About Ash Rise Afternoon

Join us for a special film screening and panel discussion to hear about the Ash Rise project. Learn more about Scotland's native ash tree, the challenges of ash die-back and how the material is celebrated in contemporary furniture making.

Inspired by the ongoing touring exhibition Ash Rise, presented by the Scottish Furniture Makers Association, the documentary film of the same name tells the story of this beautiful tree, its historic and contemporary brilliance as a material and the challenges of ash die-back.

The film screening will be followed by a panel discussion featuring the film’s creative director, Tom Addy, alongside contemporary furniture maker, Helena Robson, and the Chief Forester for Scotland, Dr Helen McKay. The discussion will be chaired by Stephen Jackson, Senior Curator of Furniture and Woodwork.

This auditorium event will be followed by an opportunity to meet the makers and see examples of ash woodwork and furniture up close in the Events Space on Level 2, from 15:30–16:30. The Events Space will also be open to visitors from 13:00 until the event begins at 14:00.

Watch the trailer

Watch the trailer for the Ash Rise documentary. Closed captions are available.

The Ash Rise project

The Ash Rise documentary film is part of a wider project, created in partnership by the Scottish Furniture Makers Association, Scottish Forestry and the Association of Scottish Hardwood Sawmillers, which celebrates contemporary furniture making, craft and design across Scotland.

The Ash Rise exhibition has been on tour around Scotland and showcases 20 specially-commissioned pieces of contemporary furniture and works of art and craft by Scotland’s leading and emerging makers. The ash trees used for this project were sourced from Killearn Home Farm in Stirlingshire and were all felled as a result of being affected by the dieback disease.

Ash Rise Afternoon is in partnership with the Scottish Furniture Makers Association and Scottish Forestry.

The Ash Rise project is supported by Creative Scotland and Scottish Forestry.

Our speakers

A man is standing in a furniture workshop, against shelves with rectangular pieces of wood on. He's smiling at the camera and holding some fragments of wood in his hand. — Tom Addy

A woman wearing a purple top and cardigan is smiling at the camera, against a background of green fields and trees. — Dr Helen McKay

A woman in overalls is smiling at the camera, leaning against a stone wall. She is standing next to a shovel and other gardening tools. — Helena Robson

Stephen Jackson

Stephen Jackson is Senior Curator of Furniture and Woodwork at National Museums Scotland. In 2007 he curated 'Green Design: Creativity with a Conscience', one of the first exhibitions to address sustainability in design. Stephen was a member of the selection committee for the furniture pieces included in the Ash Rise exhibition.

Tom Addy

Tom Addy is a furniture maker based in the Cairngorms National Park.  Tom is a member of the Scottish Furniture Makers Association (SFMA) and instigator of the Ash Rise project.  His work as creative director of the Ash Rise documentary film has led to new projects in film making, including a forthcoming documentary series focusing on Scottish Trees.

Dr Helen McKay

Dr Helen McKay OBE has served as Chief Forester for Scotland since August 2020. She has played a pivotal role in shaping sustainable forestry policy and practice through evidence-based research. As an honorary Fellow of Forest Research, she promotes the role of forests, woodlands, and trees in addressing climate change. Helen was awarded an OBE in 2020 for her contributions to forest science.

Image credit: Scottish Forestry Crown

Helena Robson

Helena Robson is one of the makers featured in the Ash Rise exhibition. She researched traditional agricultural tools at the National Museum of Rural Life in East Kilbride to inspire her pieces. Helena is a member of SFMA and the founder of HEFT STUDIO, based just outside Edinburgh. She specialises in creating bespoke pieces of wooden furniture that value authenticity, craftsmanship and material, using Scottish hardwood wherever possible to create furniture and homewares that reflect where they've come from and how they're made. Her design process is led by an admiration for the natural environment and the traditional skills, processes and materials connected to it.

Image credit: Neil Hanna