Research On The Formative Arts Of Traditional Furniture In Benin

In Africa,artwork typically takes the form of statues,statuettes,masks,and weapons of war.However,traditional furniture is rarely studied but nevertheless should occupy an important place in the literature.Through such objects,stories are told,past or present messages are conveyed,and the personality of the owner may be revealed.For many reasons,old traditional furniture is difficult to find.One reason is that traditional habitations have little furniture.Another is that Africans are often nomadic shepherds and cannot be burdened by bulky objects that are difficult to move.Finally,each piece of furniture is owned by one person and reserved for that person’s sole use.It is often the case that furniture is destroyed on the death of the owner,which makes it almost impossible to preserve or archaeologically discover old furniture.To reevaluate the characteristic elements of traditional Beninese furniture,data samples were collected from artisans and people with knowledge of Beninese cultural history in northern and southern Benin.The oral testimonies of the resource persons,dignitaries of the royal court and bearers of the history of Dahomey,the visit of the Beninese museum made it possible to collect the data allowing analysis results.Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the materials and patterns.The results reveal that wood and woven straw have long been used in Beninese traditional furniture.The data collected was compared with the timber identification data described and codified by Tropical Timber Atlas and meeting NF EN standards in order to identify the timber species.Traditional Beninese furniture is characterized by geometric shapes,sometimes simple,unrefined,and completely stripped of ornament,enhancing the purity of the material and the beauty of the furniture.Sometimes,complex shapes form in more elaborate figures or unique majestic patterns are used.The dominance of various shapes is most notice able in northern Benin and that of decorative patterns in southern Benin.Pieces of traditional Beninese furniture are more than decorative or domestic objects.They serve to express the social prestige,power,and identity of an ethnic group.The design techniques of traditional Beninese furniture vary depending on the style of the furniture.All of them require know-how,a certain dynamism,careful precision,an open and innovative spirit and extraordinary physical strength.Traditional Beninese furniture is in some ways a work of art designed by enthusiasts who undergo arduous training and have broad cultural knowledge.Traditional Beninese furniture could be a source of inspiration in furniture design.