manu bañó applies simple gestures to raw materials for the most recent installment of his OBJ furniture collection. following the OBJ-01 lamp from 2020, the esrawe studio designer presents three new products: a lounge chair, a table lamp, and a modular shelving system.
just like the OBJ-01 lamp, these latest pieces are formed with simple manipulations such as cutting and folding, transforming sheets of metal and brass tubes into utilitarian objects.
‘my creative process is not based on references nor does it have a previous research stage, my way of approaching design is through intuition,’ bañó tells designboom. ‘I enjoy drawing simple lines and ideas in my many notebooks, and over time some of these strokes become physical objects.’
the OBJ series and the lounge chair made of sliced brass tubes will be on show at the upcoming exhibition transatlántico in mexico city (read more on designboom here) organized by galerie philia.
images by alejandro ramírez orozco
to create the low OBJ chair, manu bañó assembles 12 brass tubes in neat repetition. each tube is then been sliced in half and bent to form the back, seat and legs.
the brass is preserved unsealed and with all the defects of its manufacture and handling. also, when bending the tube halves, the metal must be heated and this creates the darker visible parts of the chair. over time the entire chair will age and change its appearance.
detail of the OBJ-02 lounge chair
the next object in the series is a table lamp born from a sheet of paper, a gesture, a cut and a fold. ‘my idea was to design a lamp with the minimum possible elements and a single material, steel,’ explains the designer. the OBJ-03 table lamp is made from a square of 18 gauge sheet metal that’s folded to stand on its own. this gentle curve also serves as a screen to receive soft and diffused light against the oxidized steel.
the LED stripe is hidden on the back and contained in a solid steel bar. the weight of this part is essential to give stability to the lamp. thus, all the parts fulfill an indispensable function for the object.
detail of the OBJ-03 table lamp
the final object is a modular shelving system that also begins from a single sheet of steel that’s laser cut to create semicircular shelves and supports. bañó leaves the hot rolled steel in its raw state, scratches and all, with the idea that these ‘defects’ will grow in any direction, vertically and horizontally, as much as desired.
the shelving system is designed as both a functional object and as a sculptural piece that can be left empty, eliminating its practical function and increasing its aesthetic ambition.
bañó concludes, ‘the OBJ series has an aesthetic ambition and puts beauty over function, even though as a designer I feel comfortable placing these objects somewhere in the house and always end up feeling the need for them to serve a function.’
design: manu bañó | @manuelbano
photography: alejandro ramírez orozco | @alejandro_ramoroz
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