Base 10, Kodama
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Works

Lindsey Muscato & Joshua Friedman of Base 10
Kodama
March 07 – May 31 2020

‘Spirits of the Trees’

‘Kodama’ is a series of new entries in an ongoing body of works by Lindsey Muscato (b. 1984, Bellflower, CA) and Joshua Friedman (b. 1980, Santa Barbara, CA) of Los Angeles furniture practice Base 10.

Kodama comprises seven unique large-scale furniture works, constructed of salvaged California redwood (sequoia sempervirens) and composed using the principles, methods, and hand-tools of traditional Japanese wood joinery and timber-framing. The pieces, removed from a would-be architectural context, present themselves as thoughtful, monolithic compositions: elegant exaggerations / distillations of joinery details that showcase a mastery of, and reverence for, material, precedent, and procedure.

Spanning sculptural abstractions of seating, table surfaces, and consoles, the finished works in Kodama outwardly present the processes inherent to their creation: coastal redwood timbers from Palos Verdes and La Cañada Flintridge are hand-cut, -sawn, -chiseled, -planed, -joined, and finally blackened using a combination of natural alchemical patination and yakisugi (or shou sugi ban) — the darkening and sealing of the wood via spot-burning. The pieces, expertly devoid of the fasteners and glues typical of furniture-making, are at once coarse and refined, offhand and precise, traditional and contemporary.

Gently recalling the works of exemplars in minimalist sculpture (e.g. Carl Andre) and mid-century wood-work (e.g. George, and later Mira, Nakashima), Muscato and Friedman's recent output builds upon previous academic studies and more than a decade of experience in Japanese-style carpentry, timber-framing, and architectural building.

‘Kodama’ — loosely translated from its context in Japanese folklore as 'wood spirits' or 'spirits of the trees' — is Base 10's first solo exhibition in Los Angeles.

Download the Press Release.

Lindsey Muscato and Joshua Friedman
Jyuji (Stools)
2020
Patinated Redwood
Ea. 12.0 × 12.0 × 16.75 in
Ea. 30.5 × 30.5 × 42.5 cm

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Lindsey Muscato and Joshua Friedman
Wanagi Komi
2020
Patinated Redwood
71.5 × 12.0 × 36.0 in
181.6 × 30.5 × 91.4 cm

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Lindsey Muscato and Joshua Friedman
Ari (Bench)
2019 – 20
Patinated Redwood
36.0 × 12.0 × 16.5 in
91.4 × 30.5 × 41.9 cm

Custom lengths available

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Lindsey Muscato and Joshua Friedman
Shiribasami Scribe
2020
Patinated Redwood, Basalt
13.0 × 13.0 × 28.75 in
33.0 × 33.0 × 73.0 cm

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Lindsey Muscato and Joshua Friedman
Ari Hozu (Corner Bench)
2020
Patinated Redwood
47.5 × 39.0 × 16.75 in
120.7 × 99.0 × 42.5 cm
Can be made in custom sizes

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Lindsey Muscato and Joshua Friedman
Ari Gata Oire
2020
Patinated Redwood
24.0 × 17.0 × 31.75 in
60.9 × 43.2 × 80.7 cm

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Lindsey Muscato and Joshua Friedman
Watari Ago
2020
Patinated Redwood
71.5 × 22.0 × 52.0 in
181.6 × 55.9 × 132.1 cm

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Marta is a Los Angeles-based, globally-engaged art gallery. Founded in 2019, the gallery makes space for artists to experiment with the utility of design, and for designers to explore the abandonment of function. Marta’s curatorial and publication programs take interest in the process of a work’s creation as well the narrative of its creator(s). Marta embraces the intersection of and the transition between disciplines, advocates for diversity in design, and promotes broad access to the arts.