Christophe Nancey showed a 900mm-(36in) tall vase with natural features and metal inserts - typical of his work as I knew it. He has now developed some thin rectangular sheets of wood with radiating grooves 300mm (12in) high which were called Trace, and were so thin that a trace was all there was left of the timber. Again I was left in awe of their absorbing presence.

Untitled by Friedrich Kuhn 350mm de x 230mm H Fault line by Rolly Munro 150mm dia x 750 mm H Nested bowl by Mike Mahonney 180mm dia x 140mm H

Simple things

Considered as a whole experience, the exhibition came close to overwhelming me because of the uniqueness of the pieces and their asymmetry. I needed some symmetrical turning to refresh me, but the presence of the traditional Chinese balls and their allies did little to help as their complexity is not to my taste.

However, I was sufficiently intrigued to attend a demonstration to find out how they are done, and discovered to my surprise that they were actually first designed in France and made in China to take advantage of the cheaper labour costs - plus ça change.

I found solace in Richard Raffan's thin bowls in ash, and Mike Hosaluk's thin black bowls on three legs. They had a simplicity that reminded me artistry is not necessarily synonymous with complexity, and although they were delicate, I did not feel that their purchaser should necessarily consider future repair bills as part of the cost.

Much time was spent sitting around in the shade of the trees in the village park, exchanging views with folk from different countries interested in different aspects of turning. I enjoyed a long discussion with David Ellsworth, who considers the teaching of design more important than technique, and I was lucky to catch Jean-François Escoulen in a rare quiet moment to talk about how French turning has developed and where it was going.

"They had a simplicity that reminded me artistic is not necessarily synonymous with complexity" next