For Chen Chen and Kai Williams, the Brooklyn-based duo, every design starts with the material. The material is the point of departure, the inspiration, the universe of their creativity. They begin working with materials, stones, minerals, glass, metals, learning their boundaries and characteristics, feeling their soul, connecting to the deepest identity, and then find an unexpected way to work with them, to turn them into objects of fantasy. The materials lead to extraordinary forms, to concepts, and stories. In celebrating their upcoming solo exhibition at Casa Perfect, the new residential concept brownstone in the West Village from the house of The Future Perfect, we have visited their studio this morning, to get the first peak of the new pieces crafted these days for the show. Chen and William’s studio looks like a laboratory, full of minerals, stones, glass, water balls, and a variety of metals, as everything is done at the studio, crafted in house, and every design demonstrates the power of the material in ruling the design direction. They had met each other when studying industrial design at Pratt Institute, and while still engaging in industrial design, the pieces they show at Casa Perfect are crafted and collectible, each stands on its own, each is unique. I have already started counting the days to the opening of this show on May 7th. Thank you, Chen and Kai for an amazing morning and Laura Young, Director of The Future Perfect for orchestrating the visit.
