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Young furniture-makers invited to craft chair to symbolise exclusion from Church and society

04 October 2024

Church of England

The director of the Church of England’s Racial Justice Unit, the Revd Guy Hewitt, launches the Empty Chair Award on Wednesday

The director of the Church of England’s Racial Justice Unit, the Revd Guy Hewitt, launches the Empty Chair Award on Wednesday

YOUNG furniture-makers are being invited to design and create a chair to represent people who feel excluded from the Church and society, for reasons including gender, race, class, age, or disability.

The Furniture Makers’ Company, one of the Livery Companies of the City of London, has worked with the Church of England to launch the competition: the Empty Chair Design Award.

A Church House spokesperson said this week: “This is not a financial partnership, but, rather, an opportunity to collaborate with the Furniture Makers on our engagement with young people, which is a missional focus of the Church.”

The winning design will receive the Empty Chair Design Award, and will be considered for batch production. “Parishes will have the option to buy one of these pieces, but there is no obligation to do so,” the spokesperson said.

Two runners-up will also be recognised.

The Award, launched at the 2024 Young Furniture Makers Exhibition on Wednesday, is open to any student or recent graduate in full-time education, or those who have completed a private or commercial furniture-design course in the UK. Participants from colleges, universities, and other educational institutions are welcome to apply.

An empty chair, the brief suggests, is a symbol and reminder of loss and lament, and of the absence of belonging. “This design competition [is] for a unique chair that could be installed in churches to symbolise those absent due to experiencing a sense of exclusion, whether by gender, race, class, age, disability, etc.”

Chris Hyde, training and education chairman at the company, said: “Participants are expected to work methodically through the design and prototype process, from initial concept development through to the final prototype. The design process will include research, sketching, model-making, mock-ups, and technical drawings, culminating in the creation of a fully functional prototype.

“A key aspect of this competition is the emphasis on craftsmanship and attention to detail, with the prototype needing to be meticulously crafted to meet ergonomic, strength, and proportion requirements.”

Submissions will be reviewed by a panel of five judges, including two church representatives and two company representatives, who have yet to be decided. Five shortlisted designs will be exhibited and finally judged at next year’s exhibition.

The director of the Church of England’s Racial Justice Unit, the Revd Guy Hewitt, said: “We are looking at non-traditional ways of engaging young people and our worshipping communities on issues of justice and inclusion.”

The Church Times understands that the partnership is not part of the work of the Racial Justice Commission, “but we are happy to support it,” the church spokesperson said. “This project seeks to explore different forms of inclusion which include race.”

To apply, complete the online application form before 12 p.m. on 10 June 2025. Full information, including guidelines, at: bit.ly/EmptyChairAward

Read comment from Guy Hewitt here

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