Miriam Carpenter
Jaguar, 2024

This work is an interplay of nature and narrative, which translates the bilaterally symmetrical forms found throughout the natural world by way of an innovative design and technique. The lathe is a machine that spins material on one axis creating radial symmetry when cut by the appropriate tool.

Designed to be turned along multiple axes, the complex geometry of each table leg takes the form of a jaguar, a messenger of the forest. The tangent points along the intersecting origin of symmetry result in the front profile of each jaguar form. Relying completely on my calculations, these tangent points were predetermined in my design, immeasurable until completion. Adjusting the axial rotation of each leg as it is turned defines the sweeping curves and intersecting arcs found throughout.

About Jaguar

Along with carved details within the legs, the top of this table was carved and shaped with hand-cut trapezoidal mortises which accommodate hardware on its underside. This metal hardware is incorporated, unobtrusively, with great care and meticulous concern for conservation—not heedlessly or extravagantly—but to successfully hold the work under tension while allowing the wood to move and breathe over time.

The legs were ebonized and conditioned with oil, allowing the form to remain prominent while retaining the quality and visibility of the wood grain. The burled top is rubbed with oil, highlighting the captivating intricacies created by the tree in response to environmental stressors. The story and purpose define the aesthetic.

Miriam Carpenter’s Work and Design

All of Miriam Carpenter’s work is designed carefully and created with the highest level of craftsmanship so that what she create lasts. It is made by hand with environmental considerations, challenging today’s throwaway consumerist culture. It is made to move beyond a pleasing aesthetic—to educate, enhance and improve our lives with respect for its purpose and place in history.