Han Seungmin creates chair from the stainless-steel fences of Brooklyn
Designer Han Seungmin has created a chair using the mass-produced stainless-steel fencing in Asian and West Indian neighbourhoods in New York to "challenge the idyllic image of the 'American Dream'".
The White Picket Chair by Han Seungmin, who is also known as Han Sonny, was manufactured in Brooklyn using the same components as the shiny, polished fences and guardrails found throughout New York City.
These were first mass-produced in China in the 1980s and are often installed around immigrant households throughout the city's boroughs.
The chair is composed of a curved backrest, with orb-shaped, decorative finials that correspond to the upper portions of household fencing. Its seat and stretchers are made of the pickets.
For Han, the chair "challenges the idyllic image of the 'American Dream' from an immigrant perspective".
"Walking through various Asian neighbourhoods in New York, one simply cannot miss the flashy presence of the highly polished, shiny stainless steel fences, guardrails, doors, and even awnings that line the brick and concrete buildings," said Han.
"More than distinct, these fences can often be a highly polarising aesthetic, if not downright unapologetic – an aptly defiant attitude for a current political climate where immigrant communities are unceasingly targeted."
According to Han, part of the fencing's appeal is in its modularity, durability and affordability, while also providing security.
The design is well known in New York, with the New York Times calling it a "status symbol" of Asian American and West Indian households.
Originating and mass-produced in China, it spread not only to the US, but to various countries such as South Korea, where the designer grew up.
"When I was growing up in South Korea, these types of fences were so common that I didn't think much of them – and I almost forgot about them as my family and I moved to the West Coast of the US," he told Dezeen.
"Then fast forward a couple of decades and I'm living in New York and started seeing them in the streets for the first time in so many years, but with a completely different perspective this time around," he continued.
"They felt different, but also so familiar. And as someone who makes furniture, I thought about how I could bring these fences, awnings and doors into my own space."
Han plans to manufacture four of the chairs made to order, with a portion of purchase proceeds donated to the New York Immigration Coalition.
The South Korean furniture and object maker is based in Brooklyn and describes his work as moving "between the ancient, the modern, and the contemporary".
Other designers with international backgrounds have created work based on their experiences moving to and living in New York City, such as Massimiliano Malagò and Office of TNT.
The photography is by Han Seungmin.
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