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Gerhard Benadé’s love for handcraft and art
started in his early youth with various building- and
woodworking projects, and with tuition in several art forms
under the supervison of both parents. Later he developed a
predilection for nature photography, for carving and
woodturning, and for lead glass work. He has held several
exhibitions of his works, both in South Africa and in
Europe.
Music stands form the mainstay of his production. The first
stands were built in 1985 as a series of three -- two in
meranti and one in embuia. The design was inspired by the
Greek lyre.
 The
next project called for a trio stand, built out of Embuia
with a central leg and three arms. Even though the mechanism
was not quite satisfactory, it still does good service.
 A
special wish from a flautist inspired a stand with a bird
motive. With this design, the limits of small detail were
plumbed using pearwood.
With each project, new technical solutions were found to
simplify the work. The height adjustment is now done with a
simple wooden screw, and fretwork is made using a router.
However, most of the time is spent carving and sanding, so
that further mechanisation is not possible.
The conducting stand, a commission of the Motettenchor
Pforzheim as gift for their conductor Prof. KMD Rolf
Schweizer, posed new technical challenges. It had to be very
stable, but still allow being taken apart. The design
incorporates the Bach coat of arms and that of the city
Pforzheim.
 Solving
technical challenges in wood was also necessary building the
next stand, which was a quartet stand using a central leg
and four arms. Especially the hinge mechanisms, all executed
in wood, requires precision work and especially fine-grained
wood.
A
design inspired by the outline of the violin and executed in
two shades of walnut wood, was the next project. It appears
on the photo band at the top of the website pages.
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