OBJ-05 Chair

The OBJ collection is based on simple gestures applied to materials in their commercial format. Through manipulations such as cuts and folds, raw materials are transformed into objects. Without the use of references and preliminary research stages during the creative process, Manuel's approach to design is intuitive. He enjoys drawing simple lines and sketching ideas in multiple notebooks, and over time, some of these sketches are turned into physical objects. Despite the OBJ series seeking an ambitious aesthetic and prioritizing beauty over function, these objects ultimately find their place at home, aiming to fulfill a specific function.

This large-scale utilitarian sculpture is conceived as a graphic, almost didactic testament to its own making. From its origin as an unaltered central sheet, it undergoes three successive stages of deformation that culminate in the seat’s bowl and the legs. Each phase is materialized, composing a piece that narrates its own process of transformation. Form emerges progressively, making the transition from plane to volume legible and structuring the piece through that sequence.

OBJ-05 is produced from recycled copper in collaboration with master artisans in Santa Clara del Cobre, Michoacán. The material is heated in fire until it becomes malleable, then shaped through controlled, repetitive hammering. Rather than relying on industrial processes, form develops gradually through this manual work, allowing the material to be stretched, compressed, and stabilized by hand.

The piece retains the traces of this process—subtle variations, tonal shifts, and surface irregularities—that reflect both the intensity of the work and the nature of the material itself. Once the raw piece is formed, it is transported to Valle de Chalco, Estado de México, where final adjustments, assembly, and finishing are completed.