THE FAIR ISLE CHAIRS PROJECT
EVE EUNSON
In 2018 I conceived a project to explore the traditional chairs of Fair Isle. Fair Isle furniture sits comfortably within the boundaries of the vernacular furniture of Shetland and Orkney, although the subtleties of design details within the region had not been extensively explored. I proposed to track down and survey all the Fair Isle made chairs that I could find and then make a typical example of each type in the workshop. I had no previous woodworking experience, little knowledge of vernacular furniture and hadn't performed any research since leaving university, ten years previously. What I did have were survey and drawing skills, and a deep love for the heritage of the island that I am from.
Two years, hundreds of miles, 70+ surveys, 200+ drawings, thousands of photos and three furniture workshops later, and I have completed the project.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Shetland Amenity Trust for providing me with grant funding from their heritage grant endowment fund and Heritage Crafts Association for listing the Fair Isle Strawback Chair on their Red List of Critically Endangered Crafts. I would also like to personally thank Ian Tait (SAT) and Mary Lewis (HCA) for their continued support and interest in the project.
EVE EUNSON