Comments on: King Bonk by Fredrikson Stallard

By: wordup

wordup — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 11:39:29 +0000

I was part of the team who helped Fredrikson Stallard create the King Bonk chair and foot stool.
They did take a year to create and there wasn’t a computer insight.

Just to shed some light onto the discussion, John Smith mentioned the production process of vehicle models and Zaha Hadids furniture range.

King Bonk chair and footstool were made in a different way. The polystyrene was used for the master, but the actual production pieces are hollow fibreglass from a mould, not covered polytyrene like Zahas pieces.

I probably be a bit biased because I played a part in bringing them to life, but I think they look amazing.
The ‘handmade’ side of the story is completely true, I think Fredrikson and Stallard just wanted to show that humans are still capable of making incredible looking objects, we don’t need computers to do everything for us.

I was lucky enough to see this project evolve, and I’d urge everyone to go and have a look at them first hand.
The paint finish on them is awesome, I remember seeing the first one which had been painted and polished, and being completely blown away.

I’m not sure if you’ll be allowed to sit on them, but they are actually really comfortable.

By: mauro paparo filomarino

mauro paparo filomarino — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 17:41:16 +0000

deja vu……….aron…

By: fornetti

fornetti — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 11:37:02 +0000

I do not believe this

By: Fling

Fling — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 16:19:51 +0000

I was being ironic

By: John Smith

John Smith — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 16:45:37 +0000

“The final shape was carved from polystyrene with a chainsaw” !?

Try a hotwire, surform or some sandpaper. Save yourself a lot of hassle. Or is using a chainsaw supposed to be avant garde these days. To me it doesn’t add anything to the process and it’s not reflected in the design.

I think the reason they said a computer hasn’t been near these blobs is to try and disassociate the project with the negative back-lash that Zaha’s work has received. They are still using the same tu-pack, fibre glass, crap that she does though and that terrible metallic ‘flip-flop’ paint job…yuck!

Has anyone ever seen the way vehicle designers make their models?…just like that.

I would have loved to have seen these as trussed up blocked of foam. That sounds really nice.

By: cpcp

cpcp — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 07:55:43 +0000

here today, forgotten tomorrow.
and a wasted yesteryear….

By: gaque

gaque — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 03:38:14 +0000

the year long and whatever computer comment seems genuine–not ironic.

they may have been trying to get away from the computer, but its form and materiality are sooo the trendy thing in modeling-based architecture.

why is it handmade anyway?

By: charles

charles — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 20:10:15 +0000

these are gonna hurt my ass

By: bald skull

bald skull — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 04:54:12 +0000

the irony must have fell flat with me. this should have clued me in : “The final shape was carved from polystyrene with a chainsaw”

By: Mattia

Mattia — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 23:27:35 +0000

Call me a sucker, but I think these are gorgeous. I love the concept and genesis, and sculpturally they’re phenomenal as well.

I don’t believe the comment that they didn’t get near a computer was ironic, in fact I think it speaks to the nature of the work as a limited edition. Could they have crafted the same form using a computer? Yes, but obviously they would never have arrived at it in the first place.