Alex Beard knew straight away that the piece he was going to commission Terence Woodgate to create would be two sofas, which were to feature in one of the rooms at the Royal Opera House. It is a room where Alex holds most of his meetings, a room full of light that overlooks the piazza in Covent Garden.

“The room is a relatively small space where the Royal Opera House senior team gathers once a week and where I meet one-on-one with incoming conductors, artists and supporters, so comfort, alertness and a sense of togetherness are really important. Wood is resonant but it is also tactile, it is warm and it weathers. Wood is a perfect material for a theatre as it is flexible, sensual, it can be bent, formed, crafted; it has personality.” - Alex Beard, Royal Opera House.