Polyurethane Projects

Three designers experiment with polyurethane foam to create new, unexpected forms

by Jack Shaw While the idea of elevating industrial materials to the level of high design isn’t new, recent creative experiments with polyurethane foam have yielded work that feels undeniably fresh. Widely used in the furniture production process, polyurethane foam rarely constitutes a visible part of the final product. The material’s amorphous nature and near instantaneous conversion from a liquid to a solid not only …

Monumenta 2011: Leviathan

Anish Kapoor inflates a massive womb-like sculpture in Paris

The challenge of the annual art exhibit known as Monumenta is primarily a question of volume. Works created for the site-specific show must grapple with the 13,500 square-meter nave of the Grand Palais and the shimmering glass roof (the biggest in Europe), originally built for a late-1800s world’s fair in Paris. Every year the French Ministry for Culture invites a key figure of the artistic …

Jill Platner Sculpture

Master jeweler applies her metalsmithing talent to sculpture

Massachusetts-born beauty Jill Platner, known for the beautifully organic forms of her exquisite jewelry, has always yearned to apply her metal-manipulating skills to her passion for sculpture. This week, realizing the career-long dream, she opened a month-long show of her sculptural work in NYC. Platner discovered her love of metal working in NYC while attending the Parson’s School of Design, getting into the jewelry business …