Bethan Laura Wood’s practice is multidisciplinary; her designs are explorations into material, pattern, and structure. Through her work, Bethan observes the relationship between the user and the object, with an interest in why people discard or hold onto objects. She creates products that explore how different attributes of the mundane can be celebrated and rediscovered, encouraging users to reconnect with the objects that surround them. With a fascination in the everyday mass-produced elements which form the fabric of the city, Bethan is keen to accent the intrinsic qualities of these materials, encouraging the user to appreciate and acknowledge the various facets.
Whilst studying at the Royal College of Art, Bethan created work based on materials that are employed to imitate a decorative surface finish whilst also being functional. Sourcing different types of laminate, Bethan then used marquetry techniques to create a patchwork of laminates resembling a fossil-like pattern. As an extension from this body of work, Bethan wishes to look at other composite materials associated with the history of the area in which the Design Museum is based. She will reappropriate variations of particle board with fake wood laminate, creating an interwoven pattern and using it as surface decoration. Its unique, raw aesthetic will influence the way people regard what usually is seen as a second-rate material.
Bethan graduated with a first class honours in BA Three-Dimensional Design from the University of Brighton in 2006, continuing her education at the Royal College of Art where she completed an MA in Design Products in 2009. In between education she set up her own practice, designing and creating a range of different products from jewellery to ceramics and large-scale interventions alongside collaborative projects, marketing her work both in the UK and around the world