Richard Bartle

At the Round Table is an attempt to communicate the social and historical through miniaturisation. Through a series of beautifully crafted scale model chairs, Bartle catalogues the history and traditions of the civilizations of the Mardin region (from the Romans to the modern republic.) The chairs stand in a circular formation to suggest an imagined forum for dialogue that transcends chronology and socio-political divides. The models draw focus upon the tastes and skills of the peoples they represent and attempt to unite epochs.

At the Round Table was made in Sheffield and Mardin for the Mardin Biennial. Richard also undertook a short residency in Mardin where he created a plinth for the work using local materials, resources and craft traditions. The resulting plinth is a platform that seeks to evoke and imitate that history as it is now manifest in the architecture of a modern historical city.