When it comes to design, fabrication is usually restricted to studios and the odd factory or two, but British designer Paul Cocksedge has tackled his newest work in the Swiss Alps and a ship foundry in Liverpool too.
These unlikely places of manufacturing reflect the London designer’s latest methodology, which can be enjoyed in full force at ‘Paul Cocksedge: Freeze’ – newly opened at Chelsea’s Friedman Benda gallery this week.
‘I was seeking a new way to create metal tabletops set on columnar bases without a single visible joint exposed, so I buried copper cylindrical table bases and legs in the snowy Swiss Alps and there while they froze, their circumference shrank a two thousandth of millimeter,’ explains Cocksedge.
Later when ‘unfrozen’, and slipped into the hole of an aluminum tabletop, the two pieces locked invisibly together without a touch of glue or welding.
For other editioned examples like the Freeze Multi Ring Table, its copper base and then tabletop rings of aluminum, steel, brass and copper were all frozen in liquid nitrogen and formed a beguiling tabletop pattern once again with nary a seam when inserted. ‘With their reflective surfaces, there’s a sense of seduction, a notion of a bling,’ explains Cocksedge of his highly inventive process.
With a host of A-list collectors, MoMA and London's Design Museum all jostling for Cocksedge’s compelling designs, this new body of work really pushes the limits. Cocksedge’s wizardry can also be enjoyed via the show’s stunning catalogue, in which Cocksedge’s brother Mark documents the entire process.
Entitled 'Paul Cocksedge: Freeze', the show is comprised of large, statuesque pieces that are held together without any glue or wielding
The Freeze Multi Ring Table (pictured here) is comprised of a copper base and then tabletop rings of aluminum, steel, brass and copper, which were all frozen in liquid nitrogen to form a beguiling tabletop pattern
‘I was seeking a new way to create metal tabletops set on columnar bases without a single visible joint exposed, so I buried copper cylindrical table bases and legs in the snowy Swiss Alps and there while they froze. Their circumference shrank a two thousandth of millimeter,’ explains Cocksedge
He continues, ‘With their reflective surfaces, there’s a sense of seduction, a notion of a bling.’
INFORMATION
’Paul Cocksedge: Freeze’ is on view until 23 December
Photography: Mark Cocksedge. Courtesy of Friedman Benda gallery
ADDRESS
Friedman Benda
515 West 26th Street
New York
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