LikeSeat by L John Andrew
This weekend while making my way through Minneapolis Uptown Art Fair I discovered the work of metal artist and furniture maker L. John Andrew. The piece that captured my eye (and hundrerds of others at the show) was an incredible two person outdoor seat called the LikeSeat (a play on the classic love-seat, but in this case the center divider makes it less about love, and a lot more about just liking someone enough to sit next to them). Beside the appeal of the LikeSeat’s obvious classic mid-century modern lines what makes it incredibly unique is the seats primary construction material—washers. Made-up of hundreds of washers welded together, then bound by a ribbon of steel and resting on a classic mid-century modern steel base the LikeSeat is really lovely to look at. Adding to the seats visually light, airy appealing look is a high-gloss black paint finish that helps lend to the seats almost organic nature. Light appears to dance off the surface as it catches the ridges of the seats various curves and ever so varying angles of each washer. Achieving this organic feel is not something so easily done when working with perfectly machined steel parts like washers, but something Andrew has accomplished with what appears to be almost effortless precision. If you think the LikeSeat is cool as I do check out some more of his work which ranges from furniture to sculpture to signage at ljohnandrew.com.
