overlapping shelves and louvers combine to create a ‘collection of shadows’ across its shelves that shift and change with each louver’s adjustability to light. Together with surfaces that reflect a full tonal range of black and rounded edges that dissolve into darkness, darkness and shadow become central elements or ‘main characters’ in the bookcase's design.
Constructed with cross-lapped joints for easy assembly and disassembly, the spacing of its shelves has been reduced to conserve wall area - that is, spaced vertically according to the dimensions of various standard book sizes. From Quarto up to Duodecimo size, storage of smaller books is reserved for its upper levels with larger heavier volumes at its base - lowering the bookcase’s center of gravity resulting in greater stability. Due to be manufactured in Toronto, Canada, White Ash - a tree native to areas of southern Ontario and Quebec - will be sourced from local suppliers ensuring minimal transportation of raw materials and therefore, a reduced carbon footprint. With a base version designed for attachment to a wall (pictured) and a second free-standing version for the middle of a room, Umbra will be offered in three shades of black in satin, semi-gloss or gloss finishes.
© 2023 atelier Christophe Du Chemin
