chen chen + kai williams: prototype 3 in house stool at design miami

‘prototype 3 in-house stool’ by chen chen and kai williams, 2011 all images courtesy of chen chen and kai williams

new york-based designers kai williams and chen chen have designed the ‘prototype 3 in-house stool’, featured in inventory 02’s soul does matter exhibition at design miami. the show is a collection of works by eleven artists exploring the interplay between the intangible personality of a design object in connection with the raw material from which the work is constructed.

aerial view of the stool

the ‘prototype 3 in-house stool’ is constructed from a collection of assorted materials including rope, resin, fabric, and clay with a wooden base. this work is a continuation in the study of custom composite materials, beginning with williams and chen’s collaborative project, ‘cold cuts’ (see below).

ham hock and ‘cold cuts’ coasters by chen chen and kai williams, 2011

the ‘cold cuts’ coaster stemmed from the study by the artists of custom composite material. the set is constructed from fishnet,bone, rope, resin, wood, rope and epoxy. a bundle of the compressed materials resembling a ham hock when in this form is then sliced into coasters.

alternate view of ‘cold cuts’

coaster variation

‘swell’, a vase by chen chen, 2011

‘swell’, by chen, is a vase constructed from glass, nylon rope, netted fabric, rubber and polyurethane expanding foam. the foam encompassed vase is created by wrapping a netted fabric bag around a glass container to which the polyurethane foam is then inserted into the fabric bag. the containing force of the net creates innumerable variations of shape and definition as the foam expands.

alternate view of ‘swell’