If the name “Chippensteel” rings a bell, it might mean you came of age during the 80s, the era in which the cheesy male burlesque show known as “Chippendales” purportedly captured the imaginations of women everywhere. I don’t know what’s become of that spectacle, nor do I know if designer Oskar Zieta has a particular interest in evoking retro pop cultural kitsch, but I am certain that his series of limited edition chairs and stools possesses a spectacularly strange aesthetic, while simultaneously doing their bit to advance materials science.

Chippensteel Chair. Designed by Oskar Zieta.

The Chippenstel series is currently on view at NYC’s Moss Gallery, a choice of venue that gives a clue to the conceptual advancement of Zieta’s FiDU technology: “Every shape cut from steel sheet can be inflated into a 3d object. It means that the same technology can be applied to any complexity of form. The contours of the metal sheets are cut using a laser, welded together by a robot and then inflated at high pressure to form a 3d object.”

Imagine the possibilities, if you will (Zieta certainly has). The technology deeds the capacity to “inflate steel just like rubber toys,” which means a whole host of applications not necessarily limited to the surreal, bulbous, and captivating contours of Chippensteel. Zieta developed FiDU in collaboration with The CAAD Institute ETH Zurich, an entity interested in the intersection of art/design, yes, but also concerned with developing new, lightweight, durable, and conformable materials for everything from wind turbines to aircraft parts to pedestrian bridges. For the present, I’m certainly content with the bold sheen and even bolder shape of Zieta’s design. The chair evokes such savvy and appealingly bizarre personages as Monty Python, Ron Arad, and Gaetano Pesce. Let’s hope the Zieta/FiDU creations shortly transcend the museum barrier and make it to a distributor near you.

Via Chairblog.