[piano chair]
PIANO CHAIR
2022
Stainless Steel, Leather
Seoul, South Korea
A chair begins with a body.
Not the body of the object, but the body that will eventually inhabit it. Every curve, proportion, tension, and surface emerges through an anticipation of human presence. Furniture therefore occupies a peculiar territory between sculpture and architecture. It exists not as an autonomous form, but as a negotiation between material and body.
Piano Chair emerged from Tae's continued fascination with objects that operate simultaneously as structure and gesture.
Unlike earlier works, which frequently began with existing artefacts and their inherited meanings, this work originated through the construction of an entirely new form. The point of departure was not language, history, or symbolism, but tension itself.
The work draws upon two recurring elements found throughout traditional Korean culture.
The first is the sweeping curvature of the tiled roof. The second is the tension embodied within the Korean bow. Though seemingly unrelated, both forms share a common condition. Neither imposes force through mass. Instead, their strength emerges through controlled equilibrium. Their elegance is inseparable from their structure.
These observations gradually evolved into the form of a piano chair.
Constructed from stainless steel, the frame was developed through an extensive process of modelling, fabrication, bending, welding, and finishing. Every curve was calibrated to maintain a continuous flow throughout the object. The structure appears effortless, yet its apparent simplicity conceals a precise balance of forces.
Suspended above this frame is a single piece of untreated leather.
Rather than functioning as upholstery, the leather behaves as a stretched membrane. Its form is generated through tension. Pulled between opposing points, the material acquires structure through resistance. Over time, as the leather naturally relaxes through use, concealed adjustments beneath the chair allow the surface to be tightened once again, extending the life of the object whilst preserving its original equilibrium.
The work therefore exists through a series of oppositions.
Hardness and softness.
Weight and lightness.
Compression and suspension.
Structure and gesture.
The steel frame appears rigid, yet flows like a drawn line. The leather appears delicate, yet bears the weight of the body. Neither material dominates the other. Instead, both remain dependent upon a carefully maintained balance.
Piano Chair occupies an ambiguous territory between furniture, sculpture, and architecture.
It performs a function, yet resists being understood solely through utility. Its presence exceeds its purpose. The object becomes less a seat than a study of tension made visible.
In this sense, the work does not represent the Korean roof or the Korean bow.
Rather, it inherits their logic.
A form held together not by excess, but by restraint.
A structure whose strength resides precisely in its balance.
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