*Pioneering technique: through experimenting and practicing the ancient Japanese art of Yakisugi (焼杉), which is fundamentally a wood preservation technique (traditionally used architecturally on flat cedar or cypress wooden boards), I found applying this practice to carved pieces in the round with form had visually and texturally striking results. Very different to the pressurised operation of abrasive blasting or ‘sand-blasting’, Yakisugi gives a similar eroded surface to driftwood, but in contrast this practice is essentially erosion with fire. This changes the properties of the material using heat, hardening, and preserving the material in the process. The technique is now increasingly popular in contemporary design, with the charred wood aesthetic cropping up in modern interiors and functional design worldwide. It has a lot of positives, and this striking visual texture is celebrated and emphasised in a lot of my specialist charred work over the last 10 years.