To begin with, Mazibuko considered making the piece from American cherry because it was light weight, meaning the bench could be picked up easily and moved from show to show. However, he eventually selected red oak. ‘It’s quite strong and very attractive,’ he explains. As the piece was going outdoors, the red oak was thermally modified, or baked. ‘Red oak isn’t a timber that’s naturally durable outdoors,’ explains Benchmark co-founder Sean Sutcliffe. ‘It wouldn’t survive outside because it would be subject to microbial attack – from bugs and beetles.’