Boat Bench

Fishermen rowing about in dugout canoes is a common sight in Kilifi Creek, an estuary on the Kenyan coast. These boats, called “hori” in Swahili, are originally hewn from a single trunk of the kapok tree, a light and workable wood. After many years of use, by which time they have acquired a rich patina, these boats are eventually no longer seaworthy, so I was able to acquire a number of them and brought them back to my workshop in Nairobi to be made into furniture. For this bench, a boat was cut down to size, sanded, lightly finished to preserve the wood, and mounted on a contemporary steel base.

OrganizationUnity MakersLocationNairobi, KenyaDate2014RoleDesign, drawings, procurement, production supervision