Afterlife

A custom-made table was developed to display an artwork by Katie Paterson consisting of ancient amulets. Although the exhibition shows nearly two hundred different amulets categorised into ten thematic zones the design aims to create a homogeneous display presenting all objects with equal significance. In reference to a riverbed, shallow dips and soft hollows have been carved into the surface of a curved wooden table, like stones in the sand are washed free by the flow of river water over the pass of time.

The arrangement of the amulets oscillated between a layout on an archive table and a random dispersal of artefacts as an archaeologist may find them in the ground. The table design is a new interpretation the traditional museum vitrine.

Awards:

Wood Awards 2026, shortlist

Collaborators:

Artist: Katie Paterson
Manufacturer: Silvan Studio
Graphic Design: Please do not bend
Photographs: Thierry Bal