Production theme/intention of Aluminum furniture design
In order to pursue the impact that objects have on space, the new relationship between objects and the human body, and the possibilities of materials for the future, I created "Art Furniture," which is furniture that is not just furniture but art. Until now, I have mainly handled aluminum, which is lightweight and recyclable, so it will be an essential material in future society. However, it is softer than steel and extremely difficult to process, such as by welding, so it can be said that its application to furniture on a human scale is still in its infancy. Furthermore, furniture design is saturated worldwide, and I feel that there is a future potential in furniture that adds new value to spaces, in other words, furniture that goes beyond sculptural value.
Shades of Michelangelo/First work using aluminum
The chair design fuses warm maple wood with a cold metal surface to create a simple form and an intriguing connection between natural and man-made materials.
The design comes from the question ‘what if the back plate is deformed according to one’s leaning on it backward?’
The back plate, the sheet and the partial front legs are made out of a single aluminum sheet with a thickness of 3mm, bended to the form. The partial front legs of the aluminum work not only for the design but also for structural strength, as there are no joints between the chair legs. The metal that has used for the seat and back plate of the chair harnesses new technology, which is more reserved for architectural façades, called ‘incremental forming’. It is a cutting edge technology and has been developed by a cooperative Japanese company, Kikukawa Kogyo Co., Ltd., is a dieless metalworking process that is suitable for small productions of a wide variety of products.
