Rishi Assar x Heron Preston L.E.D. Studio: A furniture collage built from reclaimed city property L.E.D. KARTN This project is a continuation of past furniture work through L.E.D. Studio, while also relating to an ongoing practice of reclaiming and repurposing materials, looking at the city itself as a source for new design objects. The chairs are made from authentic reclaimed NYC D.O.T. regulatory road signs sourced locally, familiar pieces of city infrastructure recognized by both New Yorkers and visitors alike, including signage that communicates laws and traffic regulations such as stop signs, school crossings, detours, speed bumps, and speed limits. The aluminum signs and hinges were precision cut and hole-punched for rivets using an OMAX abrasive waterjet cutting system, then puzzled together in the studio through a process of mixing and matching cut pieces, with final assembly completed by hand using solid rivets and a air/hydraulic riveter. The KARTN chair design: KARTN is a form shaped by spatial scarcity, inspired by the realities of living in New York City. A folding object that shifts between chair, step stool, nightstand, and table, adapting to the changing demands of city living. Built around tension held, then released, its precisely tuned over-center hinge allows the form to transform with a light push, lock into place, and become structurally load-bearing.
