{"id":67819,"date":"2025-08-15T02:00:09","date_gmt":"2025-08-15T02:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/67819\/"},"modified":"2025-08-15T02:00:09","modified_gmt":"2025-08-15T02:00:09","slug":"formula-1-engineering-and-artistic-sculpture-collide-in-john-barnard-and-terence-woodgates-new-exhibition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/67819\/","title":{"rendered":"Formula 1 engineering and artistic sculpture collide in John Barnard and Terence Woodgate’s new exhibition"},"content":{"rendered":"

Opening on September 11, 2025 at Carpenters Workshop Gallery during the London Design Festival, Lightness of Form is an ambitious new exhibition that applies motor sport-engineering principles and advanced composites to sculptural tables, seating and cabinets.<\/p>\n

The project unites renowned British product and furniture designer Terence Woodgate with John Barnard, the pioneering Formula 1 engineer who masterminded the sport\u2019s first carbonfibre monocoque and served as technical director for both McLaren<\/a> and Ferrari<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Reluctant to work abroad in the late 1980s and 1990s , Barnard struck a deal to design the Scuderia\u2019s cars from an unassuming building in Shalford, Surrey, rather than Maranello. That Ferrari was willing to make such a rare concession speaks volumes about John\u2019s engineering talent.<\/p>\n

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Today, the former Ferrari<\/a> Design and Development Office remains in Barnard\u2019s hands \u2013 and it became a source of inspiration for this exhibition. <\/p>\n

As Woodgate recalls: \u201cI first met John Barnard at the Royal Society of Arts (RSA). We had both been elected Royal Designers for Industry, a faculty of the RSA that recognises sustained excellence in design. I was helping to arrange a series of talks to celebrate various design disciplines, and I visited John at the former Ferrari Design and Development Office he had inherited. I was inspired by the incredible workmanship and materials \u2013 carbonfibre, Kevlar, titanium, magnesium \u2013 and envious of the opportunities they offered.\u201d<\/p>\n

That encounter planted the seed for what would become Lightness of Form. \u201cLater, I asked if John would be interested in a collaboration to design a piece of furniture using carbonfibre,\u201d Woodgate continues. \u201cHe was, and we decided on a table because the structure could be an interesting challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the use of carbonfibre in furniture design is nothing new \u2013 designers such as Konstantin Grcic, Marc Newson, Philippe Starck and Ron Arad have all experimented with the lightweight material \u2013 the direct involvement of an F1 engineer of Barnard\u2019s calibre is certainly notable.<\/p>\n

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Most previous attempts have used a less sophisticated process than is typical in motor sport or aerospace. \u201cFurniture designers had worked with carbonfibre before,\u201d Woodgate explains, \u201cbut typically with dry cloth and a wet lay-up, saturating it with resin. Here, I had the opportunity to design a piece using F1-grade, aerospace-quality pre-preg carbonfibre, cured in a professional autoclave.\u201d<\/p>\n

Naturally, as the progenitor of carbonfibre\u2019s widespread usage in motor racing, Barnard knows the material better than virtually anyone. That innovation alone has galvanised his motor sport legacy, but he was also responsible for pioneering the sport\u2019s modern semi-automatic sequential transmission in the 1989 Ferrari 640, as well as the adoption of wishbone flexures. If all that wasn\u2019t enough, the 1990 Ferrari 641 he designed resides in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. \u201cI don\u2019t understand why his work hasn\u2019t been recognised with a knighthood \u2013 if only for the lives saved in motor racing alone,\u201d Woodgate asserts.<\/p>\n

Collaborating on Lightness of Form has encouraged both men to adapt their approaches to design. Barnard\u2019s intimate knowledge of carbonfibre led Woodgate to explore new creative avenues, while Barnard has had to adjust the priorities he was used to in Formula 1. <\/p>\n

\u201cWith F1, performance comes first \u2013 weight, strength, stiffness and aerodynamic form are paramount, and cost comes way down the list,\u201d he explains. \u201cWith furniture, cost moves much higher up, although achieving Terence\u2019s minimalist vision still demands a careful balance of structural design and material choice.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Their first collaboration, the Surface Table, epitomised that balance. A six-metre by 1.4-metre top supported only at the four corners, its structural integrity was made possible only through carefully specified carbonfibre. \u201cTerence concentrates on the form and I concentrate on the engineering,\u201d Barnard says. \u201cMost of the time I accept what he has in mind for the aesthetic, unless I have to change something to make it work. That\u2019s reality over form.\u201d<\/p>\n

The interplay between Woodgate\u2019s minimalist design philosophy and Barnard\u2019s engineering prowess is evident in the pieces they have created. The Chaise Longue, for example, evolved from a rectangular box into a flowing, ergonomic ribbon of carbonfibre that flexes slightly when sat on, for comfort \u2013 just like an F1 car\u2019s wings at speed. \u201cLess is more,\u201d Woodgate says when asked about parallels between minimalist design and Formula 1 aerodynamics. \u201cLess drag equals more speed, and less structure equals refined elegance.\u201d<\/p>\n

That philosophy extends to the exhibition\u2019s newest pieces, some of which are manufactured from recycled carbonfibre from Toray, the world\u2019s largest producer of the material. The recycled weave is left unlacquered, giving the outer ply a more durable and distinctive finish. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no compromise between aesthetics and utility,\u201d Woodgate emphasises. \u201cI want the work to be minimal in shape and form, yet usable and comfortable. The Chaise Longue flexes slightly to accommodate the sitter. The recycled carbonfibre is more durable and practical in use, and it looks stunning.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Lightness of Form is a fascinating demonstration of how the worlds of art<\/a> and engineering, although seemingly opposed, often intersect. Visitors to London\u2019s Carpenters Workshop Gallery can see the results for themselves from September 11 to November 1, 2025. For more information click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Opening on September 11, 2025 at Carpenters Workshop Gallery during the London Design Festival, Lightness of Form is…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":67820,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[1687,372,6537,101,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-67819","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-f1","tag-f1","tag-formula-1","tag-formula1","tag-sports","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67819","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=67819"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67819\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/67820"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=67819"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=67819"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=67819"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}