Seungjin Yang makes chairs from balloons coated in epoxy resin. The results are startling; a visual treat, twisting our expectations of what furniture can look like and be made from, teasing the viewer to ask if they can be sat on. Born from a playful and provocative attitude towards design, Yang's work entertains and enthrals in equal measure.
Seungjin Yang's work on show at the D Museum in Seoul
Get to know Seungjin Yang
Yang came to furniture making whilst studying at Hongik University in Seoul. Majoring in craft, he was particularly influenced by senior designer Lee Kwang-ho, who inspired him to pursue furniture as a future career path. He soon developed a clear signature with his balloon furniture, and Yang has since shown his work at Seoul’s D-Museum, MUDEC Museum of Cultures in Milan, and at The Future Perfect outposts across the US.
Balloon furniture by Seungjin Yang on show at The Future Perfect, LA
Working from his Hanam studio, Yang creates his furniture in various stages. After inflating each balloon, he applies layer after layer of epoxy, building up a firm and resilient shell around the inflated form. Following assembly of the furniture, further coats are added, both securing the structure and achieving the pleasing lustre of the completed piece. The process is time intensive, and demands a huge amount of patience. Yang reveals he keeps a strict schedule, describing his production technique briskly like a day job.
Seungjin Yang's balloon chairs on show at The Future Perfect, LA
Beauty plays a significant part in Yang’s design ethos, inspiring and driving his creative approach. He has an enduring belief in the intrinsic value of beauty, which he believes is reflected in the craft, the care and time that goes into each piece. He is actively engaged in the relationship between form and function, playfully manipulating their boundaries in the pursuit of works that surprise and delight, simultaneously. As Yang himself puts it: “My head is full of thoughts about beautiful things - intense visual impressions. I try to express them as much as possible.”
Seungjin Yang on Blowing armchair
-
Bold colours and tactile textures: inside Bottega Veneta's second fine jewellery dropThe collection is composed of two parts: Enlaced and Alchemy
-
Bhutan's new international airport will unlock the magic of a notoriously inaccessible destinationThe Gelephu International Airport, to be designed by BIG, will open in 2029.
-
The Eagan house from 'Severance' is available to rentThe Taghkanic House by Thomas Phifer serves as the home of Lumon’s CEO in the AppleTV+ series, and can be rented out for dystopian stays
-
Room for three and an inbuilt TV: this playful new bed reimagines intimacySwedish designer Gustaf Westman and ‘alternative’ dating app Feeld have collaborated to create a three-person bed that blurs the line between function and fun
-
Designer Marta de la Rica’s elegant Madrid studio is full of perfectly-pitched contradictionsThe studio, or ‘the laboratory’ as de la Rica and her team call it, plays with colour, texture and scale in eminently rewarding ways
-
The Muravey Chair: Mehdi Dakhli on celebrating North Africa through contemporary designThe designer balances innovation and tradition in his unique pieces, which take cues from his Tunisian heritage
-
Gangnam apartment transformed with Memphis and neo-deco inspired interior design
