?Here at Idealog we’re no strangers to local furniture designer Tim Wigmore (we’ve featured his Giddyup rocking chair in the mag and interviewed him about his work). So we’d highly encourage you to get along to Precious Cargo, Objectspace’s first exhibition for 2014.

For the show, Wigmore approached six renowned New Zealand makers and asked them to identify a tool emblematic of their practice. The Precious Cargo collaborators are: carver Lyonel Grant; weaver Veranoa Hetet; wood turner Graeme Priddle; potter Chris Weaver; musician and carver, Brian Flintoff and jeweller Nga Waiata.

Wigmore then designed and made a cabinet for each of these six tools, predominantly constructed from the same plant material as the tool. Each cabinet, in its design and finish, explores unique aspects of the history, properties and stories of its particular material.

“I see it as an uniquely New Zealand perspective on the idea of jewellery or treasure or even tool boxes. They both conceal and reveal—an idea which is also inherent in furniture design.”

The hands-on exhibition (you’ll be able to touch and open the cabinets to see what’s inside) looks set to be a cracker and stems from research into the historical uses and physical characteristics of our native trees and plants and exploration of Maori myths. 

Precious Cargo is on from February 1 until March 8 at Objectspace in Auckland with free admission.