HelloMe’s Critical Objects Blur The Line Between Art And Furniture

Critical Objects is a personal initiative of Berlin-based graphic design firm, HelloMe. The project began as a series of explorations that thrive on not having any particular goal. The project consists of a series of objects that transcend a blurry line between artistic sculpture and functional furniture. The beauty of the project is that it remains unknown to the user if these things should really every be used, touched, sat on, or turned on… We have a small collection featured here, so be sure to check out the full series at Critical Objects.

Cao Hui’s Flesh CoveredFurniture Complete with Guts And Inards

Cao Hui‘s ultra realistic sculptures manage to be intriguing while stomach turning.  Cao sculpts every day objects such as furniture or clothing as if from butchered flesh and innards.  His strict attention to detail can be seen from the entrails spilling out of a slashed cushion to a couple swollen armrest stitches.  Though constructed from resin, his artwork appears to bulge, droop, and tear much like actual flesh.  Cao juxtaposes inside and outside, essence and appearance in a very literal (albeit gory) manner.  While disturbing, Cao effectively executes his work with a certain dark humor. [via]

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Eric Johnson’s Reclaimed Furniture Design

Eric Johnson is a brilliant carpenter who designs and builds furniture out of completely salvaged materials. Armchairs from boat masts, rocking chairs from milk crates, lamps from moped scraps. A lot of “recycled” product design can end up looking not too different from the garbage it started out as, but Johnson does an incredible job of using clean, shrewd designs to make objects that stand on their own regardless of their history. The combination of his intelligent designs and recycled materials is inspiring in its own right too, quietly encouraging us all to see the potential in the mountains of discarded objects that overwhelm our modern lives. So kudos on three levels, Eric. Keep your eyes on Mr. Johnson, I smell a bright future.

Tom Price’s Melted Plastic Concept Furniture and Sculpture

 

 

Tom Price melts a lot of plastic in his work. He bends the distinctly man-made material to his specifications, creating highly conceptual chairs, tables, trees, and other objects. It’s easy to see which aspects of Price’s sculptures are the result of his molten process, and some element of intense heat and power lingers long after required cooling periods. You can almost feel the plastics melting in your hands, and smell the awful scent of burning tar. Such lingering power is what makes these works so intriguing. They’re also beautiful, but who’s counting? (via)

Sculpture Clouded In Twine From Chiharu Shiota

 

Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota, who is based in Berlin, creates sculptural installations. Often surrounding miscellaneous items like clothing or furniture in tangled nets of twine, she places strict limits upon perception within her work. The stringy elements of her installations almost exist as clouds obstructing the objects that make up each piece. In this way, a work is viewed simultaneously as a singular object and as a product of its environment. Here, airy materials compound into an extremely weighted whole, repositioning our impressions of worldly material. (via)

Design Month: Tanya Aguiniga

Los Angeles-based Tanya Anguiniga’s work belies her upbringing in Tijuana, Mexico with it’s use of textile and color. Her vibrant work often uses materials over existing furniture, forcing the onlooker to reconsider the beauty in these every day objects.

Design Month: Skull Chairs

Who knew skull chairs were a thing? Here is a small collection of our favorite chairs that resemble the most iconic part of the human anatomy. Pictured above is the Skull Chair from the Vanitas collection by Vladi Rapaport.

Design Month: Flux Chair

 

This chair literally just blew my mind. Excuse me while the popping sounds subside…. It folds flat and according to this description, “Flux Chairs can be stacked 21 chairs high in just one foot of space. For those with space limitations, the Flux Wall Strap makes it easy to store folded chairs against the wall and can hold up to six Flux Chairs at a time.” If you live in a small space, any space really, and love to entertain these chairs seem beyond ideal. They’re amazing!