Driftwood Conference Table in International Year of Forests at World Museum Liverpool

A massive conference table and 12 chairs created from driftwood have been unveiled at World Museum Liverpool to promote conservation of the world’s seas, oceans and forests.

A Table from the Sea’s Edge was made by British furniture maker / artist Silas Birtwistle, who travelled to Belize, Vancouver Island, Tanzania and Borneo to gather materials for his artwork.

“I collected the driftwood from the four corners of the world with help from indigenous communities and local environmental non-governmental organisations, most notably the WWF (World Wildlife Fund),” says Birtwistle.
 
“The table symbolises the meeting between land and sea, connections between human land-based activities and the coastal and marine environment, the links between cultures and the need for dialogue and agreement between countries to ensure the protection of biodiversity.”

Created for the International Year Biodiversity 2010, it was exhibited at the historic United Nations meeting on Biodiversity at Nagoya Japan and used by delegates to sign important global agreements on conservation strategy.

Among those who have sat at the table are actor Harrison Ford and politicians Tony Blair and Boris Johnson.

After its debut in Liverpool at World Museum, as part of a promotion for the United Nations International Year of Forests 2011, it will go on to tour the globe.

• See the International Year of Forests website