Art Fabrication
unique - functional - thoughtful
Art Fabrication
Fproduct is a creative studio which also offers highly skilled art fabrication, mold and model making services. Our “design-and-build” expertise have made us the “go-to” guys for prop-stylists, architects, designers, TV/film and private clients. The following case studies are just a few examples of the breadth and depth our experience.
Macy's
Fproduct’s advanced mold making skills were sought in the fall of 2013 to complete a 6 window Christmas Holiday display for the flagship department store for Macy’s, located in Herald Square, Manhattan.
The holiday theme for the windows that year was “Dream…and Believe,” which depicted a young boy’s dream of the magic and wonder of Christmas. Fproduct fabricated 25 ice crystal-like forest animals (1 Bear, 2 Deer with Antler, 1 Doe, 4 Squirrels, 4 Foxes, 6 Rabbits, 6 Birds and 1 Owl), which took two months to complete. The molds and castings of the each piece were made using the most rigorous art fabrication processes to ensure detailed perfection with every item.
Macy’s Christmas Holiday windows that years was awarded the prestigious DDI (Display & Design Idea) magazine’s award for best Christmas windows of the city.
INFO:
- Urethane Resin – Hollow cast – 3/8” average thickness
- Dim: Bear, 48″ x 60″ x 30″, Deer, 48” x 48” x 14″, Rabbit: 18″ x 10″ x 24″
- Sculptures: Macy’s – Art Fabrication: Fproduct, Inc.
••Press review:
Lincoln Center
Renowned Chef Marcus Samuelsson together with restaurant Associates & Lincoln Center recently opened the American Table Café and Bar, which is located at the Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall in Manhattan, NY. Diller Scofidio + Renfro, the designers of the Lincoln Center Redevelopment Project which includes the new, critically acclaimed Alice Tully Hall, transformed the 75-seat café which is located both in Alice Tully Hall’s lobby and its exterior while fostering an intimate space for dining and socializing.
Fproduct, Inc., in collaboration with DS+R, was commissioned to design and produce six outdoor cushions for the cafe’s exterior stone plaza using Fproduct’s innovative Gel Pal material. The rectangular silicone gel cushions have a slim vertical extension for stability and can comfortably accommodate two individuals. The vibrant orange color of the gel cushions aesthetically complements the interior renovations, thus creating a visual link with the café.
INFO:
- Gel Pal outdoor cushions:
- Silicone skin, Silicone gel, wood composite insert
- Dim: 42″ x 13″ x 6″ – 1.5″ thick (107 x 33 x 15cm – 3.8cm thick)
- In Collaboration with DS+R
Brasserie Restaurant
The Brasserie has been an iconic fixture in the Seagram building on E.53rd Street in Manhattan since 1959. Hailed by ZAGAT, among others, as an “essential NYC” experience, the Brasserie, since 2001, now showcases the award-winning architecture of Diller, Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R) . In 2011, DS+R commissioned Fproduct, Inc., to collaborate, design, fabricate and install new replacement cushions for the signature sleek barstools with Fproduct innovative Gel Pal material. While the new cushions replicate the original’s overall dimensions, geometry and thickness, their new amber color, surface texture and feel were subtly augmented by the advanced technology of the Fproduct system. The result is a seamless visual transition for the restaurant’s notable design with an improved tactile seating experience and cushion performance.
INFO:
- Bar stool cushions
- Silicone skin, Silicone gel, wood composite insert
- Dim: 15″ x 17″ x 2.75″ (38 x 43 x 7cm)
- In Collaboration with DS+R
Cornell-University
Between 2009-2011, Fproduct collaborated with OMA (Office for Metropolitan Architecture, the prestigious Rotterdam-based architecture firm of Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas to design and fabricate a visually stunning exterior seating area for the Milstein Hall – a new 47,000 square foot addition including studios, critique spaces, auditorium, gallery and exterior workspace and plaza at Cornell University’s College of Architecture, Art and Planning (AAP). For an exterior seating area on a concrete slope, OMA envisioned the use of a dome seat, with rubber skin and light emitting properties.
In collaboration with OMA’s New York office, Fproduct applied its proprietary casting techniques to the design and fabrication of 21 illuminated exterior seating pods. Fproduct also developed a unique solution to secure the pods to the concrete slope using a custom-designed concrete base. The versatile design of the seating pods provides a horizontal surface to sit on in any sloping position.
INFO:
- Illuminated dome seats:
- Translucent Rubber skin, Acrylic dome, concrete base
- Dim: 36″ x 18″ (92 x 46cm)
- In Collaboration with OMA (Shohei Shigematsu, Rem Koolhaas and Ziad Shehab)
- **press review:
- www.architizer.com
- disqus.dezeen.com
- cornellsun.com
- Youtube video (from 9.55mn to 11mn)
Pod Restaurant
How do you partition a space but maintain continuity? Provide a measure of privacy while preserving the airy feel of an open plan? Contain sound but enhance light?
Jun Aizaki of Creme Design Studio found the solution to these seeming paradoxes through the use of Fproduct’s Soft Gem panels for the Pod Restaurant in Philadelphia. A sliding door made from these translucent panels separates diners in the rear of the restaurant from the boisterous bar and the main seating area in the front.
In the main room, the cozy booths were cushioned with Fproduct’s Soft Pad cushions, complementing both the jewel tones of the Soft Gem panels and the Verner Panton chairs used throughout.
In Collaboration with Creme Design
INFO:
- Sliding door/partition: Soft Gem panels (urethane rubber, urethane gel) mounted in an aluminum frame
- Soft Pad booth cushions (urethane rubber, urethane gel) 15″ x 15.75″ x 0.75″ (38 x 40 x 2 cm)
Grey Group
The urethane Soft Pad has been used in a variety of applications beyond seat cushions. The Pentagram design studio was inspired by its tactile appeal and commissioned Fproduct to create interior signage for the Grey Group’s Manhattan headquarters.
The raised designs are 0.75″ in thickness. The numerals are approximately 1.75″ x 1″, the larger pictograms are approximately 6″ square.
Distrito Restaurant
Fproduct has had a very fruitful relationship with Creme Design Studio, particularly in regard to restaurant projects. For the Distrito Restaurant in Philadelphia, we collaborated on the design of the bar stools, cushioning them with the Soft Pad. The Soft Pad was also used for the chairs and ottomans.
In addition, Fproduct was responsible for the art fabrication of the ceiling lights on the first and second floors.
INFO:
- Distrito Stool: aluminum ring on wood, urethane Soft Pad (UV stable)
- Seat cushions (chairs, ottomans): Soft Pad (urethane rubber, urethane gel)
- Ceiling Light (fabrication and installation): Acrylic rods and perforated metal sheets, 72″ x 96″ (183 x 244cm)
Christie’s Presentation Case
Presentation Case
Designer Todd Shearer came to us to assist with the fabrication of a presentation case for a very special client. Working together, we refined the design to produce a luminous vessel roiling with color, its highly tactile surface a delight to the hand as well as the eye.
Each of the 21 pieces in the series is unique, with a sensuous, aqueous and organic aesthetic.
INFO:
- Hard Urethane (UV resistant)
- Dimensions: 15″ x 13″ x 4″ (38 x 33 x 10cm)
- Weight: 9.7 lb (4.4 kg)
- Limited edition of 21
CalTech
Graduate Aerospace Laboratories/Guggenheim Building
Fproduct collaborated with John Friedman/Alice Kimm Architects on the design of a number of indoor casual seating areas at the Graduate Aerospace Laboratories (GALCIT) at the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena. The Soft Pad cushion was applied to benches in the cafeteria, meeting room, and hallway.
INFO:
- Benches with Soft Pad cushions (urethane rubber, urethane gel)
- In Collaboration with JFAK Architects
- Photos: Benny Chang and Patrick Hwang
Bernard Campenon
INSA Lyon Scholarship Award
Bernard Campenon (a large construction firm) wanted to commemorate their corporate sponsorship of INSA Lyon (Institut national des sciences appliquées, National Institute of Applied Sciences), an engineering school. The bold forms and fluid lines of Fproduct’s reversible design reference Campenon’s expertise in building bridges and its unwavering commitment to the student body.
INFO:
- Chromed steel, limestone
- Dimensions [each element]: 13″ x 14″ x 4″ (34 x 36 x 10cm)
More Work Samples Will Be Posted Soon!
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