Bent Form: Design and Studio Practice
A two-day studio workshop in bent form as a design and making tool.
Most designed objects are rectilinear. Straight lines, right angles, flat surfaces. Not because curves are difficult to imagine, but because they are difficult to make.
Bending changes that. Steam, lamination, kerf and coopering are not just construction techniques, they are design tools, ways of thinking about form that open up possibilities unavailable to the straight-cut approach.
This two-day workshop is for designers, makers and creative workers who want to move beyond the rectilinear and develop a working understanding of how bent form can expand their practice. You do not need to be a woodworker. You need to be curious about what material can do when it is pushed.
What the workshop covers
The workshop brings together design thinking and hands-on material exploration.
We begin with hot pipe bending, a direct and immediate technique that requires no moulds or complex setup. It is fast enough to use as a physical modelling tool, bending and rebending material in real time as ideas develop. For designers accustomed to working through drawings or digital models, hot pipe offers something different: form resolved through the hands, in conversation with the material itself.
From there you will be introduced to the other main bending methods, steam, lamination, kerf and coopering, with an emphasis on understanding which method suits which design intention, and when to reach for each one.
There is studio time throughout to develop and test ideas, working with material directly. The aim is to leave with both a set of techniques and a new way of thinking about form in your practice.
Workshop details
Duration: 2 days
Location:Mount Egerton VIC 3352
Group size: Maximum 4 participants
Experience: Open to designers, makers, artists and creative workers at all levels. No woodworking experience required.
Price: $750 per person (materials included)
Dates: Dates announced to the EOI list first, register your interest below
Mount Egerton is located on Wadawurrung Country in Central Victoria, approximately 90 minutes from Melbourne and 30 minutes from Ballarat. The studio is easily reached from Melbourne's west and from Geelong, Daylesford and regional Victoria.
Who this workshop suits
This workshop is designed for people with design aspirations and making curiosity. That includes furniture designers, product designers, architects, artists, and creative workers in any discipline who have found themselves drawn to curve, hollow form or bent structure as a design possibility.
It is also relevant to existing designer-makers who work primarily with rectilinear form and want to understand what bending adds to their toolkit.
If you teach design or making and want to develop your own material intelligence in this area, this workshop is a practical and focused way to do that.
About the teaching
Ross Annels is a maker, artist, designer and educator. He has taught in studios, schools and tertiary institutions across Australia and internationally, including the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship in Maine, Sturt School for Wood, the JamFactory and the Queensland College of Art.
His practice spans sculptural furniture, sonic installations, material research and bent form work. Bending is not a technique he teaches in isolation. It is part of a broader conversation about what material can do, and what makers can become.
What past participants say
"The most exhilarating day of woodworking ever." — Ioannis Benardos, Sturt School for Wood, 2025, after completing a laminated helical curve
"I'll never look at wood in the same way again." — Martin Stanley, Sturt School for Wood, 2025
Express your interest
Dates for this workshop are announced to the interest list first. If you would like to be notified when bookings open, contact Ross directly.
Where this fits
This workshop sits alongside the broader bending program at Moonlite Studios. Those who want a more technical grounding in bending methods can explore:
Introduction to Wood Bending, a 2-day comparative introduction to steam, kerf, laminated and coopered bending
The Bent Stick and the Sculptural Form, a 5-day masterclass in bending wood and expanding practice
Moonlite Studios is a working furniture making and creative practice based in Mount Egerton, on Wadawurrung Country in Central Victoria. Courses and mentoring are offered year-round in small groups within a studio environment.
View all courses and workshops · Mentoring with Ross · Contact